Comparison

Read two legal systems against each other

Because every portal follows the same fifteen-section outline, the comparison is genuinely like-for-like rather than a collage of whatever each government happens to publish.

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Comparison of selected legal systems
Attribute	SwitzerlandReviewed	MaltaReviewed
Legal family	Civil law	Mixed (civil and common law)
System of government	Federal semi-direct democratic republic	Unitary parliamentary republic
Constitution	Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation	Constitution of Malta
In force since	1999	1964
Capital	Bern	Valletta
Official languages	German, French, Italian, Romansh	Maltese, English
Currency	Swiss Franc (CHF)	Euro (EUR)
Population	8,900,000	540,000
Division of powers	Competences not expressly assigned to the Confederation remain with the 26 cantons, which have their own constitutions, parliaments, governments and courts. Sovereignty is further shared with the electorate: the optional referendum can overturn any federal statute, and the popular initiative can amend the Constitution directly.	A parliamentary republic with a ceremonial President, a Cabinet led by the Prime Minister answerable to the House of Representatives and an independent judiciary.
How law is made	A draft goes through a formal consultation procedure (Vernehmlassung) with cantons and interest groups, then must be adopted in identical terms by both chambers, with a conciliation procedure to resolve differences. It then faces a hundred-day window in which 50,000 citizens can demand an optional referendum; only after that period, or a favourable vote, does it enter into force.	Bills are passed by the House of Representatives and assented to by the President before publication in the Government Gazette.
Legal profession	The Rechtsanwalt / avocat / avvocato qualification is cantonal: a law degree, a supervised traineeship and a cantonal bar examination, after which registration in a cantonal register permits practice throughout Switzerland. The Swiss Bar Association federates the cantonal bars. Notaries are separately regulated, and in some cantons the office is a public monopoly.	Advocates are admitted to the bar after a law degree and warrant; legal procurators and notaries handle procedural filing and authentication of deeds.

A comparison table flattens nuance by design. Where a difference matters to a decision you are making, open both portals and read the section in full — the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.