Specialised labour and employment boutique Munita & Olavarría is the Chilean member of Ius Laboris, a global alliance of law firms that specialise in employment, labour, immigration and pensions law; the firm’s 20-strong team acts for companies from a range of sectors, including energy, utilities, retail, and technology, as well as pharma, banking and mining. Representative areas of expertise range from hirings, corporate policies, and labour auditing and compliance, to compensation benefits and pension plans. The firm also houses experts in subcontracting, work permits for foreign staff, workforce reductions, and work-related illnesses and accidents; and in litigation, the group acts in disputes involving collective bargaining and union issues. At founding partner level, Enrique Munita's practice incorporates litigation, benefit plans and stock options, while Cristián Olavarría is a collective bargaining and litigation specialist. A second line of younger partners includes Paola Casorzo, who advises on hirings, terminations, human resources' policies and employment agreements, along with due diligence, and the relocation of workers; Marcela Salazar, whose broad practice includes benefits policies, labour conditions, contracting and terminations, and subcontracting and outsourcing; and labour litigator Gonzalo Urcelay. At associate level, Felipe Vargas, José Tomás Honour and Josefina Riveaux are the names to note. The team was strengthened with the January-2023 arrival of Matías Cristi (whose experience includes some 14 years as head of labour and litigation matters at Latam Airlines), but labour litigator José Luis De Marchena  subsequently left the firm in April 2023.

The 10-strong labour and employment practice at ‘exceptional firm' Della Maggiora Eyzaguirre Abogados Laborales is widely respected for its advice on labour, social security and immigration matters. The group’s assistance covers ongoing labour issues, litigation and collective bargaining, as well as terminations and large lay-offs. Other notable areas range from audits, restructuring and pensions, to remuneration, benefits, and health and work safety matters. Jointly heading the department, longstanding labour law specialist Francisco Della Maggiora is a former Urenda, Rencoret, Orrego y Dörr labour team leader; fellow name partner Domingo Eyzaguirre‘s ‘labour knowledge is solid'; and Camila Herrera routinely acts for multinational and domestic companies on the gamut of labour law issues. Elevated to partner in April 2023, former associate Anibal Zalaquett also maintains a wide-ranging labour practice.

Canales Parga Abogados Laborales transformed into GNP Canales Abogados Laborales in May 2022, further to the elevation of labour and employment specialists Carlos Gutiérrez, Diego Nodleman and Francisco Plass to name partner status; and the earlier exit of former name partner Sebastián Parga, and associates Pablo Vasseur Gallo and Jorge Montes, who launched their own practice. The remaining 18-strong team, which has substantial experience in large collective bargaining matters, litigation and day-to-day labour advisory work, further comprises founding partner Alfonso Canales, a labour strategy and collective bargaining expert; and at senior associate level, César Rivas and María Luisa García Riffo, who both advise on occupational accidents and illnesses. Further growth includes the 2022 recruitment of Lilia Jerez Arévalo (previously a National Labour director) as corporate affairs director; legal and public affairs director Nicolás Monckeberg Díaz, a former Minister for Labour and Social Security; and labour law-focused senior associate Francisco Pinilla V, previously at MPV Abogados & Cia.

‘Standout' labour law firm Lizama Abogados fields an 18-strong team that ‘covers all fronts with optimal results'. The practice is consistently sought out to advise on labour law matters, including corporate advice, collective bargaining, and labour and tax compliance; and in litigation, the group acts in disputes concerning unjust dismissals, fundamental rights, anti-union practices, and annulment appeals. The ‘highly competent' founding partner and lead partner Luis Lizama is a labour and social security law specialist (and former Labour Directorate legal head); ‘first-rate professional' Osvaldo Parada is the firm’s director of collective bargaining; Esteban Palma is labour litigation director; Diego Lizama Castro is director of corporate matters; and Paula Warnier is compliance director. Former director Gonzalo Riquelme  departed the firm in December 2022 to become an independent consultant.

