First, can you please give us an idea of the sort of work your team has done recently?

I act as the in-house general counsel of Grupo Saceem, which is the leader and most important construction group in Uruguay. The Saceem group has successfully executed over 1,700 contracts, and its annual revenue exceeds US$210m. The team has over 2,000 employees and operates in Perú, Paraguay, Chile.

In Uruguay, I have participated in the largest infrastructure and project finance projects developed in the country, for example:

The designing, construction, financing, rehabilitation, and maintenance of 272 kilometers of railway from Paso de los Toros to Montevideo; several contracts for UPM projects, involving a 2.1m tonne greenfield eucalyptus pulp mill near Raso de los Toros; the designing, financing, construction, and operational leasing of an extra high voltage power station.

In Peru,I was actively involved and assisted on the negotiation of a contrato NEC – Project: Defensas Ribereñas Rios La Leche y Motupe.

What can law firms do to improve their service to the legal department?
Law firms are fundamental partners in the development of projects, as they have the capacity and experience to collaborate with in-house lawyers and advise companies on projects of great magnitude.