Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?  

When I joined the company as general counsel, I noticed that the legal department was operating without the use of digital tools, so I set out to identify suitable tools within the company’s existing suite of software to streamline the legal work without incurring in any costs. I discovered two tools that were already available and could be effectively implemented to enhance our legal team’s efficiency. By leveraging the available digital tools within the company’s software ecosystem, we were able to drive innovation within the legal department, improve efficiency and enhance collaboration without incurring expenses. These examples underscore the importance of exploring and adapting existing resources to meet the specific needs of a legal team. 

I found a document management system tool that had a great potential to significantly improve the way we managed contracts, communications with authorities and documents in general. We established two structured workflows to manage the lifecycle of contracts and communication with authorities. This also included creating templates for various contract types and standard communications. The tool also became our centralised repository for legal documents, making it easier to search for and share important files and reduced the risk of document loss or misplacement. 

I also found a project management and collaboration tool that could help us to address the issue of work requests coming into the legal department by emails, phone calls, texting and verbally. We created standardised request forms where internal stakeholders could submit legal work requests for contracts and for advisory. These forms allowed us to capture all the necessary details upfront, reducing the need for back-and-forth communication to gather additional information. It also enabled us to assign and distribute incoming requests within the legal team, set priorities and monitor the progress of each request from intake to completion. 

Can you foresee any key developments to the way general counsel work over the next five years?   

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) will indeed bring transformative changes to the way general counsel work. I foresee that general counsel will increasingly rely on AI in their daily work to access comprehensive legal databases, help interpreting evolving regulations, create and customise contracts using AI-driven templates reducing the time spent on routine contract drafting, using AI-driven virtual assistants that can answer common legal questions and provide preliminary legal advice, within other uses. I am confident that general counsel that embrace the use of AI will free up their routine tasks and enable them to focus on strategic legal advisory. 

What are some of the main trends impacting the industry sector you work in in Uruguay?   

The aviation industry is also witnessing rapid technological advancements that are significantly impacting airport operations and the passenger experience. Such as, for example, adoption of biometrics, virtual check-in, touchless kiosks, offering personalised services through mobile apps and optimising wayfinding within airport premises, among others. The aviation industry is also leveraging data analytics and IA to optimise operations, predict passenger flows, and enhance resource allocation.