Team size: Three
Major legal advisers: PPU, Gómez Pinzón. Brigard & Urrutia, Bigrad & Castro, Posse Herrera, Esguerra Asesores Jurídico, DLA Piper.

Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?

Our team has implemented the following innovations which have helped us increase our efficiency and effectiveness. Firstly, the distribution and assignment of functions to the members of the legal team, by management and by the type of matters, which has allowed for greater leadership of the team members and improvements in response times due to the specialised knowledge of the matters assigned. We have also implemented the standardisation of contract drafts and models, as well as the implementation and design of predefined minutes with basic and simple contents to formalise the contractual operation for a low cost. We also participated in the development of Codex, a corporate software, through which all legal requests from the different areas of the company are processed virtually. Finally, we have introduced electronic signatures of contracts and legal documents, which has significantly reduced the time required to formalise them.

Can you foresee any key developments to the way general counsel work over the next five years?

Disruptive technologies have certainly penetrated the law and will change not only the way lawyers compete in the market for their clients, but also their role. The offering of legal services through e-commerce and the development of platforms such as ChatGPT, which in theory provides quick responses at a low cost, will challenge legal professionals to integrate technological tools into the delivery and offering of their services in order to remain competitive in the modern industry.

What measures has your company taken to embed sustainability practices into its core business operations, and how does the role of the general counsel contribute to driving and ensuring sustainable practices within the company?

Manuelita has increased its organic sugar production and made progress in improving the factory’s energy efficiency with non-conventional renewable sources as well as implemented new irrigation technologies in the crop for lower water consumption and higher productivity. Our products are internationally certified as sustainable by BONSUCRO, certifying that our operation meets stringent environmental, social, and legal standards. As general counsel, I have contributed to the company’s legal compliance in terms of rural property, including our suppliers of raw materials, monitoring compliance with these obligations through “GEA” software, which has indicators of compliance with all the company’s legal environmental obligations.