Ramón Valdivieso > CMS Carey & Allende > Santiago, Chile > Lawyer Profile

Fielding ‘an outstanding team for corporate and M&A work’, CMS Carey & Allende‘s 19-strong practice is regularly involved in significant domestic and international M&A transactions. The group specialises in first-of-its-kind deals, including unsolicited tender offers and international expansion plans (via acquisitions); additionally, it is particularly well known for its expertise in the energy sector. The Santiago office also houses specialists in financial services, manufacturing, IT, telecoms, infrastructure and utilities, along with real estate, construction, life sciences, and hospitality and leisure. The practice is co-led by managing partner and M&A expert Ramón Valdivieso; and Jorge Allende D, who ‘undoubtedly stands out for his strategic vision‘. Other highly-regarded partners include Luis Felipe Arze, an adviser to multinationals, corporations, start-ups, entrepreneurs and investors regarding M&A matters; and Fernando De Cárcer, whose broad practice takes in M&A work. At senior associate level, Sebastian Barros ‘provides an impeccable service‘ and Enrique Vergara is experienced in M&A, corporate law and reorganisations.

Acting on a wide range of IT and telecoms work, CMS Carey & Allende‘s seven-strong TMT practice covers the Chilean regulatory aspects of global telecoms trends, such as passive and active infrastructure deployment, small cells, 5G, and distributed antenna systems. The ‘knowledgeable, available and versatile‘ team also assists with the procurement of licences and concessions for public telecoms services and infrastructure services; compliance with telecoms regulation; and the structuring of complex IT solutions and integration services for the payments sector. TMT-related M&A deals and fintech are other notable areas. Managing partner and former general manager for telecoms company Telex Chile, Ramón Valdivieso, is a highly-rated telecoms and IT specialist; Ignacio Errazquin advises on both traditional telecom services and telecoms infrastructure; and Diego Rodríguez is experienced in complex outsourcing contracts and Software as a service (SaaS) agreements.

CMS has a deep commitment to Latin America through its multiple offices in the region; it has local offices in Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru, along with an office of international lawyers in Brazil. It augmented this with a cooperation agreement with Brazilian law firm FAS Advogados, in cooperation with CMS in 2023. The Latin America team continues to make an impression in private equity investments and exits, along with energy and infrastructure transactions; oil and gas, renewables and the digital environment are key fortes for the team. The group frequently works alongside some of the top law firms on Wall Street and across the US. Jorge Allende Destuet and Ramón Valdivieso are co-heads of the corporate and M&A team in Chile, and are noted for private equity and M&A transactions. Juan Camilo Rodríguez leads the group in Colombia, and Peru office managing partner Juan Carlos Escudero is also an experienced transactional practitioner. Ted Rhodes is a key figure in Rio de Janeiro and is noted for his expertise in energy transactions.