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

In general terms, we are proud to deploy the standardisation and digitalisation of our legal department. Currently, cases and contracts are being unified in a single database and workflow, and 100% of the signatures are digital and certified.

Did the pandemic lead to a lasting increase in the interaction your legal team has with the strategic plans of the company?

Yes. The most significant subject has been the shift from office to home and how it changed the relationship between legal team and business partners. Additionally, IT has played an increasing significant whole, not only for the job itself, but also for other concerns such as privacy and data protection.

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 a must. The company should be a perfect amalgamation of in-house counsels, external lawyers and IT systems that complete one another. In my opinion, recent changes in law and technology have hold those assumptions even truer.

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?

I would highlight two relevant technological advancements. First, legal AI can help us to create and analyse contracts in a fast and secure manner. Second, systems can offer real-time compliance, detecting and preventing frauds on the go.

In general, what would you like to see change about the external law firms you use? Examples could be greater flexibility in billing, a more expansive suite of services offered, more transparency in reporting ESG statistics etc.

Mostly, they should be aligned with our long-term goals, there included our ever-limited budget and fast-paced changes.

If you have worked in other countries, what are the main challenges unique to operating as an in-house counsel in your current location?

Brazilians are very creative and flexible, even compared to other Latin America counterparts. On the other hand, Asians and Europeans tend to be more process-focused and set detailed plans for greater timespans. From my experience, those different approached often collide.

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?

As a definition, it is impossible to be prepared for the unforeseen. So, the best way to prepare is having leeway and safety to handle the day to day activities. Thus, if a crisis happens, we can face it without jeopardising all other activities.