Specialised labour and social security law firm Provoste Matamala Abogados (formed from a late 2020 merger between Provoste y Cía. and Matamala Abogados) has quickly gained a strong market reputation for its advice to companies on corporate labour matters, labour litigation, collective negotiations, and health and safety issues. The firm’s key practitioners at name-partner level are Pedro Matamala Souper, a labour law adviser to companies, individuals, educational organisations and non-profit entities; and Matías Provoste Vargas, who advises mining companies on labour law. Also key to the practice, Raimundo Mira Gumucio is an experienced labour litigation partner; María José Cea Catalán is litigation group director; and Luis Celis, Valentina Vergara Lam and Edmundo Borel Rey are all associates of note.

‘With strong expertise in labour law issues', Saavedra & Compañía Abogados' eight-member group has enviable experience in individual and collective employment law; and the practice’s representative workload ranges from conflict resolution and labour litigation, to collective negotiations, union relations, social security, and immigration issues. The team is co-led by name partner Juan Pablo Saavedra, a former labour department leader at Uribe, Hubner & Cia., who assists domestic and international companies with labour disputes, collective bargaining, and advisory work; litigation, migration, and ADR specialist Gabriela Gerpe; and experienced labour litigator Cristóbal Muñoz, who has a ‘great ability to anticipate new scenarios‘. At non-partner level, director Priscilla Serres ‘stands out', and senior associate Camila Ducassou Leyton routinely acts in labour disputes, particularly in relation to dismissals and violations of fundamental rights.

Spinning out of Uribe, Hubner & Cia – now rebranded as UH&C Abogados (UHC) – in December 2022, specialised labour and employment law firm Uribe Legal fields specialists in labour-related restructurings, due diligence, internal regulations, dismissals, and remuneration structuring. The firm also houses experts in work accidents, occupational diseases, immigration, collective bargaining, workplace and sexual harassment investigations, and labour litigation. The 13-member group is co-led by former UHC founding partner, Enrique Uribe Casasbellas, one of Chile’s most well-known labour and employment specialists; Enrique Uribe Errázuriz (also previously a UHC partner), whose recent track record includes achieving successful collective bargaining agreements without strike action; and Silvestre Lyon, a former UHC associate and expert in labour litigation and migration. Litigator Trinidad Castro also joined from UH&C as senior associate. Following the spin-off, former partner Marcelo Soto remained at UH&C Abogados, while former senior associate Marianela Smith and group lead lawyer Pedro Torres had already departed to co-launch their own boutique in April 2022.

The four-member labour and employment practice at Baker McKenzie Chile routinely taps into the wider firm’s global network of labour lawyers, particularly in relation to cross-border executive transfers and multinationals’ employment issues. The group’s expertise further encompasses employer-side litigation, including claims over unlawful dismissal, employee benefits, discrimination, and sexual harassment. Other key areas are collective bargaining, executive compensation, pensions, stock options, social security, workplace policies, and immigration. The department’s ‘specialised and experienced lawyers’ are led by Andrés Valdés, who acts for clients from the retail and mining sectors (among others); key associate support comes from senior José Ignacio Muñoz who handles labour, employment and employee benefit matters.

‘Highly specialised in labour lawsuits’, family-owned boutique firm Bock Abogados has longstanding experience in labour law advisory work, as well as labour-related litigation. The group’s track record includes representing clients from an array of sectors, including telecoms, retail, finance, insurance and dairy products. Heading up the practice, Silvia Soto routinely assists company clients with labour issues and litigation; labour litigator and collective bargaining expert Sebastían Bock, ‘brings together positions that seem impossible to reconcile’; and Cristobal Bock, ‘one of the best lawyers in the field’, acts in large volumes of labour disputes. Former associate Estefania Klima departed the firm in June 2022 for Marinovic & Alcalde Abogados.

The four-member team at Fontaine & Cía covers individual and collective employment contracts, social security benefits, collective bargaining processes, and union relations. The team is also experienced in claims involving accidents, work-related illnesses, violations of fundamental rights, anti-union practices, and dismissals, as well as remaining active in labour lawsuits brought by former workers of companies that terminated operations because of the pandemic. The group is led by Diego Marín, who assists with construction sector-related labour matters, while Georgo Peftlouloglou advises on work accident and occupational disease-related liability issues. At associate level, Rodrigo Palacios and Sebastián Rodillo both maintain active labour law practices, but Felipe Navarro moved in house at CMPC in September 2022.

