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

We have been involved in a variety of work. One of the most important projects concerned the negotiation and implementation of the joint venture between WeWork and SoftBank Latin America for the operation of our brand in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico. It included the regionalisation of legal documents and processes; the negotiation and execution of significant membership agreements with global companies; the renegotiation of large real estate deal portfolios — as a consequence of the pandemic; and the development of a legal framework for new products and partnerships, together with the management of dispute resolution.

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

The pandemic and related regulatory restrictions were highly challenging for the business and my team. However, the post-pandemic and the openness towards greater flexibility and hybrid models pushed WeWork to the forefront of the future of work.

As a legal team, we give close and thoughtful attention to all regulations and commercial discussions regarding new trends and work methodologies, which imply being more proactive and strategic towards the advice given to the business.

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

To anyone pursuing an in-house career, I would recommend focusing first on acquiring a solid legal background and analysis methodology that will be the basis for the entire professional career. It is critical to be very close to the business and protect the company’s revenue. Risk assessment is a substantial part of the day-to-day work. It implies a complete understanding of the legal issues while providing practical and business-oriented solutions to the different areas. Implementing technology in the legal process is a crucial component that improves the efficiency of the entire legal work.