Team size: Three

Looking forward, what technological advancements do you feel will impact the role of in-house legal teams in the future the most?

One of the most significant impacts will be IA-led databases for company-specific practices. Another introduction could be tools that allow us to deliver advice more graphically and visually. The greatest challenge of technical advantages will be for in-house lawyers to embrace innovations and treat them as allies rather than a burden. I believe that it will not be as challenging for younger counsel; however, older lawyers may be reluctant to use them, given that they built their experience without the need to rely on digital as much. There will never be a tool able to replace the responsibilities of our profession, nor the creativity it requires.

How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners?

A strong relationship with business partners is built upon transparency and loyalty (including challenging the views of the business partners) and by daring to express our opinions on legal matters; the latter is fundamental, considering that in-house lawyers have a robust experience in dealing with different issues in several fields; therefore, it is crucial to provide a broader perspective on corporate dynamics to give relevant and specialised advice. Responses to queries should be as close as possible to a binary answer – it is not only about simplification, but it is about making things clear, straightforward, and easy to understand.

What are the most significant cases or projects you have been involved in recently?

In 2019, Telefónica crafted a new strategy based on our four pillars – closer focus on our critical operations in Spain, Germany, the UK, and Brazil; the launch of Telefónica Tech; the creation of Telefónica Infra, and finally, the Hispam assets spin-off. I had a crucial role in driving legal activities concerning the design of Telefónica Tech and Infra. I also led the complex spin-off of the group’s cybersecurity, IoT, cloud, big data business, assets, and capacities in Spain, Brazil, the UK, Germany, and six Hispam countries. Together with my team, we executed carve-outs with an enterprise value of €500m and revenue of €1bn. That took place during Covid-19, and we had to go through several practical difficulties. I am currently head of legal for Telefónica Infra, which aims to add value to Telefónica’s infrastructure, taking advantage of the current market investment appetite through structures open to third-party involvement. Deals so far have been focused on the acceleration of ultra-broadband deployments in the geographical areas in which Telefónica operates – I participated in the project leading to our co-controlling investments in Brazil and Germany; and a non-controlling investment in Spain with Asterion, the biggest in Europe, which has recently raised €15bn.