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

I have worked consistently in the definition and implementation of action strategies in leading cases in the high courts, for example, on the topic of exclusion of state-level sales taxes (ICMS) from the basis of the program of social integration (PIS) and of the contribution for the financing of social security (COFINS), which I worked with professor Humberto Ávila, and on the theme of PIS and COFINS credits in a monophasic regime, in which I worked with professor Heleno Torres.

It is also worth mentioning the digital transformation that I implemented in the legal and controllership department of Ultra, with the implementation of legal systems for litigation and contracts, and the creation of controls using public data from the Courts. Also, I have worked on the implementation of an automated circularisation of external offices, with a view at reducing the number of divergences for the circularization of external audits, and on the implementation of automated judicial deposit control, retrieving values ​​from archived processes and reconciling accounting asset accounts.

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?

Choosing law firms that are aligned with the company’s values ​​is essential for adapting strategies and reducing compliance risks. Technical quality, expertise and costs are taken into account, but first of all there must be an alignment of values ​​to avoid any conflict of interest.

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?

Technological advances are influencing several areas, and in law it is no different. More and more, in our routines, we have used technological resources to allow for correct decision making. The use of data and the crossing of internal information has helped us in decision making. Likewise, automation in routine activity allows us to have more time to effectively analyse and focus on topics of greater relevance.

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.

In general terms, in my view, I would like to have more flexibility in the collection of fees, to allow adaptation to situations in which the current models do not fit.

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?

In my opinion, the main skills a corporate legal team need to succeed are flexibility and creativity. Also, it is important to solve challenged more quickly, without bureaucracy, and being adaptable during decision-making, always partnering with colleagues from other departments within the company.