Regional in-house legal counsel greater Caribbean Region | Colgate-Palmolive
Regional legal and corporate regional vice president | Grupo MARTÍ
Legal and compliance director | Bolsa y Mercados de Valores de la República Dominicana (BVRD)
Ana María Estrada Báez is the legal and compliance director of the Bolsa y Mercados de Valores de la República Dominicana, a Dominican securities market infrastructure company, whose mission is...
Legal director, security and corporate affairs | Cervecería Nacional Dominicana
Director of legal documents | Ministerio de Hacienda de la República Dominicana
Vice president of specialised legal services and corporate governance | Banco Múltiple BHD
Vice president of legal, compliance, institutional relations, corporate affairs and human resources | Corporación Minera Dominicana (CORMIDOM)
Vice president of legal and government affairs | The AES Corporation
Legal director | Empresa Generadora de Electricidad Haina (EGE HAINA)
Legal and compliance manager | Bolsa y Mercados de Valores de la República Dominicana (BVRD)
Assistant general counsel, legal operations - Latin America and Caribbean | Phoenix Tower International
Johana Ditren graduated with honours in law from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), in 2016. During her time at PUCMM, she excelled academically and actively participated in...
Director of legal | Dirección General de Migración
Legal director | Asociación de Bancos Múltiples de la República Dominicana (ABA)
Regional legal director Greater Caribbean Region and Latin America division compliance | Colgate-Palmolive
Legal manager of fiduciary business | Asociación Popular de Ahorros y Préstamos (APAP)
General counsel and vice president of legal affairs | Playa Grande Golf & Ocean Club
In-house counsel | Corporación Hotelera del Mar
Senior legal manager permits and litigation | Empresa Generadora de Electricidad Haina (EGE HAINA)
Vice president of legal area and regulatory compliance | Banco Popular Dominicano, Banco Múltiple
Legal manager | Barrick Pueblo Viejo
Mayra C. Jacobo Troncoso has law degree from Iberoamericana University of Santo Domingo – Summa Cum Laude, and a Master of Law in American Law with a concentration in International...
Vice president, general counsel - Latin America | Phoenix Tower International
Legal and compliance manager | UC – United Capital Puesto de Bolsa
In-house counsel | Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club
Legal sub-director | Ministerio de Turismo de la República Dominicana
Ms. Batista has fourteen years of experience practicing law, focusing her practice on providing advice in the areas of real estate, contracts, corporate and commercial law, civil law, banking and...
Legal manager | TC Latin America Partners, Sociedad Administradora de Fondos de Inversión
Rachel’s journey began at the renowned law firm Headrick Rizik Alvarez & Fernández, where she gained valuable experience as an associate in the corporate and M&A fields. It was during...
Director of legal and corporate affairs | Grupo Carol
Raul Alejandro Peña Medina has a law degree from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), complemented by a master’s degree in legal practice from the same university, as...
Notary lawyer | Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club
Legal and regulatory compliance manager, operational risk and continuity manager | AFP Popular
Executive vice president legal | Banco BHD y Centro Financiero BHD
Legal manager | CARDNET - Consorcio de Tarjetas Dominicanas
It was true delight to lead the research for The Legal 500 GC Powerlist: Dominican Republic, 2023, covering the best in-house legal talent within the region. The great enthusiasm of the lawyers that we spoke to was outstanding and inspiring, but the sheer level of innovative work that has been carried out in this region is even more spectacular. Interviews in this edition touch on the recent work that has been carried out by the responders, how they stay up-to-date with changes to laws and regulations within their work, and particular causes that they are passionate about.
In-house counsel in this edition, from a wide selection of industry sectors, shared their most recent work and experience within the past year. The responses varied greatly, but one trend that particularly stood out was the implementation of a digital transformation within their companies, a topic that is highly relevant in today’s environment, and one that requires intense legal support. For example, Elianna Peña Soto, legal director of Compañía Dominicana de Telefonos (CLARO), stated that ‘The legal team is also supporting the digital transformation, with the adoption of the digital signature in all its relationships and the digitalisation of its processes.’ Furthermore, Pamela De Los Santos Franco, legal and compliance manager at United Capital Puesto de Bolsa claimed that ‘Recently we have ventured in significant projects in the scope of digital transformation and data protection to optimise the experience of the brokerage firm’s clients and its expansion in the market.’ Seeing how the implementation of legal technology varied throughout different industries was truly insightful.
In spite of the overall uncertainty of global and local markets, esteemed counsel in this publication were delighted to share how in-house counsel stay up-to-date with changes in laws and regulations. Examples provided included reading recent law articles, attending conferences, and seeking advice from external counsel. For example, Natia Núñez Curiel, legal director of CODACERO, stated that ‘This can be achieved through reading the Judicial Bulletins of our Supreme Court of Justice, through active participation in the associations of our union and our company’s union, through subscription to legal journals, and reading news and communication media in general.’ Further, Rosalía Mena Fernández, director of legal advice at Grupo Globalia, suggested that it is crucial to ‘participate actively in different debate forums in which the main bills that affect our sectors are discussed.’
