Sergio Michelsen
Sergio Michelsen
Partner | Brigard & Urrutia
JURISDICTION
TOP SPECIALISMS
Family Governance and Business
Family Office
Transactions
Office Location
Colombia
Short Biography
Sergio Michelsen has been a partner at Brigard Urrutia since 1994, with over three decades of extensive experience, he is one of the partners of the Trusts and Estates team. Primarily focused on advising prominent families in the Andean region, he specializes in wealth management, family governance, and resolving disputes related to family and corporate structures. Throughout his career, he has been a trusted advisor to several influential families, assisting them with wealth preservation, managing liquidity events, and facilitating the smooth transfer of family wealth across generations. His expertise extends to guiding families through M&A transactions involving their companies. Furthermore, Michelsen is dedicated to advising families on charitable and philanthropic initiatives, demonstrating a comprehensive approach to family wealth planning. Highly regarded by sources such as Chambers & Partners, Legal 500, Latin Lawyer, and others, Michelsen expertise transits from advising families on wealth management and governance to his work in Corporate/M&A-transactions.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
A good steak house will always deliver and never dissapoints.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
The most valuable guidance I've received: Stay humble.
What was your first job?
While attending college, I worked as a law clerk with a prominent attorney.
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
From good to great, James C. Collins.
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
What would be the effect of AI in Estate Planning and transactions.
Rodrigo Castillo Cottin
Rodrigo Castillo Cottin
Partner | Rimon PC
JURISDICTION
TOP SPECIALISMS
Estates: Planning
Trusts: Planning
Tax Advisory
Office Location
Colombia
Short Biography
Rodrigo Castillo Cottin opened our legal practice in Colombia, Rimon’s first Latin American office, to focus on Trusts & Estates and Tax law. He advises multijurisdictional enterprises, financial institutions, and high-net-worth individuals and families on wealth management matters, international tax law, planning, and compliance, inheritance and estate planning, exchange of information, and amnesty programs. Mr. Castillo Cottin advises high-net-worth clients on the full range of tax and wealth management-related matters. He is a Chambers-ranked attorney, a leader in international tax law and planning, and nationally recognized for his advice on multijurisdictional reorganizations.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
What was your first job?
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
Paula Camacho
Paula Camacho
Partner | Brigard & Urrutia
JURISDICTION
TOP SPECIALISMS
Estates: Planning
Family and Matrimonial
Family Governance and Business
Office Location
Colombia
Short Biography
Paula is a Partner of the Trusts and Estates and Family-Law teams at Brigard & Urrutia. She provides legal advice to families in the design and implementation of wealth planning structures both in Colombia and abroad. She has helped create corporate governance strategies that adjust to family interests and needs and has wide experience in guiding families in drafting and executing family protocols.Her experience in family-law focuses on planning the economic aspects of couple relationships and in designing estate structures including complex wills. This work has implied the preparation of prenuptial agreements for future spouses with the objective of defining the economic regime of the couple to mitigate effects of the relationship’s breakdown. This experience has also involved the liquidation of marital partnerships as a mechanism of family planning. Paula is currently the co-chair at STEP(Colombia Chapter) and has been an international lecturer in this and other forums.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
A restaurant which serves excellent Colombian food and has a lively and unique atmosphere: Andrés Carne de Res.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
No single solution or strategy can universally apply to two distinct clients due to their unique circumstances and needs; clients need tailor-made solutions that will fit their specific needs and interests.
What was your first job?
Legal intern at Lewin & Wills Abogados (Tax and estate planning boutique law firm in Colombia)
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
Dare to Lead by Brené Brown. However, her other books would also be a good recommendation, specially Daring Greatly
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
The effect of AI in Estate Planning and Family Law.
Maya Prabhu
Maya Prabhu
Managing Director, Head of Wealth Advisory Services EMEA | J.P. Morgan Private Bank
JURISDICTION
TOP SPECIALISMS
Family Governance and Business
Family Office
Private Banking
Office Location
United Kingdom
Short Biography
Maya leads the Wealth Advisory practice across the EMEA region and the Family Governance practice for the International private Bank. She helps individuals and families articulate the goals for their wealth and then advises on strategies to hold, protect and transfer their wealth and on the establishment or review of their family offices. She advises families on strategies to plan for and support the continuity of their wealth and family businesses to the next generation. In this realm, her areas of focus include developing family governance (including processes for developing culture, teamwork and communication), next generation engagement and development, and in crafting effective and rewarding philanthropy strategies. She has helped many individuals and families to capture their agreements in their own Mission Statement or Family Constitution. Maya is experienced in working with families from a range of cultures including the UK, across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Always be 'gruntled'!
What was your first job?
Sub editor at a book publishers!
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
Complete Family Wealth by James Hughes et al
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?