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

As the head in-house counsel of the Sociedad de Fomento Fabril (SOFOFA), one of the largest business federations in Chile, I have overseen leading, from the legal area, important collaboration agreements with public entities that allow promoting critical public-private synergy required, among other aspects, to advance in quality public policies. Also, I have recently worked on updating the bylaws of the federation so that they are in line with the new times we are living in, among other relevant matters.

Why are in-house lawyers well-placed to drive change in their organisations?

Undoubtedly, in-house lawyers have been gaining more and more importance in the company structure, since our role is no longer to solely provide solid and updated legal knowledge, but to actively participate, together with other managers, in designing the strategy for a case or business development, combining legal knowledge and risk analysis with an acute sensitivity to the circumstances surrounding such decision-making process. The key role of the in-house lawyer and the importance of being involved with the different areas from the beginning of each project has been gradually assumed and understood. This allows an in-house lawyer to be in a crucial and strategic position anticipating changes and proposing solutions which are adequate to the specific situation of the company or entity they advise. The in-house lawyer is called upon to build tailor-made solutions for his internal clients and to foster the corporate spirit that the company seeks to promote.

As we live in a fast-paced world today, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

With the rapid acceleration of changes, lawyers will be required to attain skills beyond their legal knowledge and to be proactive in anticipating changes and their consequences, along with developing greater flexibility in finding results and thinking outside of the box, creating innovative solutions to problems or services that will become increasingly complex.

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 legal profession may be one of the least flexible to change, as the traditional way of doing things is deeply ingrained. However, the pandemic showed us that it is perfectly possible to use new technologies facilitating efficiency while maintaining, at the same time, close relationships and connection with internal clients. In this sense, artificial intelligence will demand a new standard in the provision of services and a greater development of soft skills and empathy, conditions that, for now, AI will not be able to replace. Technology should be viewed as a useful tool for process improvement, in particular, of administrative issues such as document management allowing the in-house legal team to keep the focus on the most relevant and added-value matters where their work is not replaceable.