Assistant general counsel, legal operations | Phoenix Tower International
Johana Ditren
Assistant general counsel, legal operations | Phoenix Tower International
What are the most significant cases, projects and/or transactions that you and/or your legal team have recently been involved in?
Over the past year, our legal team has supported several high-impact transactions and strategic initiatives across the Caribbean region. One of the most significant was a major acquisition, which resulted in the expansion of our tower portfolio. Following the transaction, we focused on resolving legacy issues, streamlining the portfolio, and optimising local operations.
We also played a key role in supporting the Build-to-Suit (BTS) program by conducting due diligence and executing new lease agreements to further expand our infrastructure footprint.
How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?
During periods of instability, we adopt a proactive, risk-based legal approach focused on maintaining operational continuity and compliance. We begin by rapidly assessing and prioritising legal and regulatory risks that could impact operations or contractual obligations.
We collaborate closely with leadership and cross-functional teams to ensure legal considerations are embedded in all response strategies. This includes reviewing and, where necessary, renegotiating key contract provisions — such as force majeure, liability, and termination clauses — to minimise exposure.
We also monitor regulatory developments across jurisdictions in real time to adjust our legal positioning. Beyond crisis response, we invest in preparedness through legal playbooks, scenario planning, and internal stakeholder training. This strengthens the organisation’s ability to navigate uncertainty with agility and legal clarity.
Has AI had a meaningful impact on how your legal team works in this time?
AI has made a meaningful and growing impact on our legal operations. We’ve adopted ContractPodAi as our central platform for managing requests for legal advice and contract generation. This has improved intake, tracking, and standardisation across our regional operations.
Additionally, we’ve integrated the Leah AI assistant, which provides immediate answers to common legal queries from internal teams. This has helped reduce response times and freed up legal resources to focus on more complex, strategic matters.
AI tools have also enhanced our contract review processes, allowing us to extract key data, identify risks, and accelerate decision-making. While we remain mindful of AI’s limitations, we see it as a valuable support mechanism that increases scale, quality, and responsiveness in delivering legal services.
What factors influence your team’s decision to use external legal services versus handling matters in-house, and what criteria are used to evaluate their performance?
We decide to engage external legal counsel based on several factors: jurisdictional complexity, resource availability, subject-matter expertise, and the level of risk involved. We typically keep standard commercial and regulatory matters in-house, while outsourcing specialised or high-stakes issues — such as litigation or complex matters — to firms with proven local expertise.
In evaluating external counsel, we assess legal proficiency, responsiveness, business orientation, cost-effectiveness, and alignment with PTI’s values and risk appetite. Performance is reviewed regularly based on results, stakeholder feedback, and adherence to timelines and budgets. We prioritize partners who understand our business, communicate clearly, and take a proactive approach to managing risk.
Assistant general counsel, legal operations - Latin America and Caribbean | Phoenix Tower International
Johana Ditren graduated with honours in law from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), in 2016. During her time at PUCMM, she excelled academically and actively participated in...
