How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

In today’s world, instability is no longer the exception, it’s part of the environment we operate in. As in-house lawyers, our job is not just to react, but to help the company remain steady and forward-looking in the face of uncertainty.

The first step is always to align with the company’s business strategy. Legal teams must understand where the business is headed in order to provide relevant and timely support. During a crisis, this alignment becomes even more critical. Our advice must be practical, strategic, and focused on helping the company move forward safely.

Resilience also comes from preparation and mindset. Legal teams must be agile, calm under pressure, and ready to take on multiple roles. In crisis situations, we often serve not only as legal advisors, but also as facilitators, risk managers, and communicators. This means being clear, responsive, and able to anticipate next steps rather than just reacting to what’s in front of us.

The pandemic taught us that in moments of crisis, legal can play a leadership role, not just in managing risk, but in creating certainty and structure. We bring perspective, stability, and the ability to turn challenges into opportunities. This has remained true ever since.

What is a cause, business or otherwise, that you are passionate about? Why is this?

One of the causes I’m most passionate about is social impact and I’m proud to say it’s a pillar that sits under the Legal function at adidas Latin America.

This goes beyond traditional legal work. It’s about living our brand purpose: through sport, we have the power to change lives. I’ve seen this purpose come to life in Río Claro (Pudahuel), a vulnerable neighbourhood in Santiago, Chile where we support community development through our partnership with Fundación Fútbol Más.

As Legal Director, I’m personally responsible for leading this initiative. It’s a role that brings me deep personal fulfillment. Seeing how sport creates safe spaces, builds resilience, and gives children real opportunities to dream and grow is incredibly powerful. It reminds me that legal professionals can and should drive impact, not just in the boardroom, but in the communities we serve.

These projects reaffirm my belief that legal can be a bridge between compliance, business goals, and positive social transformation.

What factors influence your team’s decision to use external legal services versus handling matters in-house, and what criteria are used to evaluate their performance?   

Several factors guide our decision to involve external counsel.

One key factor is urgency. In fast-paced situations where the business needs an immediate and well-founded decision, we wouldn’t seek external support unless we are sure they could move quickly and mitigate risk efficiently.

Another important consideration is technical complexity. As an in-house counsel, I work as a generalist across many areas, but I know when a matter requires deeper or more specialised knowledge. In those cases, we rely on expert advice to make better decisions and provide the company with stronger legal support.

We also consider the economic impact of the issue. For high stakes matters, whether reputational, operational, or financial, it’s helpful to work with advisors who have seen similar situations multiple times and can offer a well-informed perspective.

The risk profile and business orientation of external counsel also matter. We look for lawyers who not only understand the law, but who also understand our industry, our tolerance for risk, and our priorities. Being pragmatic and business-minded is essential.

And of course, budget is a factor we always keep in mind.

When it comes to evaluating external counsel, I don’t look for long legal memos or overly academic responses. What I value most is the ability to understand the issue quickly, communicate clearly, and offer practical, actionable advice. Our best advisors are those who make complex matters simple—and help us move forward with confidence.

How does your team contribute to the overall business strategy of the company? Can you share an example of a recent legal-led initiative that had a significant impact?  

Our team contributes by being true business partners. We don’t see ourselves as a separate function. We are part of the business, and that must be reflected in our actions, our priorities, and how we show up every day.

To contribute meaningfully, we need to deeply understand both the company and the industry we operate in. Without that insight, it’s almost impossible to provide good advice. One of the greatest advantages of being in-house is exactly that: we’re close to the business, and that proximity allows us to anticipate risks, seise opportunities, and align our legal strategies with the company’s long-term goals. It’s a level of partnership that is hard to replicate from the outside.

A couple of examples of recent legal-led initiatives reflect this approach:

The renegotiation of a major sponsorship agreement, one of the most important in the Chilean sports industry, was in the end a legal-driven project. We led the process, managed internal and external stakeholders, and ensured that the outcome reflected our business priorities while protecting the brand.

The Social Impact efforts of the company in Latin America are led by Legal. We oversee initiatives that bring our brand purpose to life, such as our work in the Río Claro community in Chile, where we’ve partnered with Fundación Fútbol Más to create real opportunities through sport. This is a clear example of how Legal can drive positive change beyond contracts and compliance.