Leaders League. Marketing and advertising law remain niche practice areas in the Brazilian legal market. What drew you to these fields of law?

Fernanda Magalhães. These areas are inherently related to Intellectual Property law, which has been my area of practice for the last 18 years. My professional path both in private practice and in-house provided me with the opportunity to manage a wide spectrum of legal issues related to global brands in a variety of business segments. Protecting brands and helping clients to build a strong portfolio requires a broader understanding of the legal issues impacting their businesses – from trademarks and patents to advertising law, consumer protection, licensing, ambush marketing, right of publicity, technology, data protection, etc.

What are the biggest challenges for intellectual property lawyers specialising in marketing and advertising law?

Expanding your transactional experience is key. Intellectual Property can serve as an incredible business tool to protect your client´s commercial territory. So, the broader your experiences in related areas of law, the more you can really serve as a business partner to your client.

What impact has technology had on your practice as a lawyer over recent years?

Quite a significant impact. Until a few years ago, we would provide support on technology-related issues primarily to our tech-industry clients. Nowadays, companies from every business segment seek our advice on technology, digital and data privacy issues. From retailers to infrastructure and oil & gas corporations to entertainment companies – technology is the common element to all businesses.

You recently attended the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas. What lessons did you learn during your time there?

It was a fantastic experience. I left even more certain that an instigating revolution is currently happening and impacting myriad business segments. If you are not focused on overhauling the way you interact with customers, then you have already missed the boat.

According to an article of yours in Meio & Mensagem, “Be more and more human” is a phrase you heard from every speaker at the event. What message they were they trying to deliver?

While Artificial Intelligence is truly here to change the way we do everything – work, shop, dine, study, travel, and even relate to one another – what will define whether are able to succeed in this new economy is your ability to use real human skills – your emotional intelligence, your social and leadership skills, your real understanding of customer needs. As one specialist said, “Study more sociology, philosophy, human sciences and you will be a lot more valuable to the market than if you simply know how to program.”

By: François Le Grand