Legal director | Bepensa Dominicana
Luis Enrique Agelán Caminero
Legal director | Bepensa Dominicana
What are the most significant cases, projects and/or transactions that you and/or your legal team have recently been involved in?
My team and I face challenges on a daily basis. Managing a company with 3,200 employees in such diverse roles requires strict compliance with legal regulations, particularly labour laws, permits relevant to operations, and both criminal and civil matters.
We have also pursued a series of criminal actions relating to employee theft and abuse of trust. Together with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, we dismantled a criminal network responsible for stealing coolers, carrying out raids and recovering more than 20 units.
We have secured exclusivity and brand-preference contracts with major businesses in the Dominican Republic, including supermarkets, restaurants, fast food chains, and hotels.
In addition, we have led capital increase processes exceeding USD$40,000,000 through the capitalisation of contributions within a complete corporate structure.
Overall, our team manages all permits required for operations, monitors potential changes in national legislation, oversees intellectual property, consumer rights matters, and all types of contracts, including machinery and parts procurement, among others.
How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?
We have overcome periods of instability and crisis through constant attention to legal compliance and close monitoring of potential changes that could affect the organisation. By fostering our team’s commitment to the company and considering all legal, economic, and regulatory aspects, we have been able to support sound decision-making.
What strategies do you employ to ensure the successful digital transformation of a legal department while maintaining compliance with your country’s data protection laws?
We have recently implemented a contract platform using automated templates populated with business information and key terms, which also manages the process of digital or electronic signing. This has enabled the formalisation of relevant contracts in just one or two days instead of several weeks, improving internal efficiency and providing quicker responses to our clients and suppliers. The platform complies with the legal requirements for digital signatures as well as data protection regulations.
It has also been used for signing communications that do not require originals, allowing signatures from anywhere in the world in less than an hour, with the traceability and validity required under Dominican law.
Have you had any experiences during your career as a lawyer that stand out as particularly unique or interesting?
During my career, I have taken part in significant transactions, but I would highlight my role as corporate lead in the merger of two major international companies. For this transaction, we worked to Luxembourg business hours, managing the considerable time difference, and successfully completed the formalisation of the merger on schedule. This included the corresponding due diligence and the international financing arranged for that purpose.
What is a cause, business or otherwise, that you are passionate about? Why is this?
I am passionate about the way in which, as corporate counsel, we develop knowledge that supports decision-making by considering financial and other factors, always with the company’s best interests in mind and ensuring legal compliance. This has inspired a desire to grow not only in the legal field but also in finance, public affairs, corporate governance, and related areas.