Team size: Four

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

I truly believe that it is during periods of instability or crisis when we can develop our best aptitudes and improve our creativity. Being out of our comfort zone will always put us on the express highway to success. Having said this, I think the best approach in these circumstances is to firstly, define the top priorities for the company, especially all matters related to the company’s cash flow; its protection is key, at least in the construction business. Secondly, double-check the most critical obligations to be fulfilled by the company and ensure they can still be met. If not, execute all that is necessary to renegotiate such obligations; and finally, be optimistic, no matter what.

In our case, the legal strategy is closely aligned with the business strategy targeted by our organisation. Our main concern is to clearly define the key risks to which the company is exposed during crises and be able to anticipate them or act swiftly to remedy or address any contingency the company may already have. For instance, a good example of actions during instability or crises is the results of our organisation in 2023, registering positive profits for the first time after six years.

What emerging technologies do you see as having the most significant impact on the legal profession in the near future, and how do you stay updated on these developments?

Artificial intelligence (AI) software, no doubt, is having a huge impact all over the world, and the legal profession is not an exception. Currently, these software programs can execute legal research in just seconds and synthesise large amounts of legal texts in minutes or even seconds, making our tasks easier and helping us to optimise time management. This allows us to be more productive and efficient, allowing us to use this time in other activities where our presence is required.

In your opinion, what are the main trends that are salient in your country currently?

In the local legal market, some years ago, international legal alliances began to grow, resulting in mergers among local and international law firms. This expansion broadened the scope of legal services and allowed these firms to provide their services in many countries within the region. This reduces the costs of these services which benefits all companies with a presence in the Latam region.

However, I still believe that knowledge of cultural nuances is key to engaging clients who are not familiar with the insights of the local market. Therefore, future efforts to expand the scope of these mergers should consider this issue by including local experts.