Team Size: 22

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

Local general counsels in Latin America face a dynamic and complex environment shaped by two key trends: geopolitical and economic volatility and expanding regulatory landscapes. In the last months, geopolitical tensions and global economic shifts are driving increased legal activity in areas like mergers, acquisitions, and operational consolidations, as businesses adapt to changing market conditions.

Simultaneously, economic pressures are pushing companies to optimise costs, leading to contract renegotiations, operational streamlining, and potential disputes. General counsels must navigate these complexities while identifying opportunities to mitigate risks and support strategic decision-making.

The regulatory landscape is also evolving rapidly, with governments introducing stringent frameworks to address economic and social challenges. New tax regulations complicate cross-border operations, while anti-money laundering (AML), counter-terrorism financing (CTF), and data privacy laws demand sophisticated compliance strategies. In regulated industries like telecommunications, healthcare, and banking, traditional players face competition from agile new entrants with fewer regulatory burdens. General counsels must ensure compliance while enabling innovation and competitiveness.

To address these challenges, a proactive and strategic approach is essential. Strengthening cross-functional collaboration with business leaders and external advisors aligns legal strategies with organisational goals. Investing in legal technology enhances efficiency in contract management, compliance, and risk assessment. Building resilience through robust risk management frameworks and fostering agility within legal teams ensures adaptability to emerging challenges. Ultimately, the role of General counsel extends beyond risk management to driving value and supporting sustainable growth, positioning the legal function as a strategic partner in a complex, ever-changing environment.

What are the major cases or transactions you have been involved in recently?

My team remains deeply engaged in close collaboration to implement advanced contract management methodologies, ensuring the successful execution of some of the region’s largest and most complex engagements. These efforts are critical in mitigating risks associated with engagement loss and establishing a robust legal foundation to support multimillion-dollar investments tied to project execution costs. By proactively addressing these challenges, we have not only safeguarded significant investments but also reinforced our commitment to fostering long-term partnerships and driving sustainable regional growth.

In parallel, my team is actively involved in corporate restructuring initiatives aimed at facilitating the establishment of new lines of business under distinct legal entities. This includes structuring certain entities to operate within free trade zone regimes in select jurisdictions, thereby optimizing operational continuity and unlocking potential financial benefits. These efforts are designed to ensure compliance with local regulatory frameworks while strategically positioning the organisation to capitalise on favorable trade and tax incentives. Through these initiatives, we continue to align legal strategies with broader business objectives, enabling growth and resilience in an increasingly complex legal and economic environment.

What emerging technologies do you see as having the most significant impact on the legal profession in the near future, and how do you stay updated on these developments?

This topic is of critical importance as we advance our global initiative to integrate generative AI tools into legal practice. The rapid evolution of AI technology represents one of the most transformative developments currently shaping the legal profession. By leveraging these tools, we can significantly enhance existing systems, such as digital signature platforms and document repositories, to drive greater efficiency and precision and create more powerful tools that help to shape the legal assessments.

Generative AI has the potential to fundamentally reshape the legal landscape, compelling both junior and senior in-house counsel to reevaluate their roles. Tasks traditionally performed through manual effort can now be automated with remarkable accuracy, making these tools indispensable for modern legal practice.

This is an exciting juncture for the profession. The strategic deployment of automation technologies can free substantial time previously devoted to routine, low-value tasks. This enables legal professionals to focus on higher-order activities, such as delivering bespoke legal solutions, fostering innovation, and enhancing client outcomes.

For example, generative AI can automate the reconciliation of defined terms, allowing lawyers to concentrate on refining and simplifying contractual language. It can identify applicable precedents and propose novel legal theories, which counsel can then refine to strengthen arguments. Similarly, AI can generate initial drafts of issues lists, enabling lawyers to focus on crafting innovative business terms that provide a competitive edge for clients.

By embracing these advancements, we not only safeguard the relevance of our roles but also elevate the quality, creativity, and strategic impact of the legal services we provide, ensuring continued value for our clients.