We recently had the chance to interview Carlos Domínguez, co-president of the Latin American Regional Forum (LARF) of the International Bar Association (IBA) with regard to the experience of leading that forum. Today we talked to Jaime Carey,  managing partner at Carey in Chile and current president of the Legal Practice Division (LPD) in the IBA. We talked about the globalization of the profession as a consequence of Latin American development during our century and the boom of Law schools.

Both encounters take place in the context of the conference  “Mergers and Acquisitions in Latin America: New opportunities in a changing scenario,” which begins today, March 15, in Buenos Aires.

Reaching the presidency of the Legal Practice Division (LPD) of the IBA is a challenge not every professional can achieve. What were the goals you set for yourself to reach this point?

I have assisted the IBA during more than 30 years, and I have held several posts. Among them, I was one of the founders of the LARF, and actually presided over it. I became very involved with the Corporate and M&A Law Committee , and I also reached the Presidency. I then went on to become a member of the LPD, and after 4 years I was asked to serve as Assistant Treasurer , which marked the beginning of my career in the division. In other words, that was the natural continuity of the career, going from treasurer to vice-president, and now president.

The LPD groups together a representation of international legal counselling of a very high level. This ought to set some demands for the president. What are they?

Indeed, the LPD comprises the most important lawyers of the various specialties and jurisdictions. It is paramount to keep a high quality in every conference organised, primarily those specialized, in order to maintain a high standard within the association. One of the most relevant goals is to have the various committees be able to develop projects that are an international contribution to the various specialties.

Do you foresee developing some special program or project during your presidency?

As I have said before, I would love to be able to increase the number of projects that the different committees develop. To these ends, we wish to implement greater financing for them, and grant assistance from professionals. We want the different committees to be able to lean on the development of these new projects. We mustn’t forget that this association comprises individuals that contribute in a voluntary manner. Therefore, being able to support a given project with financial and human resources can be a fantastic way to push for a greater size and number of projects.

What is your opinion on the positioning of Latin American legal counselling in the global context?

In general, Latin American legal counselling has experienced quite the significant enhancement in terms of quality. Every time we see that more members of the various Latin American firms have done post-graduate studies in Europe, the US and Asia. Given we are living in the age of Latin American development, Latin American firms have also had to oversee projects and transactions that are much more sophisticated than ever before. Plus, the globalization of the profession has accounted for a greater integration of firms in the region with the rest of the world. It is worth underscoring that the human factor of these firms differentiates them a lot from other models. We see that non-Latin American counsels seem surprised by the degree of friendship and camaraderie you feel in Latin American conferences of the IBA.

As a Chilean lawyer and managing partner of one of the main law firms in the country, what is your opinion about the impact that the arrival of regional and international firms has had on the Chilean market?

I believe it is a phenomenon we will see growing, and that it will have an impact on Latin American markets, but also elsewhere. Just as in the rest of the world, there will always be space of international and local or regional firms. We have to get used to the way the world is taking, observe where the legal profession is headed, and adapt to the current trends.

The traditional Chilean legal market has endured several changes over the past few years, and there is quite a number of boutique firms that have appeared as of late. What is your assessment on this change?

This is a natural change in all markets. Especially in Chile, the proliferation of law schools in many of the newer universities resulted in an exponential growth in the number of lawyers and this explains, to some extent, the proliferation if firms. This does not differ from what is happening worldwide, and is also the result of huge legislative changes over time, which require a greater specialization from lawyers. Law used to be more enclosed, there were more generalists among lawyers. Nowadays we require a greater degree of specialization, in practically every area of law.

Although the presence of women practicing law in Latin America is significantly high. their positioning as partners and in managerial positions within Latin American firms is very low. Why?

In general, women tend to leave their careers in law firms and seek other alternatives they deem more compatible with their family life. Regardless of the fact that law firms may have in place labour flexibility programs and other mechanisms to help women in their professional development, in Chile there is a tendency among women to not follow the law-firm-partner-life model.

What percentage of your time will it take you to fulfil all the duties and responsibilities inherent to this post? How do you balance it with the responsibilities of the firm’s managing partner?

In general, I devote between 30% and 40% of the time to my post in the IBA. With communications nowadays and the possibility of being permanently connected, I manage to  reconcile both responsibilities quite well.

Do you have time left for some specific hobby?

Not much, really, but I do play golf every time I have the chance.