What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

Compass Group Services in Colombia (CGS) has more than 9,000 employees, is the leader in the food market, with more than 190 clients across the country, and sustained growth in support services in more than 750 sites. From the legal area, we lead the labour, commercial, civil, trademark, corporate, ethics, compliance, and sustainability areas.
As CGS is a company that provides services in healthcare, business and industry (B&I), and remote sites sectors (DOR), it was necessary to build a reaction strategy to support the company during Covid-19.

A significant achievement was the construction, implementation and development of the project “Labor Route,” with a field of application to more than 8000 employees.

We have been very active in the areas of litigation. During the last fiscal year, we have been involved in over 58 ordinary labour processes, 21 of which were closed and 20 were in our favour. In terms of commercial litigation, we have successfully signed two collective agreements without operational impact.

Additionally, in partnership with Drummond and the Vital Foundation, I have led a program to strengthen small farmers in the Cesar region, which in the last year impacted more than 187 farmers, delivering more than 235 tons of fruits and vegetables for the food service in Drummond mine.

Lastly, we have successfully led negotiations with DOR clients achieving the economic balance of the contracts and the viability of the business impact on food inflation.

How do you feel the pandemic has changed the world of work for in-house counsel and the function of the general counsel?

The pandemic involved the challenge of strengthening leadership skills, improving communication skills, work team management, negotiation and strategic thinking in legal areas. In-house lawyers must therefore be much more related and closer to the business, speaking the business language, no longer consulting or with a simple vision of risk mitigation. As the pandemic demanded the strengthening of these skills, it is expected that the legal areas will be expert, proactive, and involved in the construction of the business, contributing not only to technical knowledge but also supporting the decisions of reaction to the crisis.

What can law firms do to improve their service to the legal department?

The best opportunity for law firms is to understand themselves as part of their client’s businesses, avoiding the cold and transactional relationships they have usually managed. It is essential to understand each client’s problems and to focus professional efforts on adding value to the business with a common purpose and solidarity with the client.