Team size:    Seven

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 Latin America Law Dept. has played a critical role in supporting the business across a wide range of strategic and operational matters, both locally and in cross-border contexts. Our work has spanned complex negotiations and litigation, corporate initiatives and regulatory and compliance maters, all aligned with the company’s goals of growth, efficiency, and risk mitigation.

Our Law Dept. has provided legal advice and hands-on support in numerous negotiations involving customers, suppliers, contractors, and unions and our team has been instrumental in several corporate initiatives aimed at improving operational efficiency, HR management and governance. Also, we have contributed to company-wide productivity programs, and we have enhanced our compliance and crime prevention framework.  Regarding litigation, we have managed a litigation portfolio including complex litigation cases.

Overall, our legal team has demonstrated agility, strategic thinking, and a strong commitment to enabling the business while safeguarding its interests and legal and ethical compliance.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience? 

In times of instability or crisis, whether internal in the company and/or external such as economic volatility, regulatory shifts and supply chain disruptions, the Legal Department plays a critical role in safeguarding the organisation’s resilience. Our approach is grounded in proactive risk management, cross-functional collaboration, and agile legal support, ensuring that the business can navigate uncertainty while maintaining compliance, continuity, and stakeholders trust.

In any crisis the first step is to quickly assess the legal risks and prioritise actions, working closely with leadership and operational teams to identify immediate exposures, contractual, regulatory, labour-related, and/or reputational, and identify potential legal consequences. With this information, we provide scenario-based legal advice to support decision-making under uncertainty. The goal is to ensure that business decisions are legally sound, ethically grounded, and aligned with long-term objectives.

Regarding litigation, we monitor ongoing and potential litigation, seeking to resolve disputes efficiently and avoid escalation. Where litigation is unavoidable, we coordinate with external counsel to ensure a strong defense or strategic settlement.

Clear, consistent communication is essential. We support internal and external messaging to ensure legal accuracy and mitigate reputational risk.

In summary, the Legal Department acts as a stabilising force during crises, ensuring legal compliance and balancing it with business pragmatism.

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?

The decision whether to manage legal matters internally or engage external counsel is guided by a combination of factors, including complexity, specialisation, jurisdictional scope, resource availability, and risk exposure.

 Matters requiring highly specialised legal expertise, such as antitrust, criminal matters, tax matters, regulatory audits, are typically outsourced to specialised law firms with proven expertise. For matters involving foreign jurisdictions, such as cross-border transactions and labour assessments, we also often rely on local external counsel.

A critical aspect when making the decision to outsource is the cost vs. benefit analysis and the added value that this provides. We assess the cost-effectiveness of outsourcing versus handling matters in-house. Routine or recurring legal work (e.g., contract review, employment matters, compliance training) is typically managed internally.

Ensuring accountability and value, include: (a) Legal Expertise and Quality of Advice; (b) Timely and clear responsiveness and Communication; (c) Clear and accurate cost Management and Transparency; (d) Close collaboration and Integration with the in-house Law Dept.; (e) Good results and Risk Mitigation.

In summary, our approach to external legal services is pragmatic and performance driven. By carefully balancing internal capabilities with external expertise, we seek that the organisation receives high-quality, cost-effective legal support aligning with its strategic objectives.

Looking forward, what trends do you foresee in the legal landscape over the next 5–10 years that companies should prepare for?  

As Regional General Counsel for Latin America at a global industrial gases company, I see the legal landscape evolving rapidly over the next 5–10 years, mainly driven by technological, geopolitical, regulatory and societal shifts. To remain resilient and competitive, companies must proactively adapt to digitalisation trends, including legal foresight into strategic planning.

1) Digital Transformation and Data Governance: The acceleration of digitalisation will raise complex legal questions around data ownership, cybersecurity, data transfer compliance and protection of trade secrets.

2) Labour and Human Capital Regulation: The future of work will continue to reshape labour law. Increased regulation around remote work, digital surveillance, diversity and inclusion, and mental health. In Latin America, where labour laws are often rigid, legal teams will need to balance compliance with the need for workforce agility.

3) Geopolitical and Trade Dynamics: Global supply chain realignments, trade tensions, and regional integration efforts will impact how companies operate across borders. Legal teams must support the business in structuring resilient and compliant supply chains.

4) Environmental and Sustainability Regulation: Probably more stringent environmental regulations and mandatory sustainability disclosures. Legal teams will need to support the business in navigating evolving regulatory frameworks, while ensuring alignment with global environmental goals.

5) Compliance and Corporate Criminal Liability: Regulations strengthening anti-corruption, data protection, and corporate criminal liability systems. Legal teams must continue to evolve crime prevention models, enhance third-party risk management, and foster a culture of integrity.

6) Evolving Role of the Legal Function: The Legal Department itself will undergo transformation. There will be greater emphasis on legal operations, technology adoption, and data-driven decision-making. Legal teams will be expected to act not only as risk managers but as strategic enablers, anticipating change and contributing to sustainable growth and compliance.

In summary, the next 5-10 years will demand an agile, tech-literate, proactive and future oriented legal function. “