Team Size: 40

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

Leading the legal function for one of the Dominican Republic’s most sophisticated mixed-use luxury developments requires navigating an increasingly complex regulatory and commercial environment. My role extends far beyond supporting residential development and encompasses overseeing the legal strategy for a major infrastructure project – the development of a new airport – including all permitting, regulatory approvals, land use and pre-development matters.

I lead complex environmental permitting processes, secure and maintain tourism tax incentives, advise on regulatory compliance across multiple government agencies, and anticipate legal and commercial risks throughout every stage of development. Success requires balancing investor expectations, maintaining strong relationships with government authorities and local stakeholders, and delivering practical, commercially focused legal solutions that keep ambitious projects moving forward while meeting demanding execution timelines.

Rather than approaching these matters purely from a compliance perspective, I have positioned the legal function as a strategic business partner focused on protecting the project’s economics and long-term viability. This has included identifying opportunities to maximise available tax incentives, structuring transactions to preserve eligibility for government benefits, leading negotiations with regulatory authorities and developing practical solutions when changes in policy or administrative interpretation have threatened project timelines or financial assumptions.

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

I believe organisational resilience is built long before a crisis occurs. While legal departments are often measured by how they respond to disputes or regulatory challenges, I see my role as creating the structures, processes and relationships that prevent many of those issues from materialising in the first place.

My approach is to anticipate legal and business risks before they become obstacles. This means establishing clear governance frameworks, defining decision-making protocols and fostering cross-functional collaboration so that legal considerations are integrated into business decisions from the outset rather than addressed after the fact.

By maintaining close relationships with executive leadership, Finance, Development, Construction, Operations, Human Resources and external stakeholders, I can identify emerging risks early and develop practical solutions before they affect project timelines or wider business objectives.

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

To me, being strategic means influencing decisions before they become legal issues. The most effective General Counsel are not simply advisers who review decisions; they are part of the team shaping them from the outset.

Strategy begins with developing a deep understanding of the business: how it creates value, what drives investor expectations, how the regulatory landscape is evolving and what operational realities employees face every day. Because I oversee Legal, Human Resources, Security, Logistics and Permitting, I have the opportunity to view the organisation through multiple lenses. This perspective allows me to connect legal considerations with operational priorities and long-term business objectives.

Being strategic also requires balancing risk with opportunity. My role is not to eliminate risk altogether, as doing so would often prevent progress, but to help the organisation make informed decisions by understanding where risks can be managed and where opportunities justify considered action. Ultimately, strategy means ensuring that Legal is not perceived as a gatekeeper, but as a catalyst for sustainable growth.

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

Commercial judgement is essential. In-house counsel must understand the business as well as they understand the law, ensuring that their advice is practical, commercially sound and aligned with the organisation’s objectives.

Curiosity and active listening are equally important. The best legal solutions come from understanding how different parts of the business operate. Listening to employees, executives, operational teams and external stakeholders enables legal counsel to address real-world challenges effectively.

Collaboration and leadership are also critical. Today’s General Counsel lead multidisciplinary teams, influence without formal authority and often act as connectors between departments. Building trust and fostering a collaborative culture are just as important as legal expertise.

Finally, a solutions-focused mindset is fundamental. Business leaders rarely approach Legal simply to hear what cannot be done; they look for thoughtful and practical ways to achieve their objectives while appropriately managing risk.