Lorenz Erni (born 1950 in

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

) is a Swiss lawyer and a partner at the Zürich law firm of Eschmann & Erni. He studied at the University of Zürich, the

University of Hamburg The University of Hamburg (german: link=no, Universität Hamburg, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vor ...

(Germany), and obtained a doctorate of law in 1974. He specializes in criminal law, and speaks German (native), English, French, Italian and Dutch. In September 2009, he was hired to represent

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a (né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two ...

, after Polanski was arrested in Switzerland on a warrant related to a 1978 conviction of engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Back in 1978, Polanski had pleaded guilty to the charge but left the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

before sentencing, and never returned. Polanski has announced his intention to appeal extradition in the Swiss courts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erni, Lorenz 20th-century Swiss lawyers 1950 births Living people 21st-century Swiss lawyers