First, can you please give us an idea of the sort of work your team has done recently?

In the last months, my team has been focused on structuring mortgage loans, financial leasing operations, vehicle loans and credits with guarantee of medical equipment, among other credit operations. The main focus is on elaborating all legal documents that support the operation, and ensuring all guarantees are duly registered. Another main task of our daily work consists of reviewing all corporate documents of clients and potential clients who are legal persons, under the due diligence process, all the while knowing our customer proceedings. The department is also constantly answering queries on legal issues, compliance and corporate governance matters.

Can you sum up the team culture in your legal department? How does this contribute to your success?

I have worked to create a culture that allows for free thinking and expressing disagreements when the lawyers feel the need to express oneself. I encourage independence and empowerment, and I constantly emphasise to the team that this is what will allow their personal and professional growth in this enterprise or in any other workplace. I believe the culture we have right now is one that permeates seriousness, responsibility, compromise and openness. Although we, as lawyers of the company, are called to reduce or eliminate all legal risks in everything we – and other teams – work on, we also try to be open to the needs of the business and the clients themselves. Whenever possible, we try to help the business grow and satisfy our internal and external clients without compromising the quality of our work.

What would you say are the unique qualities required to be successful as an in-house lawyer in your industry?

In the banking industry, the in-house lawyers have a very particular role as an area of internal control or back-office, which implies placing controls on the business areas or front office. This requires that we – the lawyers – develop certain qualities that are essential to our role. First, we need to have a deep and profound knowledge of the industry’s regulations, in order to establish effective controls to mitigate and eliminate all legal risks. At the same time, we need to understand the banking business, so we can meet the needs of our clients and aim for practical solutions, without violating the regulation or place the company in a high-risk situation. We also need to be updated in everything regarding new laws, regulation or government policies that affect the banking industry, in order to be able to assertively advice the general manager, the board of directors and the senior management. In addition, we need to constantly work on our leadership skills, so we can be a true example, not only to our team, but also to our internal clients, and create a genuine compliance culture within the company.