Can you tell us about your journey to becoming an in-house counsel? What inspired you to pursue a career in this field?

Since I was little, I remember how much I loved traveling the world with my family, learning about other cultures, hearing other languages was inspiring, and seeing new places and their architecture. I guess since then I knew, somehow, I wanted to be in contact with people from other countries daily. This sparked my interest in working for a global company, as an in-house counsel, focused on international affairs that would allow me to understand diverse ways of working and learn the best of each culture I was exposed too. 

Another primary reason is that I consider myself a “solution-oriented” person, confrontation is not in my vocabulary as I truly believe that it is not necessary if you implement the correct measures and steps to avoid any issues that may arise. That is the job of a corporate in-house legal counsel, to try to mitigate the risks as much as possible and if it is not 100% possible, to negotiate a good solution without entering conflict or litigation that could represent great losses for the company.

In your role as an in-house counsel, what are the main responsibilities and tasks you handle on a day-to-day basis? 

My current role at HERE Technologies as AMER senior legal counsel is quite dynamic and I love it as it presents a new challenge every day. I am currently responsible for general matters in the LATAM region, providing advice to different areas such as Sourcing, HR, Compliance, Sales, and Accounting.  

Moreover, I provide support to various teams within the AMERICAS Region, including the Sourcing teams (I.T. Team, Data Acquisition Team, and more), as well as overseeing responsibilities related to Real Estate. Additionally, I lead and manage three segments within the AMER Sales Team: Partners, Virtual Sales, and LATAM.

What are some of the key challenges you have faced as a rising star in-house counsel, and how have you overcome them? 

Alignment in global processes since the needs are not always the same in all countries. Sometimes some adjustments are required due to local regulations or even due to the current situation of a specific country. In this case, the easiest way to address this issue is through an amendment that specifies which part of the overall process will not be applicable for a given jurisdiction or will be replaced by another provision.

Another challenge would be different time zones, working with people from all over the world is an amazing and unique opportunity, but it has its challenges. For example, having meetings quite early in the morning at 5 am or even late at night at 11 pm. When I am on a project that requires this effort from my team, I try to find a balance between my schedule and that of my colleagues to be respectful of their time and to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

What steps have you taken to enhance your professional development and expand your legal skill set?

Stay updated, study the relevant changes that may impact the business you are involved in, in my case for example an important topic is Artificial Intelligence and its implications concerning intellectual property, be eager and do some research to be able to create your own criteria. 

Be and stay humble, always be open to learning new things, engage in constant training and most importantly listen to your colleagues no matter what position or role they have, you will be surprised how much you can learn from them if you are willing to do so.