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

After exploring roles as an in-house counsel and being part of a law firm, and as a result of some internal reflection, it was clear to me that I liked the in-house counsel role much better.  

This role provides very interesting challenges that a law firm attorney will not face due to the nature and scope of their positions, the most important ones being that an in-house counsel needs to know the company and the industry inside out in order to be an effective business partner; the in-house counsel may have experience in some legal areas of expertise but will become a generalist by solving issues they might not have much experience in; and they live with the impact and consequences of their decisions in the organisation, creating a high sense of ownership and accountability. These unique traits of an in-house counsel role are very exciting to me and have provided both the biggest challenges and the biggest satisfactions in my career.  

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

In my current role as Head of legal, IP and compliance of Covestro Mexico, I am responsible for handling all legal matters of the organisation in Mexico – sometimes with the help of outside counsel – and providing legal input. I am also responsible for handling compliance within the company, which means acting as compliance officer, investigating reports of possible violations, organising and presiding the compliance committee meetings that take place every three months, although it might meet anytime if the circumstances require so, and reporting to the regional general counsel of America and the global head of compliance. Finally, I also handle intellectual property matters.  

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

One challenge that comes to mind was getting settled and feeling comfortable in my new role, which included getting to know the employees at Covestro and making relationships with them including the local team and the legal and compliance teams based in Pittsburgh, USA and Leverkusen, Germany, respectively.  

In order to do this, I set four goals for myself: (i) through hard work, active listening, asking questions, taking decisions and providing solid legal and business advice, prove that I can be a good business partner and people can trust my recommendations and my decisions; (ii) take tours in the corporate office and the production plant, listen to people and take notes in order to act upon them afterwards if needed; (iii) provide compliance reminders and trainings, fostering a safe work space for all employees, and (iv) proactively report to my line (solid and dotted) managers when needed. This is an ongoing endeavour but has greatly paid off.  

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

I was part of the first generation of Baker Academy, a Baker & McKenzie México initiative consisting of a group of in-house counsel who gathered on each Wednesday of the first semester of 2023 to receive a quick legal update course taught by partners of the firm who specialize in different practice areas. This of course helped me refresh many concepts and learn new ones, as well as current trends and changes in laws. I have also enrolled in compliance courses to expand my knowledge and better serve Covestro in my role as compliance officer.