Melissa Saucedo – Legal Advisor and Legal Designer
Melissa Saucedo is a legal advisor, legal designer, and entrepreneur with a background in banking and business, based in Panama City, who truly believes that access to justice and legal services should be more flexible, collaborative, client-focused, and more technology-enabled.
After spending 15 years in the corporate and investment banking industry, working for several local and multinational banks such as Citi and HSBC, Ms. Saucedo became a highly experienced lawyer on syndicated loans, project finance, consumer and corporate banking products, legal risk and compliance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate law including a wide experience on Panamanian corporations and foundations
Ms. Saucedo knows very well the Panamanian market, rich in opportunities for both local and international entrepreneurs, strong expat community, thriving startup ecosystem, and a top choice for businesses who wish to expand their presence in Latin America.
One of Ms. Saucedo major skill is her ability to empathize with her customer’s needs and objectives, understanding that the practice of law is undergoing a fundamental transformation and that the design of the future law must address these changing influences, and align with a re-engineering of how the legal industry is, and how it will be.
Her work, over time, has given customers a sense of novelty and creativeness regarding legal services. For Ms. Saucedo, it is very important to create touchpoints with the clients based on trust, by delivering innovative solutions to their daily situations and keep them engaged with the creative process to work as a team.
Ms. Saucedo is a member of the National Bar Association (CNA), admitted to practice law in Panama, and is committed to pro bono activities. She serves as an active member of different NGOs such as the Panamanian Association of Law and New Technologies (APANDETEC), providing a legal assessment on several national projects, and is an active member of the Latin-American Alliance for Legal Innovation (ALIL). Melissa is also a public speaker and article writer.