Career Biography

Janice Ramírez Vélez serves as the first in-house counsel to Suiza Dairy, Suiza Fruit and Neva Plastics Manufacturing Corp., where she built and leads the legal function for one of Puerto Rico’s most regulated industries. A trusted advisor to senior executives and boards, she oversees complex regulatory, contractual, environmental, and government-facing matters while managing a multimillion-dollar operational landscape. Ramírez Vélez has delivered significant financial and strategic outcomes, including the recovery of major government receivables, the reclamation of obligations under PROMESA, and the successful procurement of more than $7 m. in industrial incentives and $5.5 m. in federal pandemic relief. 
 
She is recognised for her ability to navigate high-stakes negotiations, mitigate litigation exposure, and ensure compliance with federal and local regulatory bodies including the EPA, OSHA, and Puerto Rico’s ORIL and JCA. Her leadership was instrumental in the divestment and closing of Suiza Dairy’s assets and trademarks, safeguarding the seller’s interests through complex transactional execution. She has successfully managed more than 25 employment and administrative disputes, avoiding nearly half a million dollars in potential exposure, and neutralised potential environmental claims through strategic community engagement. 
 
Before joining the private sector, Ramírez Vélez served in senior roles within the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, supervising legal teams, structuring the Island’s first Destination Marketing Organization (Discover Puerto Rico), drafting high-impact tourism and transportation agreements, and negotiating the agency’s first memorandum of understanding with Airbnb. Her career began at the highest levels of the judiciary as a Law Clerk to the Hon. Rafael Martínez Torres of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, grounding her practice in rigorous legal analysis and appellate-level reasoning. She later honed her expertise in commercial and complex litigation, securing victories in multimillion-dollar disputes and high-profile defamation and construction cases. 
 
Ramírez Vélez holds a Juris Doctor from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Law and completed academic training at the University of Oxford. She is admitted to the Puerto Rico Bar, the Notary Corps, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.