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

We have been working in several projects, digital themes, public partnerships, product launches, corporate law matters and innovation, while handling all day-to-day tasks, such as agreements, legal opinions, policies, procedures and internal processes. Additionally, I have been working on two global centres of excellence, one in thoughtful risk taking and one in digital solutions. My team is young and eager to learn. They seek, internally and externally, for projects and initiatives in which they can develop themselves. Cross-sharing initiatives are heavily fostered, to increase trust, respect and knowledge.

How important is choosing to work with external lawyers who align with your company’s values? Are you likely to reconsider what firms you work with based on this?

It is key to have relations with entities that respect the same values and principles as you and your company. One example is stance on diversity and inclusion, on which I am part of the diversity and inclusion executive committee of the company. It is key that the external law firms, on top of having the best technical expertise, respect the diverse community that we have in Brazil, such as +50 years olds, or the LGBT+ community.

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?

The main skill that I identify is getting to know your business, the best you can. Having the knowledge and full understanding of your market, your competitors, and future steps to take, are key for a lawyer to seat strategically at the business table.

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

By means of knowing what they do, where they want to be, how competitors and the market behave, and their pains. In-house lawyers must know everything about the structure the company’s structure and challenges. Only providing legal advice will not allow the in-house lawyers to understand the business and the strategy behind it. Be skilled in legal but also in business. Advise, take the risks, be strategic and ask questions.

The unusual business environment created by the pandemic has been swiftly followed by other shocks. Are you now putting more emphasis on preparing for the unforeseen and, if so, what does this entail?

The world as we knew it no longer exists. Every day, we are challenged to simplify, be more agile and deliver more. So, if you think ahead and work to co-create the future, it will be easier to navigate. My point here is to not wait to be told what to do. Stand up whenever you see an opportunity or a problem and contribute to solve it. Also, it is important to understand and foresee trends and new technologies, as the world is rapidly changing, and we need to be embarked as soon as possible and share it with business and legal teams.