In 2019, Dr. Paredes shared a CLARITY Analysis of Guatemala’s General Law of Cooperatives (Decree 82-78) and consequently trained and worked with Guatemala’s cooperative leaders between 2020 and 2021 to prioritize reform issues and develop reform proposals for these leaders.

Subsequently, the reform proposals were submitted for consideration before the Guatemalan Congress’ Commission on Cooperativism and NGOs and is currently under review.

In addition to serving as a Magistrate Judge in the Chamber of the Court of Appeals of the Judiciary of Guatemala, Dr. Paredes is also a professor of Law at the University of San Carlos de Guatemala and has collaborated as a lecturer at the Da Vinci University of Guatemala; and, as a thesis advisor and examiner at the above-mentioned Universities; as well as at the Mariano Galvez University of Guatemala and Rafael Landivar University. She has been a consultant in cooperative law for the Economic and Social Council of Guatemala, the National Council of Women Cooperators and the Guatemalan Confederation of Cooperative Federations, R.L.; and Cooperatives of the Americas (ICA Americas) where she served as a member of the Commission for Cooperative Legislation of the Americas. She previously served the Guatemalan cooperative community as Deputy Inspector General of Cooperatives of the General Inspectorate of Cooperatives (INGECOP) and as Head of its Legal Department. She has published numerous articles and papers on cooperative law in general, taxation, and the supervision of cooperatives.

Dr. Paredes holds a Doctorate in Law from the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, a Doctorate in Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure from the Universidad Da Vinci and has completed her Doctorate studies in Constitutional Law from the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala. She obtained a master’s degree in Constitutional Law from the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala and a bachelor’s degree in Juridical and Social Sciences from the Universidad Mariano Gálvez.

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