Facts
On December 7, 2010, the Vaud Cantonal Court adopted the regulation on legal aid in civil matters (RAJ/VD), which sets the hourly rate for court-appointed lawyers at 180 Swiss francs and for trainee lawyers at 110 Swiss francs. The Vaud Bar Association and lawyer Jean-David Pelot appealed against this regulation to the Federal Tribunal, primarily requesting the annulment of the RAJ/VD and subsidiarily the reform of the hourly rate to 250 Swiss francs for lawyers and 160 Swiss francs for trainee lawyers.
Considerations
The Federal Tribunal dismissed the appeal to the extent that it was admissible. It considered that the hourly rate of 180 Swiss francs for court-appointed lawyers respects the requirements of fair compensation under the case law,…