Citywealth Leaders List interview: 60 seconds with Amy Benest, Baker & Partners

Date: 30 Apr 2025

Karen Jones

This week’s 60-second piece is dedicated to Amy Benest, Partner, Baker & Partners.

Tell Citywealth readers a bit about your role.

I’m a Jersey Advocate and Partner at Baker & Partners LLP in Jersey. We are a litigation only firm and also have offices in the Cayman Islands, BVI and London.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I usually start the day with making sure my children are wearing the right uniform/kit for school, doing hair for the three of us, followed by the school drop off. My day job then starts off supervising colleagues on matters, working with our firm’s business support on various issues and working on my own client matters. We cater to clients that have an offshore arm to their dispute or issue.  The parties involved –  companies, investors, trustees, beneficiaries, or local counsel – are often very internationally spread – so to that end the work itself is rarely typical, and it is always interesting!  I try to get home for my kids’ bedtime to check in with how their days went before finishing off my own commitments and then winding down for the day.

Tell us about some recent, interesting client instructions/requests you have received.

The one thing I’ve learnt is to expect the unexpected! So much of what we do is confidential, but we are at the end of the day in the service industry: we facilitate as far as possible our clients’ requests even when unexpected.

What challenges do your clients face and how are you helping your clients to overcome them?

Clients are facing all sorts of challenges from the traditional (family dynamics) to the more novel (global economic fluctuations due to geopolitical factors). Clients want you to understand their perspective: having empathy goes a long way.

What is your proudest professional achievement?

Passing my Jersey Advocates Exams is the easy answer to that question. I started studying while I was still on maternity leave with my youngest and continued my studies while back to work full time. It was full on and I passed my exams at the first time of asking.

What do you consider to be the most important attributes for a leader?

Carving out time to listen and to allow those around you to speak up. You’re not always going to hear the message you really need to hear at the time you allocate to listening: you need to be flexible and present.

Who do you most admire and why?

I am really inspired by my sister. She’s a lawyer too (in a different field): I see how much care and attention she puts into not only her professional practice but also managing her firm, and to her and our family.

Where was the last place you travelled to for work or pleasure?

I travel to London for work a lot. I also go to London with my family to catch up with friends and to take in the sites. I love London’s energy and vibe. There’s always something new to take in, but always a restaurant to miss. As a Jersey girl, I remember feeling really proud of myself once I had worked out how to get around London as my capital city and that feeling has never really gone away.

If you weren’t in this industry, what else might you be doing?

I tell myself I’d be a teacher, but I’m not sure I have the patience. At university, I flirted with the idea of journalism or working for a formula one team.

How do you relax after a long day?

I like to bake, accompanied by the Rest is History podcast.