Citywealth Leaders List, 60 seconds interview – Christine Pasquier Ciulla, CMS Monaco
This week’s 60 seconds Citywealth Leaders List interview is dedicated to Christine Pasquier Ciulla, Partner and Co-Head of the Private Clients team at CMS Monaco.
Tell Citywealth readers a bit about your role.
As a founding partner of CMS Monaco and co-head of our Private Clients practice, I advise families and individuals on their most personal and strategic affairs, usually across multiple jurisdictions. My work covers the entire life cycle of wealth planning and family relationships, including prenuptial agreements, matrimonial regime planning, complex national and international successions, trusts and estates, and protective measures for vulnerable adults. I work on both contentious and non-contentious cases, often coordinating with foreign lawyers to implement cross-border solutions that can be enforced in Monaco and abroad. I help clients anticipate risks, establish robust family governance, and create structures that preserve harmony and purpose across generations. This critical impact we can bring for our clients and their life projects is endlessly satisfying: it’s what has driven us forward since the creation of the firm in 2009 and will continue to do so in the future.
What inspired you to pursue this career?
Family and private international law matters typically span multiple jurisdictions and legal systems, involving diverse assets and cultural considerations. Successfully navigating this landscape requires a mastery of countless aspects simultaneously: legal principles, practical realities, cultural nuances, and human consequences. It’s intellectually challenging. Monaco is the perfect setting for this work; its cosmopolitan residents lead lives that transcend borders, turning every case into an intricate puzzle of laws and lives. What inspires me most is that behind this challenge lies a deeply human element. These issues shape people’s futures, protect families, and safeguard their peace of mind.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I’ve ever received is simple: listen. Listen to your clients, listen to fellow professionals, listen to your colleagues. Listen to evolution. When we truly listen, we learn, and in our field, that is essential. You can never stand still because the law evolves and so must we. Listening keeps your mind open, which is crucial when working on complex, multi-layered cases that span jurisdictions and involve so many moving parts. It’s about understanding different perspectives, anticipating various scenarios, and adapting your strategy accordingly.
What has been your greatest professional achievement?
I’m proud of what we’ve built with our Private Clients team, which has become an industry standard in Monaco. Over the years, we have earned the trust of many people regarding their most personal and sensitive matters. The most meaningful achievements are often the ones you’ll never read about: negotiating peace in a conflict-stricken cross-border divorce, quietly resolving a complex succession, or creating a structure that protects a vulnerable adult with dignity. These outcomes may not make headlines, but they have a profound impact on people’s lives, and those are the achievements that stay with you.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?
My career began in the analogue era – no computers, no internet. The transformation since then has been immense. While technology has brought incredible progress, it has also changed clients’ expectations. Nowadays, many clients arrive at our door having researched their case online, sometimes using AI tools. In the past, lawyers were almost like priests — the keepers of secret knowledge. Now, people come prepared; sometimes their research is accurate, sometimes not, but it means the lawyer is more than ever put to the test. Therefore, the real challenge is in maintaining a human connection and demonstrating the real added value that we bring — something that no tool can replicate. Whilst keeping pace with technological advancement and abreast of new ways to offer the best client experience is at the core of our practice, in the complex, multi-layered cases we handle, no machine can do our job. Yet explaining this and earning client trust in this new landscape is vital.
How do you see your sector evolving over the next few years?
I see three major forces that will shape our sector in the coming years. First, the globalisation of families will continue, increasing the need for expertise in private international law and enforceable cross-border solutions. Second, growing regulatory scrutiny and transparency initiatives will demand even greater rigor in structuring, governance, and documentation – particularly in areas like trusts and succession planning. Third, the very definition of a “family” is evolving, bringing new legal questions around parentage, recognition, and protection across jurisdictions. A forward-thinking and strategic approach combined with seamless international coordination will be essential.
What do you do to relax outside of work?
Training and Pilates help me stay balanced. Reading is also something I enjoy. I appreciate such moments of silence which compensate for busy days at the office – they’re my way of recharging and maintaining perspective. I also love travelling far away; I always return with fresh energy and new ideas.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be?
I would encourage a more holistic and forward-looking approach to family matters. All too often, legal processes are framed as battles to be won rather than futures to be designed. Procedures can be lengthy and heavy, which means a lot of emotional cost. It may be seen by some as a bit idealistic, but I strongly believe that a more human approach – both by legislators and by lawyers – would make everyone’s life easier.
What is your favorite book or podcast at the moment?
I recently read Winter Warriors, a novel by Olivier Norek about the Winter War between Finland and Russia from November 1939 to March 1940. This period is not very well known, but it is really interesting and has an echo in the current international situation.
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