We get the opportunity to speak to Chief Litigation Officer Leticia Piloto-Rodriguez, who reveals her secret to how she maintains her AV Preeminent® Rating. Providing in-house counsel to two upcoming companies: HotelPlanner and Meetings.com, Leticia speaks about the issues she deals with on a daily basis and how to avoid tarnishing relationships during money disputes.
As corporate counsel, what are your day to day tasks and what challenges do they pose?
I manage any legal need the company requires from transactional to litigation. On a daily basis, I manage the collections department and oversee the team, implementing policy and procedure to streamline the collections process. If the team has exhausted all of its efforts, I step in and negotiate with the hotels directly in an effort to avoid litigation. The challenge is the blessing, in that we are a global company managing millions of dollars of accounts and we’re growing by the day.
What legal financial issues do you deal with? How do you overcome situations where a company owes you money without tarnishing the professional relationship?
I’m responsible for pursuing any monies that are owed to the company. Each account is handled on a case-by-case basis and the relationship between our company and our various hotel partners is a factor in how we ultimately resolve the financial dispute. In every situation, we make every effort to make negotiations fair and positive in the spirit of rebuilding the partnership once the dispute has been settled.
As Thought Leader, can you give some insight to how you have worked your way up the legal sector, in order to gain AV Preeminent® Rating?
I have the good fortune of surrounding myself with an amazing team that allows me to be successful and excel in my profession. We all work hard, we are supportive, and we are honest. The leadership team supports my efforts to achieve the AV Preeminent Rating.
Your company deals with a lot of businesses and must maintain many professional relationships – what can go wrong in these situations and how do you avoid them?
Transparency is key in maintaining a positive, strong, and long-lasting professional relationship.
What challenges do you face when dealing with disputes involving money? Situations can become more heated when there are large amounts of money involved – how do you keep this under control?
The challenge is legitimising the debt owed to our company. Our team focuses on facts for each disputed item. We educate the hotels on the value of our services and, ultimately, they recognize our company for the force it is within the industry.
Is there anything special you must consider when liaising and dealing with renowned organisations?
We value the partnerships we’ve built throughout the years. We honour our commitment of providing a high-level of customer service. These partnerships are very important to us and our goal is always to preserve the relationship.
