Meet Gustavo Giay, New Chair of Our Board of Directors

At the Annual Partners’ Meeting held on December 9, 2025, the partners of Marval O’Farrell Mairal appointed Gustavo Giay as the new Chairman of the Firm’s Management Committee.

Gustavo graduated from the University of Buenos Aires Law School and holds postgraduate qualifications from Northwestern University in Chicago, United States. He joined Marval in 1995 and has been a partner since 2003. He currently co-heads the Firm's Trademarks, Technology, & IP, and Telecommunications, Media & Technology (TMT) practices.

Known for his innovative mindset and entrepreneurial spirit, Gustavo is recognized both in Argentina and internationally. He has extensive experience leading teams and has driven the Firm’s innovation initiatives in recent years. Under his leadership, Marval has consolidated its position as a leader in delivering legal services related to technology. He previously served as a member of the Executive Committee and of the Management Committee.

His appointment comes at a time of significant transformation within the legal profession. This strategic and timely decision reflects Marval’s intent to embrace change, bring a renewed perspective, and strengthen its leadership in an increasingly challenging environment. With this move, Marval reaffirms its commitment to innovation, professional excellence, and responsiveness to evolving market demands.

This marks the sixth leadership transition in the history of Marval O’Farrell Mairal, which reflects the Firm’s institutional strength. Today, Marval has 68 partners, 313 lawyers, and over 600 staff members.

 

How did you get to this position as the new chairman of the Firm's Board of Directors?

I joined Marval 30 years ago, young, freshly out of school, enthusiastic, and eager to train in a challenging environment. I was extremely fortunate to find not only great professionals, but true mentors, partners, and colleagues who guided me with generosity, high standards, and the example.

I began my career in industrial property. From the start, I dedicated myself to the protection of intangible assets. I have had and continue to have the privilege of advising and working with leading multinational companies, accompanying them in their businesses and in the protection of their assets in Argentina for 25 years.

Thanks to the trust I received from the Firm and our culture, deeply open to innovation, during my role as a partner I had the opportunity to lead the development of four practice areas that did not previously exist in the Firm. One of them, Technology, was particularly transformative, as it allowed me to connect directly with innovation, understand the technological revolution we are experiencing from the inside, and lead initiatives at the Firm that kept us one step ahead. All of this shaped me and prepared me to deal with change on an ongoing basis.

I then took on internal responsibilities, serving as a member of the Executive Committee and as a member of the Board of Directors.  This allowed me to gain first-hand knowledge of the Firm's management issues and the dynamics between partners. And, finally, my partners chose me to serve as chairman of the Board for five years. It has been a very rewarding journey.
 

What does being a lawyer mean to you?

I am convinced that the profession we practice is not an end in itself but a means to serve: to serve our clients, to serve our teams, to serve society. To do as much good as possible for as many people as possible. That principle has guided me from day one.

What do you think are the challenges and opportunities ahead for our profession?

It is very likely that in the next five years there will be much more radical changes than those we have seen in the last 20 or 30 years. The challenge is to continue preparing ourselves as we have been doing for a future that we do not yet exactly know what it will look like, but that will certainly be different.

Technology and artificial intelligence are undoubtedly having a significant impact. There is a new language in which the future of law is being written, and those who do not speak it fluently will be left out of the conversation. As lawyers, we have to anticipate the disruptions caused by technology and translate them into agile, ethical, and strategic legal solutions. This is a challenge, but at the same time, it represents a huge opportunity to evolve and stand out. In this context, collaboration will be of the highest value, as it will be the only sustainable strategy in the face of the growing complexity of the legal, regulatory, and technological environments.

Furthermore, in an increasingly automated world, the trait that will distinguish us will be the ability to genuinely connect with others through empathy, active listening, respect, and trust. It is this human connection that will make us truly indispensable, as we move towards a practice of law where sensitivity and humanity will be as valuable as knowledge.

On the other hand, legal excellence is complemented by a new requirement, which is to interpret the law through business logic, so that the legal solution arises from a deep understanding of the environment in which the client operates. Therefore, the lawyers of the future—and of the present—will be those capable of combining technical precision with commercial sensitivity, agility with depth, and structure with flexibility.

To meet these challenges, we must have technically-outstanding professionals who are also able to build relational capital, understand the business, and contribute to the generation of work. This requires continuing to work to make our workplace attractive, with concrete development opportunities for our professionals.
 

What do you think are Marval's most important cultural values?

First, the constant pursuit of excellence, which is in our Firm's DNA. Second, our commitment to diversity, which stems from our conviction that difference adds value, enriches, and elevates the quality of the service we provide. And third, ethics in professional practice, since, in a context where everything is constantly changing, ethics remain a fixed point: they are the foundation that sustains trust, credibility, and true professional prestige.