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

For me being a lawyer is having access form an early stage in your carrier to many disciplines that have as ultimate mission to seek and procure the wellbeing of individuals. Having access and learning about subjects that vary from politics, diplomacy, human rights, environmental, among others, made me want to pick a path in which I can be a part of a collective effort that include helping others as one of their goals. A reputable company is a good place to find this while accomplishing any personal professional goals. In a company, a lawyer can help designing processes and strategies that hopefully contribute to society in finding a general social wellbeing. Companies are an important part of society and now more than ever, companies need to contribute and participate in making the world a better place for everybody. In a complex society such as the one we live in right now is key for companies to operate and act always having in mind the human aspect of the business and act as ethically as possible with respect to everyone even also with the environment trying for such end, to have the best team possible; a team which includes conscious lawyers.   

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

My main daily tasks and responsibilities include providing professional, efficient and ethical legal advice to all areas of the company, including advice in subjects such as antitrust, M&A, copyright, marketing, procurement, finance, among others, trying to cover all their legal needs and concerns without losing sight on the requirements and concerns of the parties situated on the other side of the table so as to keep a fair non-interrupted negotiating process to the extent possible. Also, staying vigilant on the correct applicability of the law in the daily activities of the company. Certain needs and interactions are obviously more complicated than others, but the idea I like to use as north star during my work is to learn something every day and try to share with others what you know so that you can leave them better than they were when they asked you for advice in the first place.      

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

Without a doubt one of the main challenges has been being a business partner and accompanying the business in carrying out its activities, by finding ways to implement projects even when there are potential risks in doing so. For this, having an “out of the box” mentality is critical, as well as it is always staying vigilant of legal compliance. 

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

The steps I have taken is to: a) try to keep my mind always open to learning; b) in addition to knowing the law, try to have a good and sound legal criteria to solve matters efficiently and with a broad view of all factors involved, including the point of view of the client seeking advice so as to better satisfy their needs and concerns; and c) stay abreast of new legal trends, legislation, and relevant new topics such as e-commerce, AI, among others.