Adscripta a la gerencia in Banca Mayorista | Banco Itaú Uruguay
Chief compliance officer | Puente Corredor de Bolsa
General counsel and contract manager - compliance officer | CIEMSA
Legal coordinator of financial alliances and resource mobilisation | CAF – Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina y el Caribe
Head of legal, compliance and public policy lead - Uruguay, Bolivia & Paraguay | Roche International
Bruno Bertolotti is head of legal and compliance, and leads the policy team at Roche for Uruguay, Bolivia and Paraguay. He has over 13 years of experience working in the...
Legal director and insitutional relations | Corporación América
Deputy general counsel | Corporación América Airports
Legal and compliance manager of Uruguayan operation | CBC INTL (Grupo Mariposa)
Senior Counsel (lead counsel/legal manager for Paraguay) - Chief Compliance Officer | Peninsula Investments Group
Abogada principal y coordinadora dirección de asuntos legales de tesorería y pasivos | CAF – Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina y el Caribe
Cecilia’s professional practice has focused on corporate, contractual, banking, and financial markets areas. She has advised various national, international, and multilateral companies on matters related to the capital markets, including...
Gerente de Legales, Compliance y Asuntos Regulatorios | GDN UY
General counsel | Peninsula Investments Group
Gaston is the general counsel of Peninsula Investments Group. He has over 14 years of experience, earned his L.L.M. from Columbia University (New York) and his J.D. from the Universidad...
Legal and contract management manager | Consorcio Constructor Ferrocarril Central
Corporate Vice-President Legal, Compliance, Operational Risk, and Information Technology | SURA Asset Management
Senior Legal Counsel/ Security Services Iberoamerica | Securitas Uruguay
Corporate lawyer | Winterbotham Fiduciaria Administradora de Fondos de Inversion
Director of institutional relations and regulation | Telefonica Uruguay
Director of legal affairs | Perficient Latin America
Head of legal, sustainability and corporate affairs | Softys Uruguay
Legal manager | Compañía Forestal Uruguaya (COFUSA and Urufor)
Head of legal, risk and compliance | Securitas Uruguay
I am thrilled to present, on behalf of The Legal 500, the latest edition of the GC Powerlist: Uruguay. This eagerly awaited publication celebrates the exceptional achievements of the nation’s leading in-house lawyers.
This edition showcases the significant impact of in-house counsel on businesses in Uruguay, emphasising their expertise, leadership, and unwavering dedication to excellence. This year’s edition celebrates their remarkable achievements and inventive strategies as they navigate an ever more intricate and demanding landscape.
Readers will find detailed profiles and exclusive interviews with the most esteemed and influential in-house lawyers from diverse industries in Uruguay. These professionals exhibit remarkable expertise in shaping legal strategy, managing risks, and delivering strategic guidance to their organisations. Their accomplishments not only serve as an inspiration to the legal community but also highlight the crucial role in-house lawyers play in driving their companies’ business strategies and overall success.
Our research focused on highlighting the pivotal role of legal departments in safeguarding their organisations against instability and crises. As José Juan Gari Schauricht, Director of Legal, Risk, and Compliance at Aiva, notes, “I view crises as opportunities for organisational growth. For legal, compliance, and risk management teams, they represent moments to shine in environments where other departments, such as sales, often take the spotlight. To excel, it is crucial to align with the company’s overarching strategy and senior management. Understanding business objectives allows us to identify potential risks before they arise and to regularly develop and update crisis scenarios. Furthermore, outlining possible issues and integrating action plans within the organisation’s overall crisis management strategy is imperative. During a crisis, teamwork and communication—both internal and external—are essential, alongside ensuring compliance and collaboration across teams. Strong leadership skills, in conjunction with legal expertise, are crucial for maintaining stability.”
Our findings also emphasise the ongoing need for enhanced risk assessment and management, as well as improved communication with other departments to build organisational resilience. Carolina Rodríguez Zunino, Deputy General Counsel at Corporación América Airports, aptly describes the situation: “The legal landscape can shift rapidly during crises, often due to significant changes in legislation or the introduction of urgent regulations. I prioritise flexibility in our legal strategies and continuously map the situation in the countries where we operate, evaluating how our peers are responding […] It is also crucial to share as much information as possible with our team and colleagues in other areas, as well as to clarify the rationale behind significant decisions or those affecting the team or the company. Ultimately, collaborating closely with management ensures our legal approaches align with the company’s objectives, contributing to resilience and long-term success.”
