What are the most significant cases, projects, or transactions that you and your legal team have recently been involved in?

Rather than focusing on a single transaction, the past year has been defined by the complexity and diversity of the matters our legal team has supported across the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Haiti.

Our work has focused on enabling business growth while managing legal, and regulatory risks in a highly dynamic environment. We have advised on strategic commercial initiatives, corporate governance matters, regulatory interactions with authorities, labor and employment issues, contract negotiations and risk management projects that required close collaboration with business leaders across multiple functions.

We also strengthened our legal operations by standardising contracting processes, enhancing compliance controls, improving legal risk reporting and leveraging technology to make the legal function more proactive, efficient and aligned with business priorities.

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

Periods of uncertainty are when the legal function creates the greatest value. My approach is based on three principles: clarity, prioritisation, and communication.

First, it is essential to understand that during a crisis, legal risk is only one element of a much broader business equation. Decisions must also consider operational continuity, employee wellbeing, regulatory expectations, and reputational impact. My role is to help leadership evaluate these dimensions together rather than viewing legal issues in isolation.

Second, I believe in providing practical recommendations instead of simply identifying risks. Business leaders need clear options, an understanding of the associated risks, and a path forward that supports informed decision-making.

Finally, communication becomes critical. Maintaining close interaction with senior management and cross-functional teams allows legal to anticipate issues, adapt quickly to changing circumstances and ensure that decisions remain consistent with the organization’s values and compliance standards.

Ultimately, resilience comes from preparation. Strong governance, well-defined decision-making processes and trusted relationships built before a crisis are what enable organizations to respond effectively when challenges arise.

General counsel often speak of the need to be strategic to reach the pinnacle of the profession. What does being strategic mean to you?

Being strategic means understanding that legal advice only has value if it helps the business achieve its objectives responsibly.

For me, strategy begins with curiosity. A General Counsel should understand how the company generates value, what keeps business leaders awake at night, and where the organisation wants to be in the future. Only then can legal advice move beyond technical analysis to become a driver of better business decisions.

Being strategic also means influencing outcomes before legal issues arise. The most effective legal teams are involved early in commercial discussions, helping shape opportunities rather than reviewing decisions after they have already been made.

Finally, strategy requires balancing protection with progress. The objective is not to eliminate every risk, but to distinguish between acceptable risks that enable growth and unacceptable risks that could compromise the organization’s integrity, reputation, or long-term sustainability.

I believe the modern General Counsel succeeds not by saying “no” more often, but by finding responsible ways to say “yes.”

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

Technical legal knowledge remains essential, but it is no longer sufficient. Today’s in-house counsel must combine legal expertise with commercial awareness, sound judgment, and strong interpersonal skills.

I believe the most important attributes are curiosity, business acumen, emotional intelligence, and integrity. Curiosity allows lawyers to understand the business beyond legal issues. Business acumen enables them to align legal advice with commercial objectives. Emotional intelligence helps build credibility and influence across the organization, while integrity ensures that short-term decisions never compromise long-term trust.

Modern General Counsel must also embrace technology and continuous learning. As legal work becomes increasingly data-driven and supported by artificial intelligence, the ability to adapt will become one of the profession’s greatest competitive advantages.

General Counsel play a key role by translating legal and ethical expectations into practical business behaviors. This involves designing governance frameworks, supporting leadership, promoting transparent communication, and ensuring that employees understand not only the rules, but also the purpose behind them. Ultimately, the role of legal is to help build organizations where doing the right thing is embedded in everyday decisions.

Based on your experiences in the past year, are there any trends…?

Three trends stand out to me:

First, artificial intelligence is transforming how legal departments operate. The conversation is no longer about whether to adopt AI, but how to implement it responsibly while maintaining confidentiality, accuracy and appropriate human oversight.

Second, regulatory complexity continues to increase, particularly in areas such as data privacy, consumer protection, ESG, and compliance. Legal teams are expected to provide integrated advice that considers multiple regulatory frameworks simultaneously.

Finally, business leaders increasingly expect legal departments to demonstrate measurable value. This means using technology, data, and process improvement to enhance efficiency while continuing to provide strategic counsel.

The legal function is evolving from a reactive advisory role to a proactive business partner, and I believe that trend will only accelerate.