Surveys

Conducting due diligence is a common first step for any company looking to hire or partner with a new business, but research by LACCA suggests that more and more GCs are applying the same standards to their external counsel and conducting intensive checks on law firms before hiring them to spot any potential risks or red flags.

More companies implement diversity policies concerning gender and disability than policies addressing ethnicity or race, according to LACCA's research. Christina McKeon Frutuoso speaks to local GCs to find out what’s holding some companies back from addressing the issue of race in the workplace and how corporate counsel can play an important role. 

Whether a company is facing a major M&A, the threat of a class action lawsuit or simply carrying out its day-to-day business, legal expenses can be almost impossible to predict. LACCA takes a look at some of the top tips from regional GCs on how to master legal spend management.

While the left-wing governments of Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela represent the remaining vestiges of Latin America’s pink tide, LACCA’s research reveals that all three countries present a very varied landscape for the region’s biggest businesses and create very different challenges for local firms.

With the seemingly endless selection of legal technology tools available today, deciding on the right solution for your legal department can be fraught with difficulties. LACCA puts together some invaluable tips for GCs looking to implement the right technology to support their business.

LACCA’s research reveals that female in-house lawyers across Latin America continue to receive lower average wages than men, particularly in higher positions, with the gap even more pronounced in male-dominated industries.

Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela may have governments with populist traits and similar reputations as challenging jurisdictions to do business, but LACCA’s research shows the outlook for companies operating in each country varies greatly.

While each business may have unique software requirements, deciding whether to develop tailored solutions in-house or buy off-the-shelf packages is often a common dilemma for legal departments around the world. In the second article of LACCA’s Technology Survey, Alison O’Connell takes a look at the pros and cons of each.  

Investing in legal software takes time and money, and asking the right questions before choosing a programme is key to gaining the most from technology tools. LACCA’s first Technology Survey, drawing on readers’ responses to a detailed online questionnaire, reveals the most popular software used by counsel in the region, and looks at what factors help legal departments pick their tools.

Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela may not be the easiest Latin American countries in which to do business, but they remain important markets for many of the region’s biggest companies.

In the final instalment of LACCA’s annual Salary Survey, we take a look at how political and economic turmoil in countries across the region is impacting salaries in various sectors across the region.

Lawyers seeking a better work/life balance have traditionally looked to in-house positions, but are shorter hours always a guarantee of higher employee satisfaction? LACCA takes a deeper look into the results of its Salary Survey 2015 and finds out that a fulfilling in-house role is about much more than spending more time out of the office.

While having no domestic companies among the region’s Top 100, LACCA’s research shows law firms from Uruguay and Paraguay remain an essential asset for major international companies.

While Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela may be challenging environments for corporate law firms in Latin America, LACCA’s research shows large international companies retain a presence there – hiring top firms as they do so.

What are the essential extras which companies need to include in their salary packages for in-house counsel in Latin America? Part of the Salary Survey series.

The Venezuelan economy is tied to the fortunes of the petroleum and manufacturing industries.