Central America Teams 2019
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Our legal department is structured to render strategic and business legal...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The head of the legal department is David Estuardo Portilla Rivera...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals within the department? The legal team is structured into five areas: The legal directorate – which is...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Orlando Zuniga, Legal assistant manager, giving the strategy, the coordination, and...
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What are the most significant cases and/or transactions that your legal team has been involved with in the last two years? In 2019 the legal team supported Banistmo’s issuance of...
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Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Ivannia Montero is business partner for crop science, seeds and environmental...
BAT’s legal team is a highly experienced group of attorneys with a long track record in the region. The team is headed by Fernando Robles, who has a demonstrated history...
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Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured? We work as one team under a regional service delivery model in which we have commercial lawyers who work and...
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Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Citi’s Central America (CA) legal team is structured with general counsels...
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Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal team is structured in two divisions formed by three...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Legal manager, Maricel Álvarez Chavarría, is a key leader since he...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? We are divided by the functions we are providing support to...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? We are a ‘hands-on department’, focused on providing direct practical answers...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? We provide legal support and guidance to the business aligned with...
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Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal department that supports DHL Express Central America and Dominican...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Aside from general counsel Central America and the Caribbean Zamira Zapata...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Eli Lilly Latin America is divided into five affiliates: Mexico; Brazil,...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal department is structured with a general counsel, a group...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The FIFCO legal department for our Central American operations consists of...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal team in Central America and the Caribbean is very...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Our legal team consists of three lawyers, a compliance officer and...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal department of consumer healthcare at the Latin American northern...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The senior manager and six equally-ranked young lawyers of the team...
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The Intel legal team is distinguished by its highly experienced attorneys. The team is characterised by having a strong, deep and detailed knowledge of different and specialised practice areas which...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal and compliance department in Central America and the Caribbean...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? We are currently in a divestiture process and we are only...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Mastercard’s Law, Franchise and Integrity (LFI) team is structured in four...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Melania Calzada and myself are responsible for dealing with all legal...
What are the most significant cases and/or transactions that your legal team has been involved with in the last two years? We have worked on a number of significant cases...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal team senior team is composed with legal regional counsel,...
What are the most significant cases and/or transactions that your legal team has been involved with in the last two years? Our company’s legal team was invited to join the...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal team of the vice presidency of legal affairs of...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal team is structured in predetermined roles, in which each...
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What are the most significant cases and/or transactions that your legal team has been involved with in the last two years? In 2017 SUEZ were awarded a contract with the...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? The legal team of Scotiabank Dominican Republic is structured as follows:...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Our team is small but our culture is characterised by doing...
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Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? As a mega region, there is a division by sub regions...
Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department? Our department is structured under three areas that report to Walmart...
Since first being published as The Corporate Counsel 100, The Legal 500’s GC Powerlist series has grown exponentially since its beginnings in 2013. It started by covering four of the world’s most established legal markets, and whilst the core objective of the publication – highlighting the most capable, outstanding and innovative in-house counsel in a jurisdiction – has remained the same, the reach and scope of the GC Powerlist has since become almost unrecognisable. Now present in a vast array of jurisdictions and with a portfolio of 70 unique editions, the GC Powerlist series has gone from strength to strength and has firmly been established as the “go-to” title that assesses and features leading corporate counsel across the globe.
Not content to rest on our laurels, we at The Legal 500 are evolving the GC Powerlist series even further, deepening our commitment to ensuring not only the widest geographical coverage, but to highlight and explore issues and challenges at the forefront of the minds of leading in-house lawyers. Therefore, this and future editions of the GC Powerlist will have a very different look to their predecessors. Instead of profiling individual counsel or in-house legal teams, more incisive insights from in-house thought leaders on the topics of the day will be featured throughout our new look GC Powerlist publications.
This new look entails the publication of Q&A transcripts regarding legal and business challenges, comment pieces on specific industry or regulatory affairs, more detailed analysis as to where the market is heading and content related to soft-skills, work ethic and business relationships that general counsel utilise. This new format will not only provide more thought leadership and insight, but provide more clarity on what is driving legal business forward in each market that we cover.
This brings me to Central America. The Legal 500 has covered the Central American in-house legal market since 2016, which has allowed us to become familiar with the deep pool of in-house legal talent that exists across various industries and levels of seniority within the country. Whether it’s facilitating key company projects, adopting the latest technology to drive efficiencies or adjusting to new laws and regulations, the region is brimming with in-house lawyers and teams who seamlessly adapt with the latest international business developments.
It was our pleasure to speak to and extensively interview counsel based in the region spanning Fortune Global 500 companies, domestic business titans and organisations at the cutting edge of technology and the future of work, each with their own priorities and challenges. I would like to thank our sponsor Arias for supporting this publication. I’d also like to thank our extensive network of law firm partners and in-house counsel in the region whose opinions we canvassed during the course of the research phase. Of course, your feedback is valuable and welcomed, so if there are any comments or suggestions please feel free to get in touch with these.
Last but not least, I would like to congratulate all those featured in this year’s list. Their selection means they have been identified as legal teams who are amongst the standard bearers of the in-house legal profession, and as specialists who confront and manage commercial and legal challenges in a way that marks them as market leaders. They are not only talented legal teams, but instrumental partners to and crucial components of their respective organisations, demonstrably helping them drive success and move business forward.
Rejoice! Congratulations on being named a leader amongst leaders. General counsels (GCs) have been blazing new trails in the legal marketplace for years and it is a testament to your leadership to be named in the GC Powerlist. We praise your extraordinary work and invaluable responsibility to propel the legal profession and we likewise, want to praise your accomplishments. It is a delight for Arias to have the privilege to sponsor this activity that perceives a remarkable gathering of individuals.
