Team size: 15

Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?

As a 12-year experience lawyer at one of Mexico’s most important law firms, joining an Investment Fund has been a real challenge. The differences between being an external counsel and an in-house lawyer in a fund are very noticeable and significant. The most important of them is to understand the different visions between a business where the most important thing is client service and how legal documents are prepared and negotiated and another one where you have to maximise returns to investors and make business decisions that, as a lawyer, you are not used to.

However, despite being different topics, my experience in the law firm has benefited my incorporation into the fund. Since arriving at the investment fund, I have brought much knowledge from my experience in a law firm. As a result, different tools have been implemented in the investment fund, making my work and the rest of the team more efficient.

Such is the case of the document filing and backup system, where we implemented a standardised way of filing documents that allows us to (i) have a complete file where it is easy to identify the documents of each of the transactions entered into within the fund; (ii) identify documents previously prepared for use in matters of a similar nature; and (iii) keep precise control of the deadlines, obligations and other aspects of the fund. Although it may seem that the filing and backup work is not the most relevant for lawyers, it is of vital importance to have identified all the documents executed, as well as the obligations agreed upon in each one of them, to achieve control of the company and make their time more efficient.

On the other hand, this tool of vital importance in my work does not generate a tremendous economic cost but rather implies constant work, which consists of how the documents are kept, the identification of all the obligations of the companies of the group to facilitate their compliance in the future and in general to carry out our work in an orderly manner. Also, although this work may seem simple, the truth is that it has not been. This work requires a lot of collaboration from the entire team, and a standardisation that has been a real challenge daily.

Can you foresee any key developments to the way general counsel work over the next five years?

Sure. Undeniably, the world is moving towards a new reality where new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, will reach all professions and levels. Also, every day we live in a more competitive world that requires us to learn and be better every day.

In the coming years, competition at all levels will intensify, and excelling in our professions, including lawyers, will be increasingly difficult. The market will not be limited to hiring lawyers with experience in legal matters but will require more complete professionals with a greater hunger to excel.

Therefore, we must take advantage of the tools available to us in the coming years, as they will allow us to expand our knowledge and achieve results that seemed impossible a few years ago.

What are some of the main trends impacting the industry sector you work in in Mexico?

Within the fund, we have many lines of business. However, my functions are limited to the industrial sector. It is in the industrial sector where the most changes and impulses within the real estate sector in Mexico have been perceived. Mexico has always been characterised as a country where great industrial work is done; however, due to the changes in the world, this work has benefited and has grown by leaps and bounds.

Without a doubt, nearshoring is the aspect that has benefited the industrial sector in Mexico the most, and it is expected that in the coming years, it will continue to develop and continue to benefit the Mexican market to a great extent.

On the other hand, the economic factors in the United States and other parts of the world have created an interest and a great appetite of different international investors to invest in the Mexican market, which offers significant advantages that not all countries have.

How would you assess the impact of new technologies on the legal landscape in Mexico, and what measures would you propose to leverage these technologies while ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations?

The arrival of new technologies in the professional world will undoubtedly change how we work today. It is undeniable to believe that new technologies, specifically artificial intelligence, will touch all aspects of our daily lives, including the way we perform our work.

However, taking this significant change and challenge with great responsibility and awareness is essential. We cannot let ourselves be carried away by a world where we put our entire trust in new technologies, which should not be used as tools to replace employees with technologies but as a tool to help us in how we work.

The new technologies are an excellent challenge for all companies worldwide, which must assess how they will be implemented within their schemes and organizational charts. They are also a great challenge for all individuals in the world, who must learn to incorporate them into our daily lives and establish the necessary limits so that they do not take over our work but that we appropriate them to fulfil more efficiently what we do.