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

Some of the biggest purposes of a lawyer are to advise and help people, to know the legislation and regulations, and to find the best and most practical solution. I understood that companies are important players in the world, supporting the economy and finally supporting people. Through a company you can have the opportunity to be part of something big, to help and care for people in a massive way. Working as an in-house counsel is not only giving your knowledge and advice, but also caring for the interests of the company, and at the same time thinking of the well-being of people, consumers, users, the environment, etc. Finding this balance between doing business and implementing sustainable practices is my biggest motivation as an in-house counsel.  

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

In a Company, your tasks often depend on the project or the business that the company runs at the time. The most common responsibility is legal advice in all the areas of the company; providing guidelines in areas such as labour, intellectual property, compliance, commercial, marketing, privacy, etc. On my day-to-day, I review, draft, and negotiate any legal document (contracts, amendments, letters of intent, etc.) with clients, partners, third parties, and suppliers. I also do risk assessment and management regarding specific projects. In all my tasks, I am responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.  

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

In my opinion, one of the challenges as an in-house counsel is to become a part of the business, on some occasions your internal users or clients see you as a hindrance, and for this reason, they prefer to involve you only in the final stage. This is a big challenge because at that point the team disregards legal issues and regulations, and the risks, if they want to implement the project, could be high. Also, timing at this stage is the main enemy, and as a result, this situation could seem like lawyer´s foul. As a lawyer, you need to have the initiative to continually reach out to the business to establish open communication channels and become a business partner. It is key to show interest and give legal advice and your input at the beginning of the project, to make the team feel you are part of their team and not another isolated area.  

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

As I mentioned in my last question, open communication channels, empathising with the business needs, being a legal business partner, knowing the business (not only the legal rules) to understand the problem, and finding practical solutions are some steps that I took to develop and expand my legal skills. Likewise, managing acceptable risks is another step that has helped me to enhance my legal skills because it allows me to see beyond the legal perspective; I can see the real issue, always taking into consideration the applicable rules, legislation, and ethical principles.