We’re delighted to uphold our year-end tradition: wishing a warm welcome to our latest partner and counsel appointees. Nathalie Vetsch-Cevallos, Lukas Aebi, Severin Christen and Flavio Delli Colli are newly promoted to the firm’s partnership. The promotion of two new counsels, Isy Isaac Sakkal and Alexander Wintsch, is further cause to celebrate.

Nathalie Vetsch-Cevallos 
Attorney at Law | Lausanne

What are your earliest memories of knowing (or thinking you knew!) what you wanted to pursue as a career?

At high school, I chose an optional class ‘law and economy’. It then became obvious that the law was the right path for me. I’ve always liked to help people solve their issues – and this is exactly what a lawyer does.

Who has been your greatest mentor or influence on your career – and what’s the best piece of advice you’ve received? 

My greatest mentor has been (and still is) Lucien Masmejan – partner and head of our Private Clients group. I’ve learnt so much from him over 11 years. Lucien’s best piece of advice is to always be honest with clients and to provide them with pragmatic solutions.

How do you balance the demands of a high-level legal career with your personal life and outside interests? 

It’s doable – but requires a lot of organisation and planning! I also try to manage time as effectively as possible at work, so that I can still spend quality time with my family. I’m fortunate that I can always count on their support.

If you were cooking for friends at a dinner party, what would be your ‘signature dish’ – and why?

Mexican fajitas. Firstly, they taste extremely good! Also it’s a fun dish that brings people together.

Visit Nathalie's online profile 

here

Lukas Aebi   
Attorney at Law, Certified Tax Expert, LL.M. | Zurich

What has been the defining moment of your career so far – and how has it shaped your approach to law?

I don't believe in defining moments. I think success (however defined) in life and as a lawyer has much more to do with learning, growing and being the best possible version of oneself every day.

Who has been your greatest mentor or influence on your career – and what’s the best piece of advice you’ve received? 

I don't have one mentor or influence in particular. There are a lot of amazing people I’ve had the privilege of working together with and learning from. I try to take the best from each of them.

If you could give one piece of advice to young lawyers aspiring to rise up the firm, what would it be? 

Be curious, ask yourself and others the hard questions – and don't stop showing up.

If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you be – and why?

I really like being a lawyer. I’m tempted, though, to say something daring like a pirate or professional poker player! But, more realistically, maybe I’d work in quantitative finance.

If you could take one item with you to a desert island, what would it be?

Does Starlink (the SpaceX-owned satellite internet constellation) count?

Visit Lukas' online profile 

here

Severin Christen  
Attorney at Law, LL.M. | Zurich

What are your earliest memories of knowing (or thinking you knew!) what you wanted to pursue as a career? 

I was reminded at a recent primary school reunion how I’d once volunteered to argue on behalf of a disappointed classmate (unsuccessfully!) as to why the teacher should upgrade their presentation. This might have been the first time I pursued something in the direction of what I do today.

What unique perspectives do you bring to the firm? 

I always at least try to maintain a friendly, calm atmosphere in the team – even in hectic situations. It not only makes the work more pleasant for everyone but also benefits the outcome.

How do you balance the demands of a high-level legal career with your personal life and outside interests? 

While I don't think there’s a perfect solution, maybe one of the only benefits to come from the COVID-19 pandemic is enhanced flexibility around workplace and working time. I take advantage of both to make sure I still have time with my family – even during busy work periods.

If you were cooking for friends invited to a dinner party, what would be your ‘signature dish’ – and why?

My vegetable lasagna has so far proven to be a safe choice – or my guests have been too polite to tell me otherwise…

Visit Severin's online profile

here

Flavio Delli Colli   
Attorney at Law, LL.M. | Zurich

What are your earliest memories of knowing (or thinking you knew!) what you wanted to pursue as a career?

As a child I wanted to be a fighter pilot. I’ve always been fascinated by physics and this might have been a field I pursued, had I not ended up studying law.

Who has been your greatest mentor or influence on your career? 

There have been a few. Certainly, I’ve always had the privilege of having great superiors. They were great leaders who were also able to delegate responsibility. But they also valued commitment and – most important of all – they were loyal and fateful comrades.

How do you balance the demands of a high-level legal career with your personal life and outside interests?

Accept that it’s challenging and you’ll not always succeed. But in my view the secret lies in loving what you do – be it your job or how you live your personal life. Maintaining a healthy, communicative relationship also helps.

If you could give one piece of advice to young lawyers aspiring to rise up the firm, what would it be?

Gain as much experience as you can. Go abroad, pick an unusual subject (the one thing that others don't). And be courageous and open to new ways of thinking and problem-solving.

Visit Flavio's online profile

here

Isy Isaac Sakkal  
Attorney at Law, LL.M. | Geneva

What has been the defining moment of your career so far – and how has it shaped your approach to law?

Probably my LL.M. in the United States (Berkeley). Meeting colleagues from all around the world with different legal systems allowed me to discover new ways of grasping legal issues – and to think out of the box. Crucially, I learned that the same legal issue may be resolved through different solutions.

What unique perspectives do you bring to the firm? 

I see law and especially technical fields such as commercial/banking/regulatory as a science of pure logic. In this context, I believe I get straight to the point, am pragmatic, focus on resolving the issue – and don’t lose myself in the details.

If you could give one piece of advice to young lawyers aspiring to rise up the firm, what would it be? 

OK, here are two! Try to do what you love. And speak to as many people as possible within the firm to encounter different ways of working and get to know everyone.

If you were cooking for friends invited to a dinner party, what would be your ‘signature dish’ – and why?

Raclette. It’s Swiss and very convivial!

If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you be?

A filmmaker. Cinema is my passion – having pursued an internship in New York and directed and edited many short movies. Collaborating with thousands of people from various industries is something that really appeals.

Visit Isy's online profile

here

Alexander Wintsch  
Attorney at Law, LL.M. | Zurich

What are your earliest memories of knowing (or thinking you knew!) what you wanted to pursue as a career? 

As a child, I wanted to become either a baker or a painter – because I loved the fragrance of both bread and paint.  

What unique perspectives do you bring to the firm? 

I guess you could call me a seasoned (or battle-hardened!) litigator, who has successfully represented clients before Swiss courts for more than two decades. I also bring the perspective of in-house litigation counsel to bear.

How do you balance the demands of a high-level legal career with your personal life and outside interests? 

When you have a child – and your partner is equally pursuing a professional career –  you need to organize yourself and be transparent when you feel that something is going off-balance. Being able to combine office presence and teleworking certainly helps.

If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you be – and why?

Maybe an architect, as devising a building is highly creative, technically demanding and – in the best case – will result in a happy place for the people using it.

If you could take one item with you to a desert island, what would it be?

A yacht – with my family on board.

Visit Alexander's online profile

here