Liechtenstein has its own flag, its own Prince, its own Parliament, and its own laws. A real country, with a very special feature: from its highest peak, you can look around and see almost the entire nation. Here are some insights from a lawyer who lives and works in one of the smallest countries in Europe and the planet.
With the Alps on one side and the Rhine river on the other side, the Principalty of Liechtenstein is one of the smallest nations in the world.
Siegbert Lampert is a lawyer in the Lampert & Schächle lawfirm and the Head of the Eurojuris chapter in Liechtenstein. He knows the principalty very well from inside. 'The main peculiarity in Liechtenstein for a lawyer is the need to remain a generalist to a certain extent, because it is a small market. Also, keep in mind that cases are predominantly international, so you will need many international contacts'.
For a lawer, working in Liechtenstein has a number of specific traits. Siegbert praises the feeling of transparency that goes along with a small jurisdiction. 'You can have direct connections with all the actors involved', he explains, 'you can easily reach important decision makers; they are not far away. This gives us the feeling that anybody can really make a difference and move things forward. People know one another, so we know each other's respective individual strengths. Everything is pretty transparent'.
On the other hand, Siegbert underlines the opposite effect: 'Everyone knows everyone in such a little country, so the individual may sometimes feel a certain lack of privacy. And for the global view in relation to other nations: Liechtenstein often suffers from a lack of international power'.
Siegbert says he enjoys the place where he works and lives. 'The nature, the geographical position in the centre of Europe, is remarkable'. Liechtenstein is primarily made of mountain ranges, and its landscapes would remind the visitor of its two neighbouring countries: Austria and Switzerland. Most of the population lives by the banks of the Rhine river, which marks the borderline with the Swiss confederacy. On this narrow strip of flatland, Liechtensteiners not only built small towns, but an extensive industrial zone with major factories: who would have guessed that this little principalty is, among other industries, the birthplace of the drilling industry (Hilti) and dental protheses (Ivoclar)?
Liechtenstein stands firm despite its small size. 'People enjoy the stable political and economic environment here', says Siegbert. 'It is a very safe place'. For him, Liechtenstein has been a place of personal success. His final piece of advice? 'Get a broad and international experience and education, learn languages, and always try to be as flexible and open as possible, both professionaly and personally'.
