Karina Aliz Lanfranco, head of Legal at Peru-based drinks company CBC Peruana, discusses how in-house counsel can navigate risk and uncertainty during the current geopolitical climate, balancing the needs of their teams with knowing when to turn to external counsel
As a head of legal, what are you preparing for in 2026?
In-house counsel must prepare for a combination of regulatory complexity, geopolitical volatility and accelerated business transformation. The food and beverage industry, in particular, is facing increased scrutiny in areas such as consumer protection, competition, digital engagement and evolving regulatory frameworks. At the same time, companies are expanding across jurisdictions and adopting new business models, which requires legal teams to move from a reactive approach to a proactive and risk-based mindset.
What challenges are in-house counsel facing in such a volatile geopolitical climate?
One of the most important challenges will be managing uncertainty. In-house counsel must become more integrated into strategic decision-making, helping organisations anticipate change rather than simply responding to it. This includes monitoring regulatory developments across the region, understanding political and economic dynamics and strengthening enterprise risk management frameworks. The ability to translate legal risk into business language will be critical in ensuring that leadership teams can make informed and agile decisions.
How can GCs lead their organisations through times of such uncertainty?
Managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis is becoming a core responsibility for modern general counsel. My approach is based on three principles: alignment, speed and resilience.
Alignment means ensuring that the legal strategy is fully integrated with the business and that the legal team participates early in key decisions. This reduces the risk of fragmentation and enables more consistent responses across markets.
Speed is essential in today’s environment. During crises, legal teams must provide clear and practical guidance, prioritising what truly matters and empowering business leaders to act with confidence.
Finally, resilience requires strong governance, scenario planning and cross-functional collaboration, particularly with risk, compliance, communications and operations teams.
What factors influence your decision to use external legal services versus handling matters in-house?
Unlike traditional models in the consumer goods sector, where external counsel is often used reactively, I prioritise a co-creation and partnership approach. The in-house legal function is designed to be deeply embedded in the business, enabling us to lead on strategic, operational and culturally sensitive matters. This includes commercial innovation, regulatory strategy, and digital transformation, where proximity to the business creates significant competitive advantage.
External counsel is therefore engaged in a more targeted and strategic way. The key factors influencing this decision include regional complexity and scalability. Given CBC’s footprint in Latin America, we prioritise firms that can deliver consistent and coordinated advice across jurisdictions, rather than fragmented local support. This is critical for managing regulatory change, sustainability requirements and cross-border initiatives.
Second, innovation and transformation capability. We look for firms that go beyond technical expertise and actively contribute to business transformation, particularly in areas such as digitalisation, data governance, and emerging regulatory frameworks. This reflects our belief that the legal function must evolve at the same pace as the business.
Third, strategic risk and reputation management. We involve external advisors in high-impact scenarios such as competition, and complex stakeholder environments, where diverse perspectives strengthen decision-making and resilience.
Artificial intelligence (AI) can increase speed within legal teams. How can GCs successfully integrate AI, balancing efficiency and integrity?
AI has the potential to transform legal operations, improve efficiency and generate insights that support better decision-making. However, the challenge is not technological but cultural. General counsel must ensure that AI enhances human judgement rather than replacing it. This requires clear governance, ethical guidelines and continuous training.
In my view, the most successful legal teams will be those that combine technology with strong business acumen, critical thinking and emotional intelligence. While automation can improve efficiency, trust, credibility and leadership remain uniquely human. General counsel must therefore focus on developing teams that are adaptable, curious and comfortable navigating complexity.
Ultimately, the role of the in-house lawyer is evolving from legal advisor to strategic partner, risk leader and driver of organisational resilience. Those who embrace this transformation will not only protect their organisations, but also create sustainable competitive advantage in an increasingly uncertain world.
