What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

We assisted in the merger of the Dominican Republic business with a local partner in order to create the biggest retail fuel distribution network in the country. The amount involved was over US$130m. The legal team was in charge of drafting, negotiating, and performing most of the closing requirements for the transaction, which involved more than 50 sites and over 200 contracts with active customers.

How do you feel the pandemic has changed the world of work for in-house counsel and the function of the general counsel?

I believe that the biggest change to in-house counsel is similar to the challenges that were presented to the legal profession during the Covid pandemic. Mainly, learning to work in a changing environment and being able to deliver result regardless of the increasing personal demands that Covid-19 represented to each of us. Also, working remotely has made me realise that the legal profession in general should move to a more paperless and technology-based practice.

What are some of the key developments – legal, geopolitical or otherwise – that have affected your business over the past year?

The 2020 elections in the Dominican Republic were a major change, since we needed to quickly adjust to a new regulatory approach. Also, the economic impact of the pandemic has produced interesting relationships with the revenue offices, who are trying to balance supporting employers with the need for more resources.

Looking forward, what technological advancements do you feel will impact the role of in-house legal teams in the future the most? Automation will have the biggest impact. The ability to have simple documents that can be standardised will make the work of in-house lawyers be more of akin to that of a high-level advisor. I see that the role of the in-house counsel will only grow in importance within organisations as we move to become more of an advisor and strategist.