A luxury lawyer
Jaime López de Villareal, global head of legal at Loewe, looks back on his career and how he built the legal department of the Spanish luxury empire from scratch
by julia gil
Loewe’s first in-house lawyer in almost 180 years of history. This is how Jaime López de Villareal, global head of legal at the firm since 2017, defines himself. His incorporation was a turning point for the Spanish luxury firm of the LVMH group, which until then did not have an in-house legal department. “With a change in management, the need arose to create an in-house legal department from within”, he explains.
FROM LAW FIRMS TO LUXURY
With a degree in Law and Business Administration from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, he began his professional career in law firms such as PwC and Ventura Garces & Lopez-Ibor, a boutique firm specializing in clients in the luxury sector. That previous experience proved decisive for his jump to the firm. “I was already working with brands from the LVMH group. They knew my way of doing things, and that’s what led them to offer me the position”, he recalls. For him, leaving the firm and taking on an in-house position was a natural step. “At first, I was a little dizzy, but it was the right decision. I’m lucky to be able to say that my work is most stimulating”.
From his legal headquarters in Madrid―a rarity within LVMH, where most firms are managed from Paris―he leads a team of five, as well as coordinating an international network covering New York, Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris and Hong Kong. “In those key markets we have a pool of lawyers that we share with other brands in the group, who report directly to me. And when there is no in-house legal presence, we collaborate with law firms”.
TOWARDS A STRATEGIC ROLE
In recent years, Loewe’s growth has brought with it increasing legal complexity. New markets, diverse regulations, complex commercial structures and an expanding workforce. “There is not a day that is like the day before”, he comments humorously. “But the important thing is that the legal department has managed to become a business partner”.
One of his main objectives was precisely to change the perception of the legal function within the company. “We use very little of the ‘this can’t be done’. You have to look for an imaginative, parallel solution that reduces risk but at the same time serves the business”. That ability to adapt is, for him, one of the keys to success as an in-house lawyer at one of Spain’s oldest luxury firms. “What differentiates a good legal team from an extraordinary one is the ability to anticipate events”, he says.
THE MILITARY SERVICE IN AN OFFICE: A SCHOOL OF DETAIL
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