How important is choosing to work with external lawyers who align with your company’s values? Are you likely to reconsider what firms you work with based on this?

Yes, absolutely. The service proposal of an external firm, especially for lawyers, should be composed of various aspects, only one of them with their ‘technical’ knowledge on the matter. An external lawyer may be as knowledgeable as possible. Still, if the firm is not aligned with the company’s values and objectives, whether objectives within a specific deal or objectives from a mission/vision point of view, they bring no added value to the table. For example, in an M&A Transaction, if the company wants to close the deal, and the lawyers can identify any red flags in the documents but don’t understand the technicalities of the industry or its lawyers are coming as too aggressive in a moment where the company is looking to back up and advance, then the firm is not your fit, simply because there is no alignment with what the company is pursuing.

As we live in a fast-paced world today, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

In-house lawyers have shifted from backstage assistants to leading role players in the past years, especially in the post-coronavirus era. Companies need experts of rapid response, aligned to the flexibility, efficiency and dynamism required to respond to crises that shake the status quo and keep up with an ever-evolving world. In times of constant change, companies either respond rapidly and wisely or are doomed to failure. The same standard applies to in-house legal teams: If we are not ready to act at the pace and with the wit and creativity demanded by external and internal factors, we no longer serve the company’s purpose.

The added value that in-house lawyers bring has become increasingly evident in the past years, especially because companies now understand that the perspective and knowledge that an in-house team contributes is not replaceable by an external firm’s criteria. In-house lawyers, whatever their position within the group, must be able to assess all matters from a macro perspective (“seeing things from above”), hence the importance of hiring lawyers with multidisciplinary backgrounds, such as economy, finance, or business administration. A lawyer who doesn’t understand and is not sensible about the needs and objectives of the company is not a good fit. The evolution and maturity of an in-house lawyer are heavily related to their ability to adapt to changes, to have a practical standpoint (especially when assessing risks and determining contingencies), to lead a deal to a conclusion that suits the best interests of the company, to understand the industry where it operates- not just from a legal perspective- to wisely choose its external advisors, to be capable to transform problems into solutions and to be able to provide feedback and criteria with a strategic view. Only lawyers who can translate their knowledge and set of skills into solutions that a) best suit the interests of the company, b) Add value, c) can be monetised (from the company’s perspective) can become an invaluable asset. Not to forget that only lawyers who are team players can meet such objectives.

If existent, can you talk about you or your company’s efforts relating to renewability, sustainability or other environmentally friendly activities?

I luckily work for a company committed to actively contributing to the transformation of the energy matrix in Ecuador and the Latam region. We firmly believe in heavily investing in renewable energy projects such as small hydropower plants and solar ventures, not only because we think the world needs to migrate to renewable energy solutions slowly but because it is financially sustainable. An environmentally friendly solution is only pursuable if it is sustainable from every perspective. A renewable energy platform’s ability to expand and grow is directly linked to the sensibility of its proposal to the needs and projections of the market from every point of view.