Event Report

The Legal 500 was delighted to be back in Santiago, hosting the GC Summit: Chile 2024 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The event brought together over 120 in-house lawyers, 5 partner firms, and 23 esteemed guest speakers, showcasing the highest level of legal expertise in the country. 

With an afternoon packed with sessions, after a light lunch and brief conversations, the event began with a welcome address from Francisco Castro, Legal 500’s editorial lead for the conference. 

The first panel discussion was led by Gutiérrez, Waugh, Jimeno & Asenjo’s partner Alfredo Waugh Correa, and included esteemed speakers María Agnes Salah, chairwoman of CAM Santiago, Gonzalo Smith Ferrer, chief legal officer at Falabella and María José Poblete Gómez, corporate legal manager at Empresa de Ferrocarriles del Estado. Together, they addressed issues for legal managers in deciding on arbitration agreements, including pre-arbitration stages (e.g., mediation), tribunal composition, arbitration at law or equity, and waiving appeals against the award, marking an excellent start to the afternoon. 

The following session, brought in partnership with Magliona Abogados, tackled “New Regulations on Personal Data, Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence”, featuring an all-women panel, including Karla Cid and Bárbara Reyes, lawyers from Magliona Abogados, alongside guest speakers, Lizzy Seaman lawyer at the Ministry General Secretariat of the Presidency, Michelle Bordachar, legal and legislative advisor at the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security and Paloma Herrera, legal advisor from the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation. 

After a brief coffee break, where everyone took the chance to exchange a few impressions and ideas on the previous discussions, attendees reconvened for the third panel titled “Navigating new frontiers in labour relations: legal changes and challenges in Chile”, moderated by Munita & Olavarría’s founding partner Enrique Munita, accompanied by Agustín Eguiguren, regional legal director at Abbott Laboratories, Giselle Rubio, senior legal manager at LATAM Airlines Group, and Guillermo Valenzuela, corporate manager of people and culture at Banco Consorcio. Speakers discussed the latest developments in navigating Chile’s rapidly evolving labor relations landscape, including the notable “Lay Karin,” which addresses workplace dynamics such as sexual harassment and workplace violence. 

The fourth session of the afternoon, in collaboration with PAGBAM, discussed “the Reputation & Leadership of Companies in LATAM today: The Role of General Counsels”, focusing on the critical role that GCs play in shaping and maintaining the reputation and leadership of companies in Latin America, while providing a comprehensive understanding of how GCs and their teams can drive corporate success and resilience in this challenging region. The session was moderated by communication’s expert Felipe Edwards, partner at Azerta, and included guest speakers Carmen Román, director at Coca-Cola Andina and Grupo Patio, Macarena Vargas, general counsel at Codelco and Belén Arana, corporate counsel at Google, as well as PAGBAM partner Juan Pablo Schwencke. 

The last session of the afternoon, led by Aninat Abogados, tackled the most current “Challenges Faced Due to Increased Regulatory Authorities”, with a look at regulatory and compliance challenges from two critical economic angles: Consumer Law and Environmental Law. The panel was led by Lucas del Villar, partner at Aninat Abogados, and Rodrigo Ropert, senior counsel at Aninat Abogados and included guest speakers Karol Oyanader, legal, regulatory and sustainability manager at Statkraft Chile and Andrés Medina, general counsel at Caja Los Andes. 

After brief closing remarks by Legal 500’s Francisco Castro, the afternoon concluded on a high note with a delightful networking session accompanied by refreshing drinks and canapes. It provided an opportunity for attendees to further engage in informative discussions and foster connections in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. 

As The Legal 500 eagerly anticipates its return to Santiago for the launch of the GC Powerlist: Chile 2024, on August 28th, we express our heartfelt gratitude to our esteemed partner firms: Gutiérrez, Waugh, Jimeno & Asenjo, Magliona Abogados, Munita & Olavarría, PAGBAM and Aninat Abogados. We extend our sincere appreciation to all the attendees and guest speakers whose presence contributed to the resounding success of the event, and we hope this gets across just how seriously the Legal 500 takes its commitment to the Chilean legal community. 

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