Dr. iur. Catherine Westenberg
Attorney at Law and mediator SAV, MBA
Enrolled in the city of Basel’s Bar Register of Attorneys.
Languages: German, English, French
For 35 years I have been practising as a lawyer in North-western Switzerland and have acquired profound expertise in international and national law. I work as a consultant for my clients, litigate before Swiss courts and authorities, and offer mediations and other procedures for settling disputes out of court.
2023
Owner of Westenberg Advokatur & Mediation, Basel, Switzerland
2019 – 2023
Partner at Liatowitsch & Partner, Basel, Switzerland
2010 – 2019
Owner of the law firm WestenbergPartner, Basel/Liestal
1990 – 2010
Partner at various law firms in Switzerland
1986 – 1989
Various internships as a lawyer in court, at various law offices and at the cantonal tax authority
2013
Collaborative Lawyer, clp Schweiz
2005/2006
Mediator training at IEF Zürich (recognized as SAV mediator in 2007)
1998
Master of Business Administration (MBA), City University, Seattle
1991
Obtained Ph.D, Dr. iur. University of Basel (Thesis: Citizenship in Swiss private international law)
1989
Bar exam (Canton of Basel-Country), Admission to the bar
1986
lic.iur. University of Basel, Faculty of Law
2020
Commented on Articles 20/21/22 and 24 IPRG [Swiss Federal Act on Private International Law]; Basel comment on Swiss private law, international private law; published by Grolimund/Loacker/Schnyder, Basel, 4th edition 2020
2016
Internationale güterrechtliche Verhältnisse aus Schweizer Sicht [International marital assets from the Swiss perspective], in FamPra 2016, pg. 123 ff. (together with Gabrielle Bodenschatz)
2012
Commented on articles 20/21/22 and 24 IPRG [Swiss Federal Act on Private International Law]; Basel commentary on Swiss private international law, Private international law; Published by Honsell/Vogt/Schnyder/Berti, Basel, Switzerland, 3rd edition 2012
2007
Commented on articles 20/21/22 and 24 IPRG [Swiss Federal Act on Private International Law]; Basel commentary on Swiss private international law, Private international law; Published by Honsell/Vogt/Schnyder/Berti, Basel, Switzerland, 2nd edition 2007
2005
Unlauterer Wettbewerb [Unfair competition] (together with David Vasella), in: Handbuch des Internationalen Wirtschaftsrechts [manual of international business law]; Otto Schmidt publishing company, Cologne, Germany, 2001
2001
Aktienrecht [Company law]: by Büren / Walter Stoffel / Anton K. Schnyder / Catherine Christen-Westenberg; Schulthess publishing company, Zurich, Switzerland, 2001
1996
Commented on articles 20/21/22 and 24 IPRG [Swiss Federal Act on Private International Law]; Basel commentary on Swiss private international law, Private international law, published by /Vogt/Schnyder/Berti, Basel, Switzerland, 1st edition 1996
1992
Staatsangehörigkeit im schweizerischen Internationalen Privatrecht [citizenship in Swiss private international law]; Schweizer Studien zum internationalen Recht [Swiss studies on private international law)], Schulthess publishing house, Zurich, Switzerland, 1992
2020
Ausländische Liegenschaften im internationalen Güter- und Erbrecht [Foreign properties in international matrimonial regimes and inheritance law]: Schulthess Forum Ehegüterrecht [matrimonial property law], Zurich and Bern, Switzerland
2018
Eine Schweizer Sicht zur Mediation und zu ADR im Kindesschutz und Familienrecht im grenzüberschreitenden Kontext [A Swiss perspective on mediation and on ADR in child protection and family law in an international context]: Deutsch-Englischsprachige Richtertagung [German/English-language meeting of magistrates], Vienna, Austria
2017
Anerkenn- und vollstreckbare Entscheidungen nach Haager Übereinkommen über die zivilrechtlichen Aspekte von internationalen Kindsentführungen (HKÜ) [recognized and enforceable decisions according to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction]: Bundesamt für Justiz [Federal Office of Justice], Bern, Netzwerk von Fachpersonen BG-KKE [network of specialists, Swiss Federal Act on International Child Abduction and the Hague Conventions on the Protection of Childs and Adults]
2017
Internationale güterrechtliche Verhältnisse aus Schweizer Sicht: Fachgruppe Güter- und Erbrecht der Advokatenkammer Basel [international marital property from the Swiss perspective: Specialist group for marital property and inheritance law of the Basel Bar Association] (together with Gabrielle Bodenschatz)