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

At the beginning of my professional career, I worked in litigation, however, I always had the desire to work for a company, which I could advise using different areas of the law, that is when I decided to enter the area of corporate law as in-house counsel. Since then, I have had the privilege of working for international companies, which has given me the opportunity to participate in large projects and work alongside great leaders and people from other internal areas of the company, both in Mexico and worldwide. This has allowed me to have a broader vision of law and of what it means to be a corporate lawyer. In-house counsel today plays a key role within the organisation in decision making, which represents a great responsibility and commitment.

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

I oversee the development of legal strategies for addressing potential legal risks in mergers, acquisitions, or liquidations. Additionally, I monitor how changes in the law may affect the company and implement the necessary changes when required. I oversee the corporate secretarial services of all the company’s entities in Latin America and ensure that they comply with their obligations within their jurisdiction. Furthermore, I coordinate all litigation processes and negotiate all types of complex commercial agreements for the different businesses of the company.

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

One of the challenges I have faced has been to break the paradigm that the legal area is an obstacle to the achievement of the company’s objectives and, instead, to demonstrate to the organisation that the legal team is a key player. To achieve this, it has been important to offer legal advice focused on the needs of the business while still ensuring compliance with the applicable legislation.

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

I strive to keep abreast of the changing laws across the different jurisdictions of Latin America, and I look to maintain constant communication with colleagues from other jurisdictions outside the region to learn and share best practices on cutting-edge legal issues.