The Foro Gerencias Legales Ciudad de México 2026, held on September 3 and organized by Gericó Associates, brought together in Mexico City general counsel, legal directors, compliance experts, arbitration and litigation experts and partners from international firms to analyze the main challenges facing companies in Mexico and Latin America.
The meeting was sponsored by Von Wobeser, Akerman, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, Robalino, BIGLE, SMPS and Palomino, Flores, Hernández Rodríguez, and had the institutional support of the Arbitration Center of Mexico and the Mexican Bar Association.
Throughout the day, participants addressed issues such as constitutional reforms and their impact on the legal security of investments, the judicialization of ESG risks, the evolution of financial services and fintech, commercial and investment arbitration, new governance standards, and compliance and corporate resilience strategies in high-risk environments.
One of the main messages that emerged from the forum was the need for legal departments to evolve from a function focused on responding to risk towards a more anticipatory and strategic role, integrated into business decision-making.
Commercial and investment arbitration occupied one of the central spaces of the Forum, with special attention to Mexico’s role as a venue for the resolution of complex disputes.
Omar Guerrero, managing partner of Hogan Lovells Cadwalader for its Mexico office, focused on the strategic importance of choosing the arbitral venue, the technological evolution of arbitration, and the training of professionals involved in these proceedings: “Basically, it was about arbitration and arbitral venues; how the strength of arbitral institutions influences investment decisions. We explored different aspects, such as the influence that technology is having on arbitral proceedings; why Mexico continues to be a major arbitral venue; the importance of making that strategic decision; what happens during the proceedings; and the need to train our judiciary and maintain an ongoing dialogue with it. Above all, we must be very aware of the training that lawyers, arbitrators, and users of this instrument need, particularly in technological matters, to make our arbitration mechanism an even more effective tool.”
Along the same lines, Sylvia Sámano, Secretary General of the Arbitration Center of Mexico (CAM), highlighted Mexico’s experience and capacity to assume an increasingly relevant role in this field: “One of the main conclusions we reached is that arbitration is undoubtedly an ideal procedure for resolving disputes. We also emphasize that Mexico is an experienced and professional venue, fully qualified to be designated as a point of resolution for this type of conflict. In the area of investment arbitration, Mexico is also participating in treaties that could set a precedent for change in how disputes between investors and states are resolved.”
The evolution of the legal department towards a more strategic and business-oriented function was another of the cross-cutting messages of the meeting.
Roberto Dipinto, General Counsel / Head of Legal, Compliance, ESG & Quality at Grupo IPS, highlighted the existence of common challenges among companies in different sectors and the importance of integrating the legal department from the very beginning of business decisions: “The problems faced by legal departments are, in essence, very similar. We all need the legal department to be heard and recognized as part of the business group, and to participate in decision-making from day one, both when starting a new business and when a legal issue arises. Beyond the opportunity to interact with other professionals, the key takeaway is that we share common challenges and that, if we address them together, we can mitigate them. These kinds of meetings allow us to talk, exchange experiences, and then bring those conclusions back to our companies and our teams.”
Beyond the content, participants also highlighted the value of the event as a space for sharing experiences among legal departments and law firms. Daniel del Río, partner at SMPS Legal in Mexico, emphasized precisely the combination of perspectives that characterizes the Forum: “I find the format of this event very interesting, since all the panels include both in-house lawyers and lawyers from law firms, which generates valuable interaction between different points of view and allows for analyzing each topic from various perspectives. At the same time, the forum represents an excellent networking opportunity with companies with which one has not yet had contact or with which one has not previously had the opportunity to work.”
Marc Gericó, global managing partner of Gericó Associates, highlighted that the meeting underscores a transformation in the relationship between legal departments and their external advisors: “This Forum confirms that the relationship between General Counsel and their firms is entering a new phase. AI will enhance the internal capabilities of legal teams, but it will also raise the bar: firms will be chosen for their ability to anticipate risks, coordinate complex decisions, and provide sound business judgment under pressure. Trust will remain personal; the continuity of the relationship will depend on evidence of value.”
The meeting brought together perspectives from sectors such as technology, automotive, energy, financial services, industry, consumer goods, transport, logistics and professional services, highlighting the growing cross-cutting nature of the legal function and its connection to companies’ strategic decisions.
The meeting featured panelists including Alberto Córdoba, Partner at Von Wobeser y Sierra; Alejandra Gómez, Legal Manager and General Secretary of Oleoducto Central SA – OCENSA; Alfonso Muñoz, Partner at SMPS; Andrés Donoso, Partner at Robalino; Aram Natanael Pérez, Senior Legal Manager at Smart Fit; Camilo Vásquez, President of the Arbitration Committee of ICC Nueva León; Carlos M. Díaz, General Counsel of Grupo San Jacinto; Carlos Valenciano, Head of Legal CU Latam North & Caribbean at Ericsson; Christian Paredes , Field Compliance Officer at SAP México; Daniel Corominas, Legal Deputy Director of Nissan Motor Corporation; Edmundo Alcázar, Deputy Director of Intellectual Property/Advertising/Privacy at Walmart; and Eduardo Rodríguez , General Counsel of Grupo Cobra. Enrique Riquelme, Counsel at Von Wobeser y Sierra; Erika Díaz, General Counsel & Compliance Officer LATAM at L’Oréal; Flavio Castañeda, Legal & Public Affairs Director / Head of Security at J&T Express; Francisco Fuentes, General Counsel & Compliance Officer Mexico-US-Latam at Grupo Rotoplas; Francisco Pinilla, Vice President Legal, North LAC – Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean at Mastercard; Guillermo Larrea , Partner at Hogan Lovells; Jorge Martínez, In-house Counsel at Giesecke & Devrient; Juan Francisco Torres-Landa , Head of the Latin America Practice at Hogan Lovells; Luis Palomino , Partner at PFHR Abogados; Luis A. Perez, Chair, Latin America and the Caribbean Practice / Co-Office Managing Partner at Akerman; Marc Gericó, Global Managing Partner at Gericó Associates; Odeth Zepeda, General Counsel at Sizzling Platter de México SA de CV; Omar Guerrero, Managing Partner at Hogan Lovells Cadwalader; Orlando Cabrera, Senior Associate at Hogan Lovells Cadwalader; Oswaldo Arriaga, LATAM Legal Counsel at H&M; Óscar Salgado, Labor Law Manager at Smurfit Westrock; Patricia Rivas, Latin America Regional Director, Ethics and Compliance Officer at Bausch Health Companies Inc.; Rafael López , Regional Head of Legal and Compliance LATAM at Xiaomi Technology; Roberto Dipinto, General Counsel / Head of Legal, Compliance, ESG & Quality at Grupo IPS; Sandra Jiménez, Legal Manager at Sinohydro Corporation Limited, Peru Branch; Samantha Beltrán, Regulatory governance & control international-global payments services at Bank of America; Sylvia Sámano, Secretary General of the Arbitration Center of Mexico (CAM); and Thomas Herrera-Rambla Taylor, Head of Legal & Integrity at Hitachi Energy.
With this edition, Foro Gerencias Legales continues to consolidate meeting spaces for senior legal management in Latin America, connecting legal managers from large companies, law firms and specialized institutions to address the challenges that are transforming the legal function and its relationship with the business.
The Mexico City edition thus reinforces the Forum’s position as a meeting point to analyze, from a business and regional perspective, how organizations can anticipate risks, strengthen their resilience and make the legal function an increasingly integrated element in the corporate strategy.
