Team Size: 15

What has been the number one challenge that has impacted you over the past year?

It has become a daily challenge to manage the expectations of a nationwide operation in the post-Covid world. For in-house lawyers, this world is full of budgetary and technological constraints, resources are primarily allocated to the core of the business, and so “doing more with less” became a vital axiom. It is exhausting, intense, but rewarding when results are achieved despite circumstances. The legal team has also changed. Hybrid work is here to stay, and it is necessary for us all to adapt, including the legal operators in government who still prefer paperwork and physical presence.

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

I believe that the use of artificial intelligence to analyse information, predict trends or solve cases based on precedent will be revolutionary for current and future legal teams. Cybercrime and personal data protection issues also pose unprecedented challenges where ethical and regulatory issues continue to arise, making it an imperative duty to stay constantly updated on the rules, which are diverse and complex in each country.

What is a cause, business related or otherwise, that you care about, and why? 

Our business conglomerate falls into two types of industries. In consumer products, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the financial margins of the past. Therefore, it is necessary to complement the offer with products or services that generate added value for the consumer and differentiate us from the rest of the industry. I believe this is a time of trial and error. No one has the perfect recipe and that can lead to contingencies. The in-house legal team must remain closely involved, more than ever, in the development of these circumstances to prevent contingencies and anticipate reputational issues.

As for the financial industry, the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop credit products can create loopholes, so we must remain vigilant and make corrections, especially as this is a regulated industry where the processes are sometimes more important than the results themselves.

Finally, but not less important, we are exposed to cyber criminals due to the value of the data we handle.