Team Size: 7

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

A particularly significant transaction was a US$130 million equity investment in one of the Dominican Republic’s leading home appliance importers and distributors. We have also supported complex investments, financings, restructurings, acquisitions and strategic partnerships across several industries, including healthcare, real estate, hospitality, financial services and franchising. Many of these matters involved coordinating external counsel across multiple jurisdictions while balancing legal, regulatory and commercial considerations.

In addition, a significant part of our focus has been on strengthening the corporate governance framework across our investment vehicles. We have reviewed and updated governance policies, committee charters, related-party transaction procedures and internal controls to better align with international best practices while meeting the expectations of our regulator.

Our team has also continued to work closely with the Dominican securities regulator on ongoing compliance matters. Throughout all of this, our goal has been to position the legal department not simply as a control function, but as a trusted business partner that helps the company grow responsibly.

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

Building strong governance, clear decision-making processes and a culture of compliance enables an organisation to respond quickly when unexpected challenges arise.

During periods of uncertainty, we focus on understanding the business objectives, identifying the key legal and regulatory risks, and helping management make informed decisions without losing sight of commercial realities. Open communication across departments is essential, as is providing practical advice rather than simply identifying legal obstacles.

Ultimately, resilience comes from preparation, collaboration and maintaining the trust of both the business and its stakeholders.

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 should enable sound business decisions, not simply minimise risk. The earlier Legal is involved in a discussion, the more value it can add. By understanding the commercial objectives behind a project, we can help structure solutions that achieve those goals while effectively managing legal, regulatory and reputational risks.

The best legal advice is practical, commercially sound and helps move the business forward.

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

Technical expertise will always be important, but today it is only one part of the role. Modern in-house counsel must understand the business, communicate effectively with people from different backgrounds and exercise sound judgement under pressure.

Perhaps the most valuable quality is the ability to build trust. When business leaders see Legal as a collaborative partner rather than a barrier, the legal function becomes part of the strategy, rather than simply part of the approval process.