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

As the general counsel responsible for the Latin America legal team, I have been responsible for negotiations in the technology segment, cloud, and supply chain software industry, as well as providing legal advice to commercial, sales and business in all Latin America countries. I have also been responsible for the entirety of the negotiation process of multifaceted technology contracts, for complex technology services for Latin America clients, in Spanish, English and Portuguese. I have been involved in the successful closing of large deals in Mexico with Femsa, Arca Continental, Home Depot, Cemex, PepsiCo, Office Depot, in Chile, Sodimac, Cencosud and SMU, in Peru with Inkafarma, Cementos Argos in Colombia, and in Brazil with Honda Motors, Avon, Grupo Pão de Açucar, Boticario, among many others.

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

As a legal team within the Latin America region, we worked together with Associate Success to comply with all local requirements regarding labour rules in remote work, besides many initiatives of wellbeing to address phycological impacts of non-interaction environment after Covid-19.

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

In Latin America, I am responsible for all legal and compliance issues in Mexico, Chile, Brazil Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Paraguay, and Panama, conducting negotiations of complex deals with local lawyers in local languages and legislation. Therefore, I must be updated on local rules in technology contracts, compliance, anti-corruption, and data privacy. Also, I need to have deep knowledge on US contract rules and regulations, as all our negotiations are between customer’s located in Latin America countries and Blue Yonder US, the owner of all software licenses and services we offer globally. Also, I manage external law firms in Brazil and other Latin countries, when necessary, in commercial, contractual, tax, civil and labour rules and all litigation procedures.

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

The legal team must be business orientated, hands-on, and have negotiation skills, maturity, and multicultural abilities, in order to facilitate and strengthen interpersonal relationships. In-house lawyers must develop the ability to deliver results under pressure, while understanding company priorities and strategy globally.