About

Having joined Alstom in 2003, general counsel Carolina Carrasco Acuña has accumulated a formidable knowledge of Chilean and Latin American operations at the French global leader in energy and railroad transportation. Being Alstom’s first in-house lawyer in Chile, Carrasco is credited for creating a culture and internal perception that in-house counsel are not an obstacle for business but partners ,and supports it in avoiding and mitigating risks whilst also doing business and signing contracts. ‘I became really aware that the relation between legal and other areas needs to be tight, that areas cannot be working separately or have a different objective [other] than the company’s benefit. We in-house lawyers, are a part of “the blood received by all organs of a body”’, she explains. This was a crucial change for the legal function at Alstom Chile, and Carrasco ensures it continues to collaborate with different lines of business, support relations with clients, suppliers and subcontractors to meet company needs. Carrasco leads by example in this regard given, as part of her role, she is focused on the business’ projects and activities including tenders, contracts, corporate matters and ethics and compliance matters. She is also involved in insurance activities as risk manager and serves as the company’s corporate secretary in Chile. One positive outcome her strong commercial outlook has achieved was the updating of the terms and conditions in contracts to better protect and suit the company. In another positive contribution, Carrasco assumed what she calls an ‘education role’, deciding to ‘train commercial areas and project managers and the sourcing team regarding contractual terms and conditions, its relevance, the reason we negotiate them so key people in the company become aware of them and how they can mitigate or avoid specific risks’. Through efforts like these and her longevity at Alstom, Carrasco is rightly considered amongst Chile’s elite in-house lawyers. Prior to her current role, she spent six years as legal director for forestry company Maderas Cóndor, playing an instrumental role in a successful albeit highly complex litigation concerning environmental law. Commenting on the difference between in-house and private practice roles, Carrasco offers a valuable insight for aspiring associates considering the move: ‘It seems obvious however being a lawyer that works in a law firm is significantly different than working as an in-house lawyer. One of the great differences, is that working in a law firm mostly results in advising regarding pros and contras, advantages or disadvantages of situations that have a legal impact on our customers. In a company, as a lawyer we need to make definitions, take decisions and act as part of a team whilst also being a decision maker. We don’t have a client, you are working [ultimately] for your company, even if we’re considered to have internal clients as companies have several areas and business’.