Team size: Five

What has been the number one challenge that has impacted you over the past year?

Creating awareness of legal risk and how to mitigate it in the management team has been a challenge. Adapting to world events has been difficult for exporting companies. We have promoted personalised advice with the aim of obtaining excellent results. Despite these challenges, business operations have not been limited due to excellent legal advice. Ensuring inclusion of the legal department in all strategic business decisions has been the greatest challenge.

In which ways have you attempted to bring the legal department closer to your business colleagues?

We have designed tailor-made advisory plans that involve meetings with the affected departments and their heads to achieve greater inclusion of the legal area in day-to-day decisions that can impact the organisation.

What are some of the most significant cases and transactions you have been involved in recently?

We have recently been involved in the following significant cases and transactions: (i) Negotiating the purchase of Coffee Processing for over $1bn from a banking institution – Banco Lafise Bancentro – which involved consideration of financing structure, inventory survey, operating permits, alongside other regulatory and environmental issues; (ii) creating a project service agreement with Nestle for the reforestation of over 8m trees on the farms of farmers in the Nestle supply chain and producers from the coffee and dairy sectors; (iii)Negotiation of an agreement for the implementation of an Inclusive Business Investment Plan between ECOM Nicaragua and the Dutch Development Cooperation Service (SNV).