Uruguay 2024
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Adscripta a la gerencia in Banca Mayorista | Banco Itaú Uruguay
Chief compliance officer | Puente Corredor de Bolsa
Legal coordinator of financial alliances and resource mobilisation | CAF – Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina y el Caribe
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
Gerente de Legales, Compliance y Asuntos Regulatorios | GDN UY
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
Head of legal, sustainability and corporate affairs | Softys Uruguay
Legal, risk and compliance director | Securitas Uruguay
General counsel and contract manager - compliance officer | CIEMSA
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
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...
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
Director of institutional relations and regulation | Telefonica Uruguay
Director of legal affairs | Perficient Latin America
Legal manager | Compañía Forestal Uruguaya (COFUSA and Urufor)
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
The recent news that elite US firm Sullivan & Cromwell had apologised to a judge over AI hallucinations in a court filing prompted a collective wince from the legal profession.
But while some lawyers remain wary of AI, others are striking a more open-minded note, and at the LexisNexis AI Forum hosted this Wednesday (20 May) by Legal 500 and Legal Business, panelists argued that the risks are far outweighed by the opportunities.
Barbara Zapisetskaya, principal technology counsel at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, made the case that hallucinations and other potential pitfalls can be overcome with a shift in mindset.
‘What makes a difference,’ she said, ‘is empowering your lawyers to take responsibility for AI output – helping them become active AI operators, not just passive AI users. You have agency to decide whether you agree with the output or not.’
Zapisetskaya was among a line-up of leading in-house figures speaking on two panels, which covered everything from practical steps for AI implementation to the key decisions GCs need to be making in the coming months.
Financial Times general counsel Dan Guilford began by stressing the importance of building the right culture for AI adoption. In addition to proactively upskilling himself, Guilford talked about how he had implemented a voluntary weekly ‘show and tell’ meeting for team members to share successful use cases – or an exercise that became a gratifying measure of progress.
Other panelists discussed how increased in-house productivity is altering the dynamic with their external counsel.
While some see the use of AI by law firms as a precursor for reduced fees, Russell Davies, head of global operations for legal and compliance at Dentsu, said that faster results – however they are delivered – are something to be valued.
GSK assistant general counsel Anthony Kenny agreed, saying that while there was an expectation that external counsel would be utilising AI, the focus should be on the value of the output, rather than an overemphasis on identifying AI use as a justification to reduce fees.
Speaking on the second panel, MUFG EMEA general counsel James Morgan stressed the critical importance of education, noting that educating the C-suite on the advantages and risks of AI is just as important as enabling large in-house teams to use these tools.
Shanthini Satyendra, vice-chair of the AI Committee, Society for Computers & Law, CEO and founder of Manisain, offered a reminder of the importance of making the connection between tasks and the purpose behind them, extolling the virtues of identifying use cases for AI that can solve a meaningful problem.
Zapisetskaya concurred, adding that one of the most important tasks for GCs across the next six to twelve months is to create AI playbooks and templates, noting that ‘it is easy for lawyers to see problems – much harder for lawyers to see opportunities.’
There was also broad agreement among panellists that GCs should focus on upskilling their junior lawyers on AI, rather than – as some may expect – cutting back their workforce. As Satyendra summarised: ‘Some people are replacing human capital with AI without thinking about what’s required to make AI work. Retain your people and train them up.’
The panels were moderated by Emma Millington, head of the UK Lexis+ Finance Group, and LexisNexis director of segment management Stuart Greenhill.
