Team Size: Three

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?

In moments of instability, I see the role of the legal function as both a safeguard and a facilitator. The first priority is to assess risks quickly, build contingency frameworks, and provide management with clear, actionable options. At Costa Palmas, we operate in a complex environment with multiple lenders, partners, and regulators, so any crisis response must be coordinated and practical. My goal is to ensure that legal advice is not abstract but aligned with operational and financial strategies, helping the company protect its position while also remaining flexible. This alignment between legal and business strategy has been central to strengthening resilience and preserving long-term value.

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

Over the past year, I have been directly involved and I have closed several significant financing transactions and restructurings with both domestic and international banks, ensuring that our capital structure continues to support ongoing development. On the litigation side, we have obtained favorable outcomes in complex proceedings that have further strengthened our legal position as a developer. I have also negotiated commercial agreements that have reinforced our standing within the hospitality market.

These matters reflect the dual responsibility of the General Counsel: safeguarding the company’s legal integrity while enabling the execution of ambitious projects.

What measures has your company taken to embed sustainability practices, and how does the role of the general counsel contribute?

Sustainability is not a marketing slogan for Costa Palmas—it is a core operating principle. From the outset, the project has been designed to respect the fragile ecosystem of Baja California Sur. This includes, throughout out Fundación Costa Palmas, marine and coastal protection programs, responsible water and energy management, and commitments to community-based employment and training. As General Counsel, my role is to ensure these initiatives are enforceable and enduring. This means embedding sustainability requirements into contracts with contractors and operators, ensuring compliance with environmental regulation, and negotiating financing terms that recognise and reinforce our commitments. By giving legal form to sustainability, we ensure that these values are not aspirational but part of the binding framework under which we operate.

Which legal tech organisations or products are helping you in your role?

Legal technology has become an essential tool in managing the scale and complexity of our work. In the medium term, we will implement a document automation and contract management platform to reduce drafting times and increase consistency, particularly in financing and development agreements, as well as a compliance system to help us track regulatory obligations and litigation deadlines, allowing the team to stay ahead of potential issues. We adopt technology selectively, always with an eye toward efficiency and security, but the result is that lawyers can devote more of their time to providing strategic guidance rather than repetitive tasks.