Facts
The appellant A. had obtained a lawyer's license from the canton of Lucerne in 1977. On May 13, 2015, the supervisory authority over lawyers in the canton of Lucerne revoked his lawyer's license, as debt enforcement proceedings had been initiated against him for a total of over 320,000 Swiss francs. The Cantonal Court of Lucerne dismissed the appeal against the revocation of the license on August 10, 2015.
A. subsequently filed an appeal with the Federal Supreme Court, requesting that the revocation of the license be declared unlawful. He also requested the granting of legal aid.
Considerations
The Federal Supreme Court stated that the revocation of the lawyer's license cannot constitute a disciplinary measure, as the existence of debt enforcement proceedings does not constitute a violation of professional rules. Rather, the existence of debt enforcement proceedings leads to the refusal of registration or deletion from the register.
The Federal Supreme Court concluded that the Lucerne regulation on the granting and revocation of the lawyer's license is compatible with the Federal Act on the Freedom of Movement for Lawyers (BGFA).…