What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

The main function of our legal team is to monitor development of regulations in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Overseeing execution of different government initiatives in the financial and public procurement sectors, we provide compliance training to our subsidiaries and employees. For instance, liaising with the philanthropy team, our team implemented a program devised to provide digital skills training to populations adversely affected by the pandemic – the Regional Government of Cajamarca.

How do you feel the pandemic has changed the world of work for in-house counsel and the function of the general counsel?

Having utilised technology tools, our team adapted to the remote work over the pandemic. It was extremely challenging at first since we had to operate 100 percent remote without prior preparation during the unprecedented lockdown. For example, we supported our colleagues in Peru for their public procurement contract execution during the lockdown by gathering all the necessary documents, preparing the docket, researching legal requirements on formalities in Peru. This experience of working fully remote allowed in-house counsel to ‘think digital’ – inventing new process and structure by taking advantage of digital tools and environments.

What are some of the key developments – legal, geopolitical or otherwise – that have affected your business over the past year?

The pandemic and the following lockdowns have been the events that mostly significantly affected our business over the past year. Hybrid working has been normalised, meaning that in-person meetings are not required unless it is more effective to do so for the nature of business.

Looking forward, what technological advancements do you feel will impact the role of in-house legal teams in the future the most?

Transforming the business with the digital solutions will enhance the scope of in-house legal practice. Team collaboration tools and platforms will allow a seamless hybrid interaction within teams and in-between different departments. By establishing appropriate data security controls and policies, in-house legal functions will accelerate efficiency of their legal and business practice using document sharing software and document processing artificial intelligence.