Can you tell us about your journey to becoming an in-house counsel? What inspired you to pursue a career in this field?  

Before being an in-house counsel, I had the opportunity to work as an external counsel at renowned firms which gave me the experience and drive that I now apply as an in-house lawyer with a strong mindset for problem solving. 

Although an in-house counsel acts as a “jack of all trades”, I need to identify situations that require expert help or additional support to meet deadlines, and this needs to be responsibly identified to ensure that the company receives the best advice possible.  

Having a flair for thinking outside of the box and solving issues from various perspectives made me a good fit for an in-house position. There is always room for improvement, I need to always be aware of this and be skilled in what the industry demands.  

In your role as an in-house counsel, what are the main responsibilities and tasks you handle on a day-to-day basis? 

I provide legal advice and strategies to prevent and solve issues; navigate all sorts of legal adversities in different jurisdictions in Northern Latin America; and provide solutions to preserve the actual business and support develop new opportunities. Ethics and compliance are considered in all decisions.   

Internal clients demand advice for ordinary commercial matters and could be at some point non-legal related. The position I hold exposes me to sensitive information, and the advice provided needs to follow the desired path to meet specific goals and provide a holistic approach.  

I also make joint decisions and collaborate with different areas across Emerson, and encourage the team members to own and be part of a specific adversity.  

What are some of the key challenges you have faced as a rising star in-house counsel, and how have you overcome them?   

A key challenge is being seen as a commercial partner rather than a roadblock when asking questions and requesting for changes, proposing agreements and vetting decisions.  

For many reasons, people do not always tell the full version of their issue or are not entirely transparent and expect to have full legal backup. Asking the correct questions, even the same ones in a different order, aids in gathering the information needed to make proper decisions.  

Allocating the right amount of time to the proper matters is always a challenge. The word “urgent” has different connotations for internal clients when you take into consideration the liability, operational impact, and the hierarchy in an organisation chart. Keeping everyone’s pace might be difficult when they all have similar deadlines, especially when legal is aware of the impact of their decisions.  

What steps have you taken to enhance your professional development and expand your legal skill set?   

To enhance my professional development, I consistently aim to be open to negative and positive feedback and act on it; review progress with superiors and keep track of reached milestones; step out of my comfort zone, be responsible of the decisions taken and request the most information possible; keep up with controversial political topics and trends as they might follow changes in governmental policies and personnel requests and be prepared for opportunities; build trustworthy relationships; and attend conferences where experts share their experiences or discuss possible law reforms and their impact.