Team size: Seven

Major legal advisers: Dentons Cárdenas & Cárdenas and Philippi Prietocarrizosa Ferrero Du & Uría

Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?

Our legal team is constantly learning about new technologies (cloud computing, blockchain, cybersecurity, applied intelligence, robotics, artificial intelligence, Industry X, Metaverse, ChatGPT), to grant the best legal counselling to the business team and negotiate clauses in conformity with new tech. As part of a LATAM contracting initiative to provide learning sessions to in-house lawyers of Accenture’s clients, I created a training approach with our legal advisers and other law firms around Colombia to keep them up to speed in new tech contracting approach. This approach facilitated the legal support we received from our legal advisors and reduces legal cost (efficient in cost and time), and in addition it facilitated future negotiations with our client’s legal departments; along to enjoy together with an interesting learning experience.

What measures has your company taken to embed sustainability practices into its core business operations, and how does the role of the general counsel contribute to driving and ensuring sustainable practices within the company?

Accountability and transparency are priorities for Accenture and part of the foundation on which we build trust with our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Sustainability is measured by Accenture using a 360° value meter. Accenture has advanced on our own net-zero emissions and other environmental goals, we help our clients embed sustainability across their businesses, and innovate with our people and partners to support communities in crisis, including providing aid and opportunities to refugees. These are some results of our current sustainability measures: 97% renewable electricity in our locations; our total carbon emissions decreased by 68% from our baseline; 99% of our e-waste relating to computers and workstations was reused or recycled; 1.6M+ people worldwide equipped with the skills to make substantive improvements to their lives. The general counsel contributes from the pre-contractual to the contractual stages to make sustainability part of the legal review we make and to be taken as part of solution’s architecture, including questions to be made to our clients during RFI and RFP stages. In addition, encourage the legal team to actively participate in deals executed by Accenture Development Partnerships and pro bono activities done by Corporate Citizenship related to sustainability.

What steps do you take to ensure the successful integration and adoption of new technologies among your team members?

Leading by example. In Accenture we innovate in different tools and tech ways to improve and fasten the business team experience with the legal teams across the globe, while keeping Accenture safe on a legal point of view. I create trainings with the legal team members to work together. I work aligned with them on milestones to fasten the adoption process and congratulate the team when the milestones are accomplished.