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

AERODOM is part of Vinci Airports, a global company that operates 53 airports in 12 countries worldwide and operates as a Concessionary of six State-owned airports in the Dominican Republic.

As legal manager, I was hired at the beginning of the pandemic, and have provided legal support through all the matters which surged in the tough times of COVID, mainly when the airports’ operations were reduced or closed, which caused legal issues from the business, employment, privacy, cybersecurity and force of majeure point of view. Constant changes in employment and health laws, resolutions, and Government acts during the pandemic crisis needed to be quickly and efficiently handled and were successfully handled by the team with Legal assistance, as a result, we had no material actions or claims from employees, providers or clients. We have also supported the company on legal matters related to the execution of the Concession Contract and have participated in key meetings with regards to the application and extension of the contract.

How do you feel the pandemic has changed the world of work for in-house counsel and the function of the general counsel?

Working remotely and overcoming an intense workload flow and the almost inexistent line between work schedule and private matters was a challenge.

However, a culture of collaboration and communication with internal clients, the ability to delegate and share with external counsel routine requirements, and the opportunity to show a comprehensive legal skill-set to the rest of the team while working together in the decision-making, made it possible.

Although at the beginning going virtual was stressful, there is now no turning back. Remote working has now been proven to be a valid way to run some businesses but is not always viable for everyone in the team. Clear limits and timeframes to work are necessary and, of course, regular assistance and timely responses are essential.

Good and open communication within the team is absolutely key. Although my company´s culture has been consistent in requiring the legal team to be involved in all sensitive and strategic matters, the pandemic allowed us to reinforce to them that our counsel is a valuable asset to the company´s success.

A good and close relationship with external counsel was critical to timely response considering the employees shortage.

The ability to adapt to a new work environment and methods is a must. But being assertive and handy in critical and sensible times was a needed and expected support from our side.

What can law firms do to improve their service to the legal department?

When involving and selecting external counsel, besides rapport, diversity, expertise, value, quality of the work, and responsiveness, the most valuable quality in my experience,  is their ability to quickly understand what I need from a business perspective.

I have worked with many external counsel, but what I value the most is their legitimate interest in what my company does, not only the legal perspective they can bring.

I need and expect them to be a business partner. Most of the time I already have an accurate legal opinion on the matters that I seek professional input for, and need to discuss how it would affect and impact my business and plans.