The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner is a first tier firm,

Marcelo Armas and Andrés Sanfuentes co-head the busy practice at Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner. The team undertakes the full range of finance and capital markets activity including project, guaranteed, and aircraft financings, along with syndicated loans and the placement of bonds and other securities both locally and abroad; the latter being a particular speciality. Armas recently acted for a syndicate of Japanese banks on a $1bn loan agreement for the copper and molybdenum Sierra Gorda mine project. Mining sector activity also saw the team assist various banks, led by The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, on the granting of a $1.1bn offshore credit to SCM Minera Lumina Copper Chile, and HSBC Securities in connection with Codelco's $1.15bn bond issue. The energy sector has been busy too, albeit on a slightly smaller scale: among other work the team advised a group of banks led by JPMorgan on a $500m bond issuance by Empresa Nacional del Petróleo (ENAP), and its placement in the United States market under Rule 144A/Reg. S. On the issuer side, it acted for electricity transmission company Transelec, on a $395m corporate bond issue on the local market. Other key clients include BNP Paribas, Banco Santander and Scotiabank.

Within Competition and antitrust, Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner is a third tier firm,

Despite the departure in 2010 of former practice-head Felipe Irarrázabal to lead the competition authority, Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner has maintained its standards in the sector. Irarrázabal's former lieutenant Ricardo Riesco has taken over as team leader and not only retained the firm's existing clients but also won a number of cases and secured instructions from new clients attracted by the practice's long-standing reputation in the area. In addition to being involved in a major cartel case, the team acted for major retailer Cencosud on a number of competition matters and, also advised Grupo Prisa.

Within Corporate and M&A, Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner is a first tier firm,

Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner's dedicated corporate practice has a wealth of experience in mergers and acquisitions across a broad range of sectors. The ‘very well prepared, experienced and business-savvy' team delivers ‘excellent service' to its clients, who appreciate the firm's capacity to advise on all areas of the law ‘without becoming something so big the client feels small'. Juan Francisco Gutiérrez, Andrés Sanfuentes and Juan Pablo Wilhelmy were instructed by Quiñenco on its $614m acquisition of the majority of Royal Dutch Shell's gas station business in Chile. The team also advised Quiñenco on its planned acquisition of Organización Terpel's assets for $295m. The ‘experienced' Federico Grebe, who wins plaudits for his ‘sound judgement, creativity and excellent negotiation skills', teamed up with Gutiérrez to advise fishing company Pesquera El Golfo on its merger with Pesquera Itata. The pair often work in tandem; they jointly advised: Cencosud on its acquisition of Chilean retail company Johnson's; Quiñenco on its $120m acquisition of a percentage of Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (a challenging and extremely swiftly completed deal that opened and closed in less than 24 hours); and Dreams Casinos on its acquisition of Plaza Casino. Another highlight included acting for Jumbo Retail Argentina (Cencosud's Argentine supermarket business), on the $442m sale to UBS of 38.6% of its shares held by a group of investment funds. The ‘fast, accurate and value-adding' Alberto Pulido advised Mitsubishi Corporation on its $65.25m acquisition of Salmones Humboldt from Pesquera Coloso.

Within Dispute resolution, Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner is a third tier firm,

The ‘very good team' at Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner is particularly focused on work for energy companies. ‘Top lawyer' and practice group head Enrique Alcalde is praised for his good judgement and understanding of his clients' needs. He represented five former members of the board of directors at leading energy company Enersis in a $50m refund claim filed against the Chilean Treasury. Alcalde and Fernando Barros advised electricity-generation business Pehuenche's board of directors in a dispute with the company's minority shareholders. Another highlight included acting for a former member of the board of directors of La Polar in a series of judicial procedures filed by the Chilean securities and insurance superintendency (SVS), the state prosecutor and minority shareholders. Other key clients include Iberdrola Energía, Antofagasta Minerals and main electricity-distribution company Chilectra.

Within Energy and natural resources: mining, Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner is a first tier firm,

The busy team at full-service firm Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner is comprised of two partners and six associates, including department head Juan Paulo Bambach and environmental specialist Juan José Eyzaguirre. A representative instruction saw the team advise Sumitomo Metal Mining on its acquisition of 45% of the Sierra Gorda project from Quadra FNX Mining. Bambach advised Chilean investment bank Larraín Vial on the creation of an exploration fund aimed at the discovery of all kind of metal mining prospects in Chile and on the organisation of a private equity fund for the bidding process to obtain financing by the Chilean production development corporation CORFO. The team is also advising: Australian company South American Iron & Steel on an exploration project for magnetite and titanium-rich sands in southern Chile; Minera Andes Iron on pre-feasibility study issues including port access, land acquisition, prospecting campaigns and other legal matters related to an iron-ore project; and Cuprum Resources on its acquisition of a copper project in Chile, and subsequent agreements concerning the the project's operation.

