Analucía Carrillo Marroquín de Estrada, Partner, Carrillo & Asociados
How long have you been working for your current company?
I have been working at Carrillo & Asociados since 1984.
Briefly explain your career history and what led you to your current position.
I joined the firm as a legal assistant and subsequently graduated as an attorney at law and notary public in 1992 from the School of Law, Francisco Marroquin University, Guatemala.
Over the years, I have acquired a lot of experience in real estate transactional matters involving both commercial and residential property, and in the intellectual property arena. I have represented and counseled clients in the acquisition, development, leasing and sales of real property, and my IP practice includes a full range of services through the whole trademark life cycle, including trademark prosecution, client counseling and trademark clearance. I have also developed expertise in trademark infringement, opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Office.
I have served a broad base of international clients in the consumer products, pharmaceutical and scientific sectors in matters involving unfair competition, false advertising litigation and trademark prosecution. I have assisted many international clients in protecting their IP rights under Guatemalan law, including trademarks, patents, design patents, industrial designs and service trademarks. I also have experience in negotiating and drafting settlement and license agreements on behalf of clients.
More recently, the firm Carrillo & Asociados has appointed me leader of its Intellectual Property Practice Group and partner in the Firm.
What is your proudest professional achievement and why?
My proudest professional achievement was to be named Intellectual Property Practice Group leader and partner in one the most important firms in Guatemala.
What are the greatest challenges that you face in your current role and what do you do to overcome them?
The greatest challenge that I face in my current role is to be a mentor to younger professionals in our Intellectual Property Group. I always try to review matters of law, discuss legal issue with them and together develop a solution. This format enhances their ability to question their lines of thinking and review their own legal work.
How difficult is it for you personally to attain work-life balance and how do you endeavour to do this?
I won’t say it’s not challenging to take care of my family and to provide the highest quality of legal service. I have found that the best way to attain work-life balance is to work a flexible schedule that allows one to give priority to the family while, through successful time management, always still giving the best of yourself to your work. That is the key to providing the level of quality legal services that our firm provides.
Did you have a mentor or role model in your career or while you were studying law? Who were they and how did they help you?
My role model and mentor is my father, Alfonso Carrillo Castillo. He was the founding partner of Carrillo & Asociados. He was President of Guatemala’s Supreme Court of Justice (1999-2004), and President of the Guatemalan Institute of Notarial Law (1997-1999). My father always models an exemplary and honorablecareer through his meticulous attention to the duties of law and citizenship.
My brother Alfonso Carrillo Marroquin is also my mentor; he is a founding partner of the firm and a tireless worker.
My father supported me in my career and both of them gave me their professional advice and shared with me their passion for their work.
How effective do you think corporate diversity initiatives are? What methods do you think are most effective and why?
I think that the most effective corporate diversity initiative is to give the same opportunity to everyone, regardless of gender.
At our firm, all lawyers who exhibit the same qualities of ethical behavior and the same high standards of legal practice and the same degree of specialty expertise - who revel in their legal career and work - have the same opportunity to prosper and develop at our firm. There is no difference between women and men. In fact, more than 50% of our associate attorneys today are women.
Our firm supports its female professionals by providing them the same advancement opportunities and the same chance to participate in the firm’s Career Development Plan.
Were there any points in your career when you felt you were at a disadvantage or at an advantage because you were female?
No.
What do you think have been the most significant changes for women in the legal industry over the past five years?
The most significant change in the legal industry in Guatemala is that more younger women are studying the law and, as a consequence, more women have advanced to leading legal roles as judges, magistrates and presidents of the Supreme Court.