Within this publication, readers will find exclusive content addressing various pertinent topics and challenges faced by Uruguay-based in-house lawyers and their teams. Through their experiences and insights, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the legal landscape in Uruguay, highlighting the indispensable role played by in-house legal teams.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the featured in-house lawyers for their invaluable contributions and for generously sharing their professional journeys with us. We are proud to present this distinguished list, showcasing Uruguay’s most outstanding, dedicated, and celebrated in-house lawyers.
Sara Maggi| Deputy Editor – The Legal 500 GC Powerlist Series
On Thursday 20th March, Legal 500 returned to Frankfurt for the 2025 edition of the GC Summit: Germany. The event brought together some of the leading legal minds in the country for an afternoon of engaging panel discussions and interactive sessions. The agenda spanned a range of topics, current in today’s dynamic market and tailored to in-house counsel.
Vanessa Westphal, Head of legal services group at Merck, opened the programme with a keynote speech, in which she touched upon the importance of embracing uncertainty. In a market where the ways in which in-house counsel operate is rapidly changing, from the resources available to transactions themselves, Westphal advised how the legal industry can strengthen both its legal and non-legal ‘backbone’: in-house teams should focus not only on legal prowess, but also improve cultural and management expertise to ensure smooth operations across the organisation.
The first panel of the day, sponsored by Seitz, discussed the crucial role that labour law can play in times of crisis. Dr. Kathrin Bürger and Dr. Stephan Pötters of Seitz were joined on stage by Prof. Dr. Marlene Schmidt, partner at Apitzsch Schmidt Klebe Rechtsanwälte, Ralph Wangemann, managing director of human resources and labour director at Opel Automobile, Dr. Tom Gellrich, partner and managing director at AlixPartners, and Olaf Möllenkamp, chairman, Conciliation boards. In light of the election process in Germany, the panel discussed the ever-relevant topic of labour law and examined how the current environment does not make for a classic crisis: various different factors, from digitalisation to ESG aspects, come together to create a complex type of crisis that requires a more nuanced approach to labour regulations.
Ashurst took to the stage for the second panel, considering the influence that environmental, social and governance (ESG) measures and artificial intelligence (AI) can have on joint ventures. Dr. Alexander Duisberg, Marina Arntzen and Dr. Stephan Hennrich, partners at the firm, discussed the hot topic with Maler James, head of the centre of competence for strategic business units and finance at compliance at Volkswagen, Philip Nicolai, general counsel commercial and technology at Schaeffler Group, and Thilo M. Tern, managing partner at Silvester Group. The experts analysed how these elements can be utilised to make joint ventures successful and more sustainable – and ultimately act as dealbreakers or dealmakers.
Following a short break for coffee and networking, experts returned to the stage to discuss how to navigate today’s challenging M&A market. Dr. Christian Traichel and Dr Marco Hartmann-Rüppel, partners at Taylor Wessing, were joined on stage for the firm’s panel by
Carsten Burger, managing director at DC Advisory, Viktor Strauch, partner at Borromin, and Alexander Deicke of Körber. The panel considered how to manage transactions, taking into account risk, uncertainty and regulation.
The final panel of the day brought fresh perspectives on the age-old question: to litigate or to arbitrate? Nicole Boehler, Director of legal operations Europe at Autoliv, engaged in lively debate with Horst Daniel and Dr. Eveli Lume of Squire Patton Boggs, weighing up the pros and cons of litigation and arbitration. The panellists discussed factors such as bias, confidentiality, costs and recoverability. The interactive panel saw plenty of involvement from the audience, with questions from attendees touching on international mediation and third-party funding.
In a true show of the relevance and significance of the panel topics, delegates continued their animated conversations and debates over final networking drinks.
On behalf of Legal 500, we extend our gratitude to our expert panellists, sponsors, and all attendees for coming together for such a productive, engaging and successful event.
