The industry accolades and work ethic aside, it is Wuestemann’s beside manner and people skills that impress most people: she is tactful in dealing with clients and a whirlwind of energy when dealing with colleagues and counterparts, according to several people who have worked with her.

Old Saab vs Porsche

While based in Zurich, her reach is global, focused on cross-border planning as well as international trust and estate battles. A growing number of ultra-rich patchwork families have complicated estate planning efforts across borders, and the number of complex trust cases involving several countries and court systems has also grown in recent years.

Part of her secret is she can sometimes be decidedly un-lawyer-like: extremely vivacious, full of energy, funny, and boisterous – or as one colleague puts it, «impossible to put down.»  The qualities will have served her well elsewhere – she worked as a ski instructor, waitress, and sales clerk during her studies. 

«She has loads of energy, is very witty and confident, without ever appearing condescending. She has no reserve in talking to people,» a long-time colleague says. Until fairly recently, she eschewed the perks that her rainmaker salary afford her, driving an older model Saab to work (she switched to a Porsche three years ago).

Aussie Stint

Professional profiles of women often mention their families – while those of men rarely do. Nevertheless, Wuestemann herself credits her husband Joerg, a Swiss engineer who runs his own firm, and two children with keeping her on an even keel. She told «Citywealth» that having a family while building up a successful career is the accomplishment she is most proud of.

A graduate of the University of Zurich, Wuestemann made partner at Baer & Karrer in 2004 – when few women were admitted into the top ranks of Zurich’s conservative legal circles – after just six years at the firm. Today, seven of Baer & Karrer’s 44 partners are women – nearly 16 percent, which is high compared to peers such as Homburger or Niederer Kraft & Frey.

No Pushover

She spent two years early in her career working as a paralegal for a Syndey-based law firm, and is also admitted to the New York bar, but never practiced in the U.S. If Wuestemann was a catalyst for other women to pursue leadership roles in Swiss law firms, she did so without ruffling feathers at the then-male dominated Baer & Karrer. She is, however, no pushover, according to Ehrat, who is the only former or current colleague of several finews.com spoke to who agreed to be quoted on record.

As one of the wealth industry’s top lawyers, Wuestemann is at the pinnacle of her career. What is next? She has expressed an interest in striking out on her own from Baer & Karrer, where she manages more than 20 private client lawyers and trainees, but told «Citywealth» she is «comfortable» there for now.