"The ability to evolve and adapt is crucial not only for my practice but for anyone entering the legal field. Be open. Don’t rest on your laurels; keep learning and growing, as the world is ever-changing."
Back to profilesMy parents are from Peru and moved to Washington, DC to attend college. Although they intended to return to Peru following their studies, due to persistent security issues at home, they decided to stay and make a life here in the US.
Growing up in DC with Peruvian parents gave me a window into two very different cultures. I often travelled to Peru and, given that it is a developing country with limited power and infrastructure assets throughout the country, I was able to see first-hand and at a young age, just how different my life in DC was from that of my Peruvian relatives. I decided to find a profession in an international field, where I could use my language skills and, where possible, work with clients with a development mandate.
In my particular practice, the Energy & Projects Team in our Washington, DC office, I regularly advise commercial banks, multilateral organizations, and export credit agencies in all aspects relating to the development and financing of energy and infrastructure projects worldwide, with a particular emphasis in Latin America. There is a never a dull moment, and no two days are alike!
How energy and infrastructure projects were financed 10-15 years ago has also changed dramatically due to evolving Basel banking requirements, institutional investors and investment banks coming into this space, and governments changing the way PPP programs are financed.
The ability to evolve and adapt is crucial not only for my practice but for anyone entering the legal field. Be open. Don’t rest on your laurels; keep learning and growing, as the world is ever-changing. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes either (we all do); the key is to learn from those mistakes and do it better the next time.
When I first joined Clifford Chance, I was amazed by how enthusiastic my colleagues were to teach and share their knowledge and experience. This commitment is engrained in our culture: as a firm the Clifford Chance Academy is an incredible platform for learning, advancing and keeping abreast of new issues arising in banking and finance, for example. One of my favorite quotes is this one from Winston Churchill: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." To me, this perfectly encapsulates what it means to be a successful practicing lawyer.
