About Me
A career built on complexity — A practice built on clarity.
I founded SLC because I believe good legal advice should feel different — not intimidating, not generic, and never detached. Every situation is unique, every client is different, and the counsel I provide reflects that.
I have spent over 25 years dealing with complex legal matters — in the international arbitration and litigation practices of leading London law firms, at the Swiss Federal Administrative Court in St. Gallen, and across the boardrooms of family offices and international schools on four continents (Europe, North and South America, Africa).
My Background
Originally Swiss but born in Rio de Janeiro and raised across Brazil, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, I qualified as a lawyer in three countries — Switzerland, England and the United States. Based in Zurich since 2017, I have built my career across multiple legal systems and am fully accustomed to working in multilingual, multicultural environments, building trust with clients and colleagues around the world.
I initially trained as a lawyer in Geneva (“titulaire du brevet d’Avocat”), qualified as a Solicitor in England & Wales, and joined the international law firms of Clifford Chance and later White & Case in London, where I advised on large-scale international arbitration cases across the energy, mining, telecommunications and infrastructure sectors.
From 2003 to 2017, I acted as Head Legal Counsel for Klesa Limited, a London-based family office serving ultra high-net-worth international clients with business and personal interests across Europe, Africa, North and South America. That experience sharpened my commercial judgment and deepened my understanding of the practical realities of advising clients with complex, cross-border affairs.
Subsequently, from 2018 to 2024, I served as a judicial clerk at the Swiss Federal Administrative Court in St. Gallen, Court VI — the court exclusively responsible for appeals in immigration, nationality and statelessness matters. I also handled disputes involving international administrative assistance in tax matters and social security law, gaining first‑hand insight on how these cases are assessed and decided from the inside.
Since 2018, I have also been serving as Secretary and Board member of the Association du Lycée Français International de Zurich, one of Zurich’s leading international schools, and since 2025, I have held the position of Legal Officer of the Oxford & Cambridge Club of Zurich.
I founded Schmid Legal Consulting (SLC) to bring that depth of experience to individuals, families and organisations seeking senior, independent and strategic legal counsel — the kind of expertise usually available only to large corporations.
I also leverage AI tools to enhance legal research and document efficiency, and have completed professional development training on the impact of artificial intelligence on schools and education, delivered by Oxford University Press.
I advise on Swiss, English and international law, with a particular focus on supporting the expat community in Switzerland — bringing Swiss legal expertise to those with international connections in a globalised world, offering clear advice, personal attention and genuine commitment to every matter.
Qualifications
- Titulaire du brevet d’avocat — Geneva & Swiss Bars (non-practising)
- Qualified as Solicitor — England & Wales (non-practising)
- Admitted to the New York Bar (1996, inactive)
Education
- Master of Studies in International Human Rights Law — Oxford University (2016)
- Master of Arts — Cambridge University (2001)
- Bachelor of Arts in Law — Cambridge University (1997)
- Master of Laws in International Legal Studies — New York University (1995)
- Licence en droit — University of Geneva (1991)
Continuing professional development
“Future Ready Classrooms: How AI Will Transform Teaching and Learning” — International Education Professional Development Webinar, Oxford University Press — March 2026
Languages
French, English and Portuguese — mother tongues. German — professional level.
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