Litigation and Dispute Resolution
Dispute resolution has been the firm's core practice since 1975. We devise the strategy and handle court and arbitration cases of any size and nature, before ordinary and specialized courts and arbitral tribunals, including international arbitration.
We also lead complex negotiations: many disputes with high financial or reputational stakes are better resolved out of court, with a well-prepared case in reserve.
Lawyers in this area Juan Carlos Espina Gutiérrez, Alejandro Espina Gutiérrez, Pablo Guerrero Ponce, Jorge Ríos Espíndola, Juan José Espina Ross, María Ignacia Espina Lausen, Valentina Guerrero Klocker, Nicolás Barros Pérez, Ximena Contreras Marín, Juan Enrique Vargas Martín
Corporate Law and Outside General Counsel
We advise on domestic and international transactions: due diligence, mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs and takeovers, as well as corporate governance and the drafting and negotiation of commercial contracts.
For many companies we act as their outside general counsel: ongoing advice that coordinates all their legal affairs, from corporate structure to daily operations, including start-ups.
Lawyers in this area Juan Carlos Espina Gutiérrez, Pablo Guerrero Ponce, Patricio Novoa Madsen, Rodrigo Monsalve Sandoval, Evelyn Ross Hahn, Germán Bravo Rodríguez, Valentina Opazo Marín, Ximena Contreras Marín
Real Estate and Construction
We support complete real estate projects: land purchase, title examination, structuring, construction contracts, sales and after-sales, in residential, commercial and industrial developments.
We defend the first seller and other responsible parties, in and out of court, in claims governed by Chile's General Law of Urban Planning and Construction.
- Real estate counsel: contract drafting and review, title examination.
- Building and land-use permits; proceedings before the municipal works authority.
- Land subdivisions, lot splits and plot mergers.
- Property administration and management.
- Real estate litigation: construction defects and damages claims.
Lawyers in this area Jorge Ríos Espíndola, Ricardo Ayala Bosch, Valentina Guerrero Klocker, Juan Enrique Vargas Martín
Labor Law
We advise employers across the entire employment cycle: contracts, compensation structures, internal regulations, terminations, subcontracting and the labor aspects of mergers and acquisitions.
We conduct collective bargaining and defend companies in employment litigation, in industries as different as retail, mining, logistics and services.
We also handle employment-related immigration: bringing foreign staff and executives into the Chilean labor regime.
- Employment, social security and corporate counsel to employers.
- Preventive labor audits and employment due diligence.
- Outsourcing and subcontracting structures.
- Defense in unfair dismissal, fundamental rights and workplace accident claims.
- Immigration law for foreign staff and executives.
Lawyers in this area Luis Arias Arriagada, Juan José Espina Ross, Valentina Opazo Marín, Ximena Contreras Marín
Tax Law
We advise on tax planning and compliance for companies and individuals, in Chile and in cross-border transactions, including the taxation of inheritances and family wealth.
We represent taxpayers in audits by Chile's tax authority (SII) and in litigation before the Tax and Customs Courts.
- Tax compliance and legal opinions.
- Tax consequences of domestic and cross-border transactions.
- Tax effects of mergers, acquisitions and spin-offs.
- Reorganizations and project restructurings.
Lawyers in this area Juan José Espina Ross, Germán Bravo Rodríguez
Insolvency and Reorganization
We act in insolvency proceedings under Chile's Insolvency and Re-entrepreneurship Law, representing both debtors seeking to reorganize and creditors needing to recover their claims.
We sit on creditors' committees, advise liquidators and trustees, and have taken part in complex proceedings, some with cross-border effects.
- Reorganization agreements and corporate restructurings.
- Clawback actions and cross-border insolvencies.
- Assistance to liquidators, trustees and receivers.
- Criminal and employment aspects of insolvency.
Lawyers in this area Alejandro Espina Gutiérrez, María Ignacia Espina Lausen, Nicolás Barros Pérez
Administrative and Regulatory Law
We represent companies and individuals before ministries, regulators, municipalities and the Comptroller General of the Republic: permits, appeals, enforcement proceedings and administrative litigation.
The area includes the environmental and water practice: environmental assessment of projects, water rights and dealings with the General Water Directorate and the environmental authority.
- Complex authorizations and administrative proceedings.
- Public tenders and government procurement.
- Defense of companies, individuals and officials before public agencies and courts.
Lawyers in this area Pablo Guerrero Ponce, Ricardo Ayala Bosch, Oscar Recabarren Santibáñez
Industrial Property
We protect trademarks, patents and other intangible assets: registration before Chile's National Institute of Industrial Property (INAPI), trademark watch, oppositions and litigation in Chile and, through correspondents, abroad.
- Preventive analysis and registration of trademarks, utility models and appellations of origin.
- Trademark licensing and franchising.
- Copyright protection and enforcement.
Lawyers in this area Valentina Guerrero Klocker
Family Businesses and Family Office
We advise business families on the governance of their companies and wealth: family charters, corporate structures, bringing in the next generation and succession planning.
We also advise high-net-worth families and their investment advisors (multi family offices), and counsel directors and senior executives on corporate governance.
Lawyers in this area Patricio Novoa Madsen
Retail and Financial Services
We advise companies that sell to final consumers on compliance with Chile's consumer law: adhesion contracts, promotions, warranties and the relationship with Sernac, including voluntary collective proceedings and litigation.
The firm has worked for years with owners, developers and operators in the sector: structuring, financing, development and operation of their businesses, in Chile and with foreign partners.
Lawyers in this area Rodrigo Monsalve Sandoval
Banking and Finance
We advise on financings and their security packages, issuances and banking products, drawing on experience from the bank's side of the table: our partner in this area served as chief legal counsel of international banks in Chile for three decades.
We work with Chilean and international banks and with their group companies: brokerages, fund managers and insurers.
Lawyers in this area Evelyn Ross Hahn
