Focus on… The mission of the in-house lawyer 

The in-house lawyer’s most important mission is to understand the company’s business in-depth. This allows the proper identification of risks and solutions that are not only legally sound but also generate the impact required by the industry, whether it is the development of a product, budget reduction, closing an investment round or signing a contract.  

This becomes even more crucial when working in the technology sector as the company’s desired projects are only sometimes contemplated in the law. This is where the in-house lawyer becomes a consultant who leverages her knowledge in business, finance, labour, administration, etc., to advance the company’s projects effectively and efficiently with the least possible risk.  

By understanding the business model, the in-house lawyer can work together with the other departments of the company to define the necessary tools for business growth. For example, tools that reduce the time for contract preparation and signing or tools that allow an automated due diligence process of counterparties. Suppose the in-house lawyer knows that, generally, the contract signing process requires the involvement of several stakeholders, such as sales, operations, and compliance teams from both the company and the other party. In that case, she should propose implementing a self-onboarding tool that automates the contract preparation, review, and signing process. This automation must be done to ensure not only a reduction in the time required for contract preparation and signing but also compliance with legal and operational requirements. These are the types of tools that we have implemented at Rappi, which have allowed us to have over forty-five thousand commercial partners in Colombia.  

Implementing these types of tools in the industry will be exponential in the coming years and will undoubtedly transform the in-house lawyer’s role. In the pursuit of efficiency and growth, the in-house lawyer will leverage technological tools for contract review and signing, artificial intelligence tools, contract storage and automatic tracking of expiration dates, and risk analysis tools, among many others, drawing inspiration from disruptive business models like Rappi.  

I have had the great fortune to be involved in implementing these tools at Rappi, and I have witnessed the transformation they generate in the business. Today, due in part to these tools, Rappi has over one million users, one hundred fifty thousand couriers, and forty-five thousand commercial partners in Colombia alone. In addition to implementing these tools, over the past five years, I have had the privilege of leading Rappi’s expansion into more than three countries, participating in significant investment rounds like the one with SoftBank, acting as the legal representative in all administrative, civil, commercial, and labour processes of the company, supporting the launch of multiple new products and technological tools, and above all, I have had and still have the great fortune of leading Rappi Colombia’s legal team.