Grander Purpose. It is our pleasure to distinguish each and every single one of you because it is your diligent and outstanding work that provides prosperity for your stakeholders and development to the region. This is not a simple job; the role of a general counsel (GC) has developed substantively over the last decade due to increasingly complex regulation, technological advancements and globalisation. We acknowledge that all of you now bring more to the table than just your legal expertise and act as strategic legal and business advisers to the chief executive and executive leadership teams. All of you represent the greatness that arises from individuals operating together for a grander purpose; we appreciate all of you and hope that we can continue to work side by side for the years to come.
The GC Powerlist and Arias, Across Borders. Arias and The Legal 500 GC Powerlist members have had a long relationship. As the first Central American law firm with presence in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, Arias has being adding value to clients with a regional operation since 1998. Arias has grown and excelled just like your companies in the region, our success goes hand in hand; we thank you for your trust.
We are your strategic partners. We relate and feel close to the vision and aspirations of your companies and your teams. We also relate with your teams because we know how hard you work every day, as we are usually your companions in the journey, for seeking better and more efficient and innovative solutions for your legal matters, but also giving you advice every step of the road.
Cheers! We have said this on multiple occasions however we can’t pass up on this chance to express it once more: we feel fortunate to have the chance to work with you, and we trust that you keep on surpassing in your work and life, and that we continue on this path as growth partners.
On June 19, Legal 500 returned to Athens for its annual GC Summit: Greece 2025, bringing together the country’s in-house legal community, at the King George Hotel, for a day of high-level discussion on the shifting legal landscape and the evolving role of general counsel. The conference served as a platform to examine Greece’s most pressing legal and regulatory developments, with a focus on practical insights and peer-to-peer exchange.
The day began with opening remarks from Francisco Castro, Research Editor at The Legal 500, who welcomed delegates and set the tone for the event by underscoring the importance of preserving platforms where corporate lawyers can not only stay informed about key legal challenges and opportunities, but also engage in meaningful dialogue with peers. He emphasised that such gatherings are essential for sharing insights, refining best practices, and strengthening the collective expertise of the in-house legal community.
The first session, led by headline sponsor, Thesis Law Firm, explored the rapid legal and institutional transformation of Greece’s real estate sector. Panellists examined the impact of Law 5197/2025, introduced in response to recent rulings from the Council of State, and discussed the implications for permitting, investor incentives, and risk management. The discussion also addressed Greece’s digital modernisation efforts through Law 5142/2024, the use of AI in land registries, and changes in investor focus on large-scale integrated developments. The panel concluded by assessing how the new FDI screening mechanism under Law 5202/2025 is reshaping cross-border transactions.
The second session, in association with Platis – Anastassiadis & Associates (EY Greece), shifted focus to the employment of third-country nationals in Greece, an increasingly vital issue amid talent shortages in key industries. The panel offered a comprehensive overview of regulatory requirements surrounding lawful entry, work permits, and recognition of qualifications. Speakers emphasised the need for internal controls, compliance with anti-discrimination obligations, and the strategic value of legal departments in enabling companies to access global talent responsibly and lawfully.
Following a short coffee break, the programme resumed with a discussion led by Papapolitis & Papapolitis on employment challenges in the modern business environment. Speakers analysed Greece’s digital labour reforms, including the ERGANI II system, the Digital Work Card, and evolving remote work regulations. The session highlighted gaps in implementation – especially around remote work tracking and procedural delays under Law 5053/2023 – and considered broader obligations under EU directives on equal pay and workplace safety. Attendees gained practical insight into how businesses can align with new standards while maintaining operational efficiency.
The fourth session, brought to the event by PwC Legal and titled “Legal of the New Era”, addressed the transformation of legal departments from cost centres to strategic partners. Experienced general counsel from diverse sectors reflected on the skills needed for future legal leadership, including cross-functional collaboration, technological literacy, and an appetite for innovation. The discussion also touched on the ideal training path for aspiring GCs and the long-term value legal teams bring to enterprise-wide decision-making.
Following this, attendees enjoyed a lunch break, a chance to step away from the sessions, enjoy some food and refreshments, and continue the conversation in a more informal setting. It offered an opportunity to reflect on the insights shared throughout the morning, exchange perspectives on key topics, and connect with peers, including both familiar and new faces from across the in-house legal community.
In the early afternoon, the spotlight turned to data privacy and cybersecurity, where ALG Manousakis Law Firm and guest speakers unpacked the global and EU regulatory frameworks shaping corporate obligations. The panel explored practical approaches to managing digital risks, incident reporting, and data governance. Experts stressed the need for harmonised compliance strategies, particularly for companies operating across jurisdictions, and discussed how legal teams can lead in operationalising cybersecurity frameworks internally.
The final panel of the day, led by Masouros & Partners, explored the realities of Greek M&A transactions, highlighting the gap between market optimism and the complex negotiations that unfold behind closed doors. Panellists shared candid reflections on regulatory ambiguity, due diligence pitfalls, and the importance of building agreements that can withstand post-closing challenges. Rather than focusing on theoretical structures, the conversation drew from real-world experience to provide attendees with actionable guidance.
Francisco Castro returned to the stage to deliver closing remarks, thanking all participants for their contributions and reaffirming the conference’s purpose: to foster open dialogue, practical learning, and mutual support among legal leaders navigating an increasingly complex environment.
The event concluded with a dedicated networking session, allowing attendees to reflect on the day’s discussions and connect with peers from across industries. GC Summit: Greece 2025 confirmed itself as a valuable forum for legal professionals seeking both strategic insight and practical tools to thrive in the modern corporate landscape.
Legal 500 thanks all partnering law firms for their continued support and is looking forward to returning to Athens later this year for the release of the GC Powerlist: Greece & Cyprus 2025.
