In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years?

A couple of decades ago, only a few companies had in-house legal counsel, as most companies opted to hire in-house lawyers for one-off issues or extensive negotiations.

Globalisation, economic openness and the development of multinational companies with subsidiaries in many countries have led companies to look for legal experts to be part of their companies. The role of the corporate lawyer is born as a strategic position within the organisational chart. Corporate lawyers have an even more significant challenge than that of their legal attorneys, and that is to mesh the organisations in such a way that with their knowledge, analysis and courage, they manage to bring forward every adverse situation present in the companies without putting the organisation at risk because it is not only about being a law expert but also about accompanying the company’s day-to-day operations.

The evolution of corporate lawyers today is towards the incorporation of technological tools, legal tech, artificial intelligence, smart contracts, and blockchain technology applied to compliance and data privacy to reduce costs, make their function more effective, to have more time for the strategic planning of the company for which they work. The role of the corporate lawyer must be strategic for the business of the company of which they are a part, managing to adapt the law to the needs of the company.

Have any new laws, regulations or judicial decisions greatly impacted your company’s business or your legal practice?

In Uruguay, the most significant change we have has been at a local regulation level and has impacted the segment in which Securitas operates has been the enactment of the Private Security Law. This law has been a great step towards the professionalisation of the private security sector in our country because it has raised the standards required to provide static and electronic security guard services. For a multinational company such as Securitas, it has meant positioning a leading company in the security sector in the Uruguayan market, with the highest international standards of compliance in this area.

If you had to give advice to an aspiring in-house lawyer or general counsel, what would It be and why?

With more than ten years of experience as the head of a multinational company’s legal and risk department, I can affirm that the most essential quality a corporate lawyer should have is the ability to adapt to change and look for legal solutions by thinking “outside the box”. My advice to aspiring corporate lawyers is to shed the paradigms of our legal training, keep it simple and be a strategic asset to the business and the company we represent. Take risks; take on challenges. As Mark Zuckerberg said: “The biggest risk is to take no risk at all. In a fast-changing world, the only strategy guaranteed to fail is not to take risks.”