Within Energy and natural resources: oil and gas/power generation, Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner is a second tier firm,

Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner wins a flow of instructions from local and international energy companies, which department head Juan Paulo Bambach handles in conjunction with the firm's environmental expert Juan José Eyzaguirre. Highlights included acting for Spanish energy company Norvento on a joint venture agreement in connection with an wind-power generation project; advising Genera4 on the possible creation of the first non-conventional renewable energy fund in Chile; and acting for Patagonia Icefields on the development of a mineral water project in southern Chile. Other clients include Geotérminca del Norte, Posco E&C and South American Iron Steel.

Within Environment, Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner is a first tier firm,

Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner's long established environmental advisory practice focuses on energy projects in the mining, hydrocarbons and power generation sectors but also has a strong presence in litigation proceedings and supports the firm's prominent corporate department, particularly with transactional due diligence. The team continues to represent the Italian-Chilean consortium Geotérmica del Norte before the courts and the environmental authority following a 2009 well blow-out at its geothermal project El Tatio. It assisted Kinross Gold Corporation and Eolic Partners with their respective mining and wind farming projects, advised Methanex with the operation of its methanol plant in Punta Arenas, and acted for Hunt Energy on a potential joint venture with a company developing a hydroelectric project in southern Chile. The firm was also instructed by the European Southern Observatory for environmental legal assistance on ALMA, one of the largest ground-based astronomy projects of the next decade. Juan José Eyzaguirre heads the team of five.

Within Labour and employment , Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner is a first tier firm,

'Strong leader' Enrique Munita's labour department at Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner is ‘the best, hands down'. ‘Its long track-record in the market, its seriousness and the number of committed lawyers available for each matter' attracts a wide range of international clients from the banking, IT, telecom, pharmaceutical, mining, retail and automotive sectors. The practice handles the full range of labour and employment issues and gets a ‘10 out of 10 in all respects, with a special mention for its timely responses'. Munita is praised for his ‘deep and sound knowledge of human resources and labour matters and his special ability to capture the relevant aspect of any issue'. He advises on the labour aspects of transactions and in collective bargaining processes, as well as pension and benefits, all ‘without compromise for nuances or hidden traps'; he also represents clients in employment litigation. The firm's expertise is often sought in relation to amendments to the country's labour and employment legislation by trade associations and governmental authorities. It is the sole Chilean member of global network Ius Laboris.

Within Real estate, Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner is a first tier firm,

Appointed partner in 2011, José Tagle heads the growing department at Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner, which has been involved in a number of major real estate transactions in recent years. He is praised for his ‘experience and the variety of cases he is able to handle', and jointly with fellow partner Federico Grebe, he provides a comprehensive service to leading international and local clients including real estate developers, lenders, funds, retail companies and asset management firms. The six-lawyer team advised Deka Immobilien on its $200m acquisition of 55% of the Titanium building, the tallest in Chile, from Inmobiliaria Titanium. It is currently assisting real estate fund Las Americas AFI on its agreement with Accor for the development of Ibis Hotels in Chile, as well as advising Cencosud on the development and management contracts for two hotels at the Costanera Centre in Santiago. Another highlight was assisting Xerox on the restoration and leasing of its Chilean headquarters after the 2010 earthquake.

Within Tax, Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner is a second tier firm,

The highly reputed full service firm Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner grew considerably in 2011. Most significantly, from a tax perspective, was the incorporation of Patricio Silva-Riesco, who previously led the judicial enforcement and tax crime department at the Chilean Tax Authority, as the head of its tax litigation team, strengthening the group's ability to represent clients in judicial and administrative proceedings related to tax practice. Standout practitioners include team-head Mario Silva and the ‘very well known' Guillermo Infante, who comes highly recommended. The team regularly advises on domestic and international tax structuring of acquisition transactions and joint ventures. It recently assisted Sumitomo on the joint venture formed to develop the $724m Sierra Gorda project; advised Quiñenco on its $614m acquisition of Shell's assets in Chile; and acted for Scotiabank with the tax aspects of its acquisition of RBS Bank Chile. Other clients include Ford Motor Company, Coeur D'Alene Mines Corporation and Deka Immobilien.