Robes, Money and Poison

Partner Enrique Gómez-Pinzón sat down with Latin Lawyer for a roundtable discussion on how Colombia's war on corruption is changing the legal landscape. Mr. Gómez-Pinzón discussed how Colombians are feeling more optimistic about the country's future now that multiple corruption investigations are currently ongoing.

"We have a generation of people in high positions now who have the courage to address these issues," Mr. Gómez-Pinzón says. "Change is going to be slow, but everybody supports it."

In the past, clients asked for compliance due diligence work on the side, but as Colombia works to stamp out graft, companies are asking for more compliance advice which creates new challenges for law firms that do not have white collar defense and compliance practices in-house.

"We used to see local companies in Colombia not getting worried until the Department of Justice and SEC got involved," Mr. Gómez-Pinzón explains. "Nowadays, because of local enforcement and a little bit of conscience, people are really trying to put their pieces in order."

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