What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

One of the most significant transactions in which we have been involved in the last years, was the negotiations for building up a joint venture between two big mining companies. It took several months of negotiations, due diligence, contracts negotiations, and lots of hours from the legal team. This joint venture is now in place and manages one of the main mining assets in Argentina.

The most significant thing that we did within my new company is obtaining all of the permits needed on time and allowing the business to keep devolving the project without any delay. In an industry highly regulated, being able to have all the permits in place and according to the company timeline is a big challenge.

Which recent political, economic or regulatory changes have impacted the company and the team the most?

During the past few years in Argentina, we have had a few economic and regulatory changes that, not only impacted the company, but also the industry. I believe that the one that had the most impact was in relation to the export duties and its regulations (especially the raises over the past years). This, of course, impacted the industry and the company, since it affected the fiscal stability obtained at the beginning of the project. The constant changes of the rules are a big challenge and being able to adapt, find a solution and keep on going with the business is even more challenging for everyone.

If you had to give advice to an aspiring in-house lawyer or general counsel, what would it be and why?

It is critical to understand the business and its needs. It is crucial for an in-house lawyer to work very closely to the business and be able to provide the proper support according to their needs, being able to not only to fix things, but also to prevent them.