Topics: Land Registry Management, Notary, Career Tips, Ukraine, Land Registry, KSG , swisstopo, Federal Office of Justice, Oberland Land Registry Office, Canton of Bern.
Information about the person on Weblaw People: Adrian Mühlematter
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Good morning Mr. Mühlematter. Could you tell us something about your professional career?

After completing my Matura with a focus on 'Economics and Law' at Gymnasium Thun (formerly Gymnasium Thun-Schadau), I pursued studies in Law at the University of Bern, which I completed in 2009, earning the title Master of Law (MLaw). In 2011, I passed the notarial examination of the Canton of Bern.

In 2011, I joined the service of the  Canton of Bern  as a land registry administrator. Since 2014, I have been serving as the managing land registry administrator (office manager) of the  Oberland land registry office  with three locations in Thun (headquarters), Frutigen, and Interlaken.

For the Canton of Bern, I was a member of the Association of Capitastra Cantons and the Land Registry Inspectors Conference of Central and Northwestern Switzerland from 2014 to 2021. Additionally, from 2015 to 2021, I was a member of the Terravis (EGT) association. From 2016 to 2018, I served as its president, leading, among other things, the working group for electronic transactions between notaries and land registry offices.

Since 2016, I have been a board member of the  Swiss Land Registry Conference (KSG). For the association, I have been a member of the 'Dimension cadastre' think tank of the Federal Office of Topography  swisstopo  for the past eight years, as well as the project committee 'Land search via a personal identifier in the land register' (GSP) of the  Federal Office of Justice , and the ChangeBoard for the new data model 'DM.flex' of the official surveying of the Federal Office of Topography swisstopo. Currently, I am involved in the Working Group 'Official Surveying Vision' of the Federal Office of Topography swisstopo.

In teaching, I have been active since 2014 as a lecturer in notarial, property, and land registry law. Together with my colleague Stephan Stucki, I have co-authored the book«Grundbuchrecht für die Praxis» , published by Orell Füssli Verlag.

Is a notarial license a prerequisite for a successful career in land registry?

This depends on the respective canton. In the Canton of Bern, it is a requirement for land registry administrators to have either a lawyer's license or a notarial license. This is a common requirement in cantons with freelance notaries, as is the case in the Canton of Bern.

What does your typical workday look like, and what do you particularly enjoy about your work?

At my level, there is no typical workday. My professional routine is characterized by administrative and strategic elements. Generally speaking, a typical land registry administrator has to manage a series of business processes, including independent processing of transactions. This includes legal review of transactions, advising external and internal clients, and controlling.

Personally, I appreciate that activities in land registry are diverse, but also require a high level of personal responsibility and autonomy. - Adrian Mühlematter

Training and mentoring of employees as well as legal interns are also part of my responsibilities. Personally, I appreciate that activities in land registry are diverse, but also require a high level of personal responsibility and autonomy.

What makes the Land Registry Office (or the Canton) an especially attractive employer?

There are many factors that make the Land Registry Office or the Canton an attractive employer. A major advantage is certainly the flexible work models such as part-time work, job sharing, and telecommuting offered by the Canton of Bern to better balance work and private life. Particularly, telecommuting is highly valued at the Oberland Land Registry Office and can be fully granted to all staff levels thanks to state-of-the-art working methods. Overall, the Canton of Bern is a great employer that promotes its employees and consistently offers them opportunities. For instance, I was elected to the Notarial Examination Committee of the Canton of Bern in 2015, a position I have presided over since 2020. Additionally, I am involved as a mentor for young leaders in the Canton of Bern.

On another note, the Oberland Land Registry Office was in the media in connection with the Ukraine conflict. Can you tell us more about that?

In 2022, rumors circulated especially in social media suggesting that individuals connected to the Ukrainian President had acquired properties in Gstaad (municipality of Saanen). However, investigations revealed that the alleged evidence documents, the land registry extracts, were forged. Simply comparing the property numbers in the documents with the land registry, one can find that a property listed in the documents does not exist in the land registry. Another property mentioned belongs to the municipality of Saanen, etc.

When considering the development in land registry management, what challenges do lawyers face in the context of technological change?

Here too, the question cannot be answered categorically, but it depends on the circumstances in each canton. However, the introduction of the electronic public document, based on the Federal Law on Digitization in Notaries, is likely to be a crucial development not only for notaries but also for registry authorities (land registry and commercial registry offices) in the coming years. The challenge lies in designing the necessary, newly created technology in such a way that it provides real added value for both clients and users.

In conclusion, what is the best advice you've ever received, and what advice would you give to someone aspiring to a similar career?

It was probably 'Do More of What Makes You Happy'. I can only recommend this to others. Because if what you do doesn't make you happy, you should seriously consider making changes. Life is simply too short.

Thank you for the insightful glimpses into land registry affairs. We wish you all the best!

_{Translated by AI}