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

The most significant transactions me and my legal team participated in include the sale of all business operations of Lumen Technologies in Latin America to a private equity fund named Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners for US$2.7bn. The transaction involved 25 legal entities in 16 jurisdictions and approvals from telecommunication regulators in many of the countries involved, including the United States. The acquisition closed on August 1st, 2022, and we continue to be responsible for all legal, regulatory and compliance matters for all of Cirion Technologies (the new company name) operations in Latin America and in the US.

Looking forward, what technological advancements do you feel will impact the role of in-house legal teams in the future the most? Which have you found most useful in your legal team?

In my opinion, the most impactful technological advancements to the role of in-house legal teams will include digital contracting and the automation of the contract formalisation process, which will make our work much more time efficient.

As we enter the next decade, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

I believe it will be fundamental to have an agile mind and being more business oriented, in addition to possessing great knowledge of the company’s work and vision and being receptive to collaborative work, as being a team player, within the company and not just within the legal team, is becoming more important.

How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners?

I would suggest acting in a preventive manner rather than only when conflicts arise. Additionally, I think it is important to be more involved in business decisions and collaborating with business partners, adding valuable perspectives in the decision-making process.