In-house counsel also took the time to share a cause, business related or otherwise, that they care about and why. The answers to this question were truly insightful, showing the passions and personality of the in-house lawyers in the Dominican Republic. Responses included gender equality, ESG, diversity and inclusion, and health and safety within the business.
We would like to congratulate and thank all the in-house counsel featured in this edition on their incredible achievements in the legal industry, and on joining the list of hundreds of the most trusted, effective and innovative in-house lawyers across the globe. It was a pleasure to speak to all included and gain insight into the markets of the Dominican Republic .
Elena Lewis | Lead researcher: GC Powerlist Dominican Republic 2023
It is Pellerano & Herrera’s pleasure to once again host the prestigious GC Powerlist for the Dominican Republic, recognizing the valuable work of General Counsel within the institutions they represent. This role continues to go far beyond legal consulting and has become an exclusive profile that requires a set of skills and deep knowledge of businesses and industries.
We extend our warmest congratulations to all GCs for their innovation, professionalism, and contributions to raising local business standards, in an ever-changing environment.
This year, Pellerano & Herrera commemorates its 70th anniversary with great pride and celebrating with many of the firm’s alumni, many of whom are recognized in this year’s GC Powerlist, makes it even more special. For Pellerano & Herrera, sponsoring this event is a continuum of its belief in creating social value and actively contributing to the development of legal profession, being the proud alma mater of over 500 lawyers and maintaining the first and only alumni program in the country.
We once again congratulate The Legal 500 for maintaining this commendable initiative in the region and continuing its exhaustive analysis of the Dominican legal market.
Against the impressive backdrop of the Vienna Marriott Hotel, Legal 500 GC Summit: Austria 2025 brought together esteemed in-house counsel, practitioners and leaders from across the legal industry.
Armin Schwabl, partner at CERHA HEMPEL, kicked off the day with a dynamic presentation discussing the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D). Providing a high-level overview of the requirements, the presentation analysed the implications of the directive on in-house counsel. Schwabl examined the steps set out in the due diligence part of the CS3D and looked at what sustainability means in the context of the directive. The presentation provided practical solutions and strategies that in-house counsel can put into effect in response to the CS3D, and finished with the reminder that these measures are a team effort: in-house counsel can utilise the teams around them when approaching such legislation.
The second panel of the day, moderated by Edmund Schuster, counsel, and Claudia Fochtmann-Tischler, partner, at Baker McKenzie, considered the role of price mechanisms in M&A. The firm presented its global deal points study, examining the prevalence of different mechanisms across the DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) region, the UK and the US. Ernest Jędrzejewski, regional head of legal and compliance East Europe at DS Smith, weighed in on the conversation to discuss various aspects affecting the prevalence of different mechanisms. Nicole Christ, head of legal at RHI Magnesita, pointed out the different – and broad – perspective that in-house counsel can provide when navigating pricing mechanisms. Giovanna Bevilacqua, legal and compliance counsel at Doka, discussed the importance of translating these different perspectives across departments, from legal to strategy to finance.
Deminor’s sponsored panel picked up on this ever-prevalent theme, providing a platform for experienced in-house counsel to discuss their interaction with the world of third-party funding (TPF). Moderator Stephan Klebes, senior legal counsel at Deminor, emphasised the importance of bridging the gap between the funder and finance team and the legal team. He was joined on stage by Ulrich Kopetzki, acting director for Europe at the ICC, Bernard Reviczky, general counsel South-Eastern Europe region at Siemens Energy, Anna Katharina Radschek, senior legal counsel at Lincoln Electric, and Anne-Karin Grill, founder and principal of AKG ADVISORY. Looking at the increasingly sophisticated litigation funding market, the panel considered the benefits of having TPF as a tool in the company toolbox. The panellists concluded with the resounding agreement that it is essential to overcome
the hesitation around TPF: the best course of action for in-house counsel is to pick up the phone and call the funder.
Picking up the programme after coffee, Taylor Wessing partners Andreas Schütz and Philipp Zumbo took to the stage for the firm’s panel on navigating the threats, liabilities and potential risks within the cybersecurity space. Peter Lohberger, head of the legal department at Wiener Wohnen Hausbetreuung, discussed the importance of awareness of cybersecurity issues, and Carina Kloibhofer, head of AT data privacy security management at Erste Group Bank AG, provided expert opinions on ways in which companies can increase awareness – both within the organisation itself and beyond. Georg Jeitler, head of advisory at Grant Thornton Austria, looked at managing cyber incidents and preparing for the worst-case scenario.
Phillip Dubsky, partner at Herbst Kinsky, moderated the final session of the day, which considered mechanisms to bridge valuation gaps when pricing transactions. Christian Horvath, senior legal counsel at OMV Aktiengesellschaft, and Stefan Führer, acting general counsel at Eunomia, joined Dubsky on stage for what he dubbed the ‘artists panel’, with the panellists discussing creative ways to overcome these pricing discrepancies and practical strategies in-house counsel can use to save transactions.
Providing a forum for expert discussion and high-level debate, Legal 500 GC Summit: Austria 2025 equipped in-house counsel with key takeaways and practical strategies to implement in their practices in what continues to be a fast-paced and rapidly changing market.
