Patricia Guerra is head of the private clients team in Zurich and head of the Latin-America desk of MLL Legal. She has extensive experience in advising HNW and UHNW individuals and their families and is their trusted advisor in all matters personal and concerning family assets, as well as in philanthropic endeavours. Patricia deals with complex cross-border issues and takes on the coordination of legal teams across various jurisdictions. She is fluent in English, Spanish, German and French. Patricia is board member of several Swiss charitable foundations, of a Swiss private bank and is the Honorary Consul of Ecuador in Zürich.

What interested you in pursuing a career in private client law?

The personal contact to individuals and families and the possibility to help them in their private matters and to become their trusted advisor.

What matters are clients coming to you with most over the past year? What is driving this?

Relocations to Switzerland driven by geopolitical issues, changes in legislations, increase of governmental control, necessity of a solid and sustainable infrastructure at a high level, natural beauty, political stability and guarantee of freedom and the rule of law.

If you could introduce one reform in the areas of law you operate within, what would it be and why?

Eliminate citizen-based taxation.

How do you effectively coordinate teams on complex cross-border matters?

Defining the core lead team and team leader involved with the work in all jurisdictions, maintaining global network of trusted lawyers, regular communication and consistent reporting with local counsel, knowledge of jurisdiction-specific rules, local culture, counsel assumptions and ways of working, reporting to clients and instructions back to local counsel by the core team only.

What inspired you to join the board of multiple charitable organisations?

Being aware of our privileges and trying to give back, willing to make a difference and discovering that there is more reward in giving and helping than in receiving.

What makes MLL Legal stand out from competitors in the private client arena?

The cohesion of our private client team, our background and diversity, our empathic and pragmatic approach, and our mission to not be only lawyers but trusted advisors.

To what extent is the increasing client scrutiny over costs affecting your practice, and how are you adapting accordingly?

This has had a marginal impact.

As head of the Zurich private client team, how are you aiming to develop the team over the next few years?

After the firm's merger to become MLL Legal, we have one of the largest private client teams in Switzerland and we would like to hire additional experts to enrich our practice and our offering to our clients.