Executive vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary | Hemisphere Media Group
Senior vice president, chief legal officer and secretary | Royal Caribbean Group
Senior vice president of human resources and general counsel | Costa Farms
Executive vice president, chief legal officer and board secretary | Ryder System
Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel | Hilton Grand Vacations
Senior associate general counsel for Latin America | The Nielsen Company
Vice president and regional general counsel for Latin America and Caribbean | SAP
Executive Senior Vice President and General Counsel | Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.
Managing director and regional counsel | FedEx Express Latin America and the Caribbean
Senior vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary, chief ethics and chief compliance | Fresh Del Monte Produce
Senior vice president and general counsel | Avenger Flight Group
Vice president and regional general counsel for Latin America | Johnson Controls
Associate general counsel and regional counsel for Latin America | Burger King Corporation
Executive vice president and general counsel | Marriott Vacations Worldwide
Senior vice president, chief ethics and compliance officer and European general counsel | TD Synnex
Senior vice president, chief commercial counsel | World Fuel Services
Vice president, general counsel corporate and global chief privacy officer | Millicom
Chief legal officer and head of diversity, equity and inclusion | Wizeline
Vice president of legal, regulatory and government affairs | FedEx
Vice president and senior counsel for the Caribbean and Latin America | Marriott International
Vice president, general counsel and secretary | Landstar System
Chief ESG officer, securities counsel and assistant general counsel | Roper Technologies
Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, North America | Paysafe Group
Associate general counsel and corporate external legal affairs for Latin America | Microsoft
Assistant general counsel and senior vice president | Hertz Corporation
Executive vice president and chief legal and compliance officer | Millicom
Managing director and general counsel for Latin America and Mexico | Citigroup
Senior vice president, general counsel and secretary | L3Harris Technologies
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary | Xenia Hotels & Resorts
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Company Secretary | Spirit Airlines
General counsel, executive vice president and corporate secretary | Playa Hotels & Resorts
Senior vice president and general counsel | Cirion Technologies
It has been an incredible privilege to conduct the research for the inaugural edition of The Legal 500 GC Powerlist: Miami 2022. As lead researcher for this opening Powerlist, I had the honour of speaking to some of the most outstanding in-house counsel in the state of Florida, listening to some remarkable stories and grasping knowledge from the vast wisdom they possess. Our interviews alluded to many current and relevant topics, such as handling the challenges raised by the pandemic, building strong relationships with business partners and the recognised importance of Latin America to businesses based in Florida.
Among other disclosures, this research reveals that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, and the many challenges that came with it, business did not halt for these companies, as the incredible action by in-house counsel, working effortlessly through new regulations and guidelines, made it possible for business to proceed as close to normal as conceivable during such testing times. Additionally, it divulges how the relationship between the legal team and business partners still has a lot to progress, and how the introduction of technology must continue to be encouraged for the greater advantage of companies.
On exposure to overseas markets, Florida stills stands out for its leadership in Latin American business in the United States. As Lin Cherry, chief legal officer and head of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Wizeline puts it, “there is no better market than Florida when you want to address the Latin American market, as lawyers have an incredible pool of talent there”. Her statement is reinforced by Ines Bahachille, vice president and chief counsel of Mondelez International for Latin America, who besides stating that “Latin America is currently the best performing region for the company”, also affirms that “having lived in Florida for the last 10 years, it is a very convenient market to travel and embrace diversity”.
Another important topic was the progressive introduction of technology in the everyday duties of in-house counsel, making their work more time efficient and cost effective. Gonzalo Garcia Lussardi, Johnsons Controls’ vice president and general counsel for Latin America, is of the many voices that has embraced technology for the benefit of his legal team and business partners: “I’m particularly interested in automation, machine learning tools and AI, because they simplify tasks, provide instant visibility, improve risk assessment quality, allowing in-house counsel to make informed, faster and better decisions for the business. It’s not a secret that better processes and knowledge are distinctive competitive advantages in any field”.
Florida-based in-house counsel are also certain that having a deeper knowledge of their company’s business, not just of the legal procedures, is fundamental for both their success and progression. As voiced by many general counsels, echoed by Denisse Becerra, general counsel and chief compliance officer at PayJoy, “a corporate legal team needs to develop its business savviness. I believe that the success of any team is to be able to speak the same language as the business”.
This year’s GC Powerlist Miami highlights the role of general counsel overcoming difficult challenges while keeping businesses thriving, promoting technology, improving relationships with business partners, and the continuous development of business relations with the Latin American region.
I want to extend my deepest gratitude to every in-house lawyer who participated in this inaugural edition of GC Powerlist. I am immensely pleased to introduce this list of Florida’s most exceptional, diligent and celebrated in-house lawyers.
Francisco Faria e Castro | Research Analyst | GC Powerlist Series
The Legal 500 was delighted to be in Miami to host its GC Summit on 22 September 2022.
This prestigious event brought together in-house counsel based in the region with links to the Latin American market to examine strategies and procedures when doing cross-border work.
The event was opened up by Conference Producer at The Legal 500, Chris Kay. This was followed by a panel discussion on the role of general counsel in compliance related matters. The panel looked at the various factors to be considered and the challenges of applying these across jurisdictions.
The second panel was focused on M&A, giving an overview of the market space and giving the opportunity for panellists to compare and contrast trends in their home region.
The final panel looked at how companies create and implement litigation policies across their different regions and the key aspect of being able to avoid, and where necessary, manage litigation.
Thanks again to headline sponsor Greenberg Traurig LLP for supporting the event, along with fellow sponsors Carey, Diaz Reus, ASBZ, Pellerano & Herrera, Consortium Legal, Pérez Bustamante & Ponce, and Posse Herrera Ruiz. As well as a thank you to our in-house panellists for joining the discussion and giving their perspectives.
