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

Having been part of many smaller, more complex, and different matters and cases in all our companies, makes this question hard to answer. Dealing with our shareholders’ personal matters also challenges our team every day. In addition to all of this, our principal businesses are in Argentina, and that is also demanding. If I have to point out the most significant cases or transactions that my legal team has recently been involved in, I will say (i) resolving certain claims for export duties after more than ten years of battling; (ii) analysing a very complex transaction for acquiring one the most important Argentine agribusiness and soybean processor that filed for bankruptcy protection; and (iii) dealing with Covid-19 restrictions and post Covid-19 return policies that have changed many things in our operations.

Have any new laws, regulations or judicial decisions greatly impacted your company’s business or your legal practice?

Having our principal businesses in Argentina is demanding, not only because the business environment is hostile and changing, but also because it challenges our teams every day, to understand the risks of our business, to design schemes to address those risks and explain our managers how to handle their businesses in this environment. Changes related to tax laws (not only federal but also on lower levels) such as personal assets tax and income tax laws amendments, antirust, price controls and changes in export duties, compliance matters and many other regulatory matters are the top five topics that impact our business and the legal services that we provide.

How do you calculate the value that an external law firm brings to you?

We engage external law firms for complex matters or transactions, looking for best practices and values. We encourage and invest in our internal teams first and work with a law firms’ pool (mainly, most of the important law firms in Buenos Aires and law firm boutiques for specific matters) as a backup to provide quality and efficient services to all our companies and our family shareholders. We see external law firms as partners that need to understand our specific needs and anticipate solutions rather than provide remedies when problems or difficulties arise.