Focus on the work of in-house lawyers

I have worked as a lawyer for more than 15 years in the Ripley Group, composed of several Chilean and foreign companies, whose headquarters is an open stock Chilean corporation with a presence in Chile, Peru and Hong Kong.

During this time, I have taken on different responsibilities in the area of corporate governance and finance as well as in the legal management of the retail area, where I am currently responsible for regulatory and normative issues to ensure that business is developed in an environment of legal control and compliance. As a member of the legal team of one of the most important retailers in Chile, I have been part of the rapid evolution of the legal solutions necessary to support the successful development of an organisation that plays a leading role not only in the market but also in society.

The global pandemic, the irruption of new technologies, the cultural redefinition of markets and consumers, and the new social and political dynamics have allowed me to be an active participant in one of the most challenging adaptation processes in recent history of the company. Situations such as global threats in the supply and distribution chains have forced us to double our efforts to generate new and better legal alternatives to make the operation viable, supporting business areas in the empowerment and accelerated transition to online channels, and forcing us to face an exponential increase in legal, contractual and regulatory challenges amid an environment full of uncertainties.

The complexity of the regulatory environment associated with the new socio-political dynamics has been accompanied by greater demand for transparency, protection of information, consumer and worker rights, protection of free competition, better corporate governance standards and, of course, the search for a new model of organisation and work under high-performance requirements in which the definitions of past years are no longer useful to face the future.

All the above have transformed the work of lawyers in a revolutionary way and has pushed us to adapt in order to find new formulas to carry out our work, to support all areas so that they can operate efficiently but within the applicable legal framework and create tangible value for the company. I believe this is also where the actual value of the in-house corporate lawyer lies. The future scenario is as challenging as it is exciting, as it will redefine the work of legal professionals for the coming years and the way in which society understands the role of companies. I am convinced that this will give legal areas the opportunity both to be a key and a strategic partner within companies and to support the increasingly organic and society’s sustainable development.