‘An excellent firm with a high-level team of lawyers’, Estudio Navarro Abogados’ large client base comprises companies from the energy, metallurgy, pharma, construction, banking, financial services, transportation, and food and agricultural production industries. The 11-strong team is experienced in individual and collective labour law, in addition to immigration, social security law, and labour law compliance. In a recent 12-month period, the practice acted in volumes of claims concerning fundamental rights, unjust dismissals, accidents at work, and benefit payments. The principal figures are name partner Luis Navarro, who has longstanding expertise in labour law and collective bargaining; experienced labour litigator Benjamín Costa; and Juan Pablo Fernández, whose practice incorporates individual and collective labour law, along with social security, immigration, audits and litigation.

Hitting the market in early 2022, PMV Abogados was co-founded by former Canales Parga Abogados Laborales’ (CPA) name partner and labour, employment and disputes expert, Sebastián Parga (‘solid in litigation’), along with CPA’s former labour litigation associates Jorge Montes and Pablo Vasseur. The group is experienced in advising domestic and international companies on a range of labour and employment issues, including collective bargaining, and global mobility and immigration issues. The practice also acts in high-stakes lawsuits involving fundamental labour rights and trade union affairs. Expanding further in May 2023, the firm hired partner Alexandra de Grenade -who has over 20 years’ experience in labour litigation- from her own firm Agosin & de Grenade.

Fielding ‘a team that comprises highly-trained and experienced lawyers’, labour and employment boutique Salinas Toledo Abogados acts on a wide range of global employment law and human resources issues. The 10-strong practice covers due diligence, internal employment audits, employee hirings and terminations, unfair dismissals, and HR company policies. It also houses experts in restrictive covenants, subcontracting and labour taxation, as well as compensation packages, collective bargaining, union relations, and labour-related disputes. Founding partner and former Philippi Prietocarrizosa Ferrero DU & Uría labour practice director, Jaime Salinas, has ‘enormous knowledge of the market’; Francisca Montenegro ‘advises companies on labour law on a daily basis’; and Francisco Ruay is an expert in union issues, collective negotiations and strikes. Associate Sebastian Fernandez is an experienced labour litigator.

SCR Abogados’ ‘excellent’ labour and immigration practice has a strong track record in both labour litigation and collective bargaining. The team’s coverage also encompasses hiring processes, compensation packages, terminations, labour due diligence, and labour law compliance reviews. Its expertise further extends to internal investigations, corporate policies, social security, immigration, employee taxation and outsourcing. The firm has also recently gained new international mining clients that require ongoing immigration law assistance for their executives. The team is led by Constanza Contreras (a permanent columnist for the Revista Laboral Chilena), who has ‘has thorough knowledge of labour regulations’. Contreras is supported at senior associate level by Nicole Finkelstein, who assists with due diligence, immigration, and general employment issues; and María José Chible, a 2021 hire from the Labour Bureau.

Uribe, Hubner & Cia. is now known as UH&C Abogados, following the departure of former name partners Enrique Uribe Casasbellas and Enrique Uribe Errázuriz to co-found a new firm in December 2022, taking former senior associates Silvestre Lyon, María De Los Ángeles Bittner and Pablo Prieto with them. The retained practice remains well known for both advisory work and labour litigation, its expertise covering union relations, fundamental rights, and sexual and labour-related harassment. Other areas of strength include wrongful termination and contract breaches. Experienced partner and labour law specialist Marcelo Soto has wide-ranging experience in corporate employment law and collective bargaining; while former senior associate Marianela Smith and group lead lawyer Pedro Torres also departed the firm to co-launch a boutique in April 2022.

The ‘incomparable’ labour and employment department at Abdala y Cia covers ongoing labour and employment issues, social security, immigration, terminations, and employment-related contractual and corporate issues. The team is additionally experienced in sexual harassment investigations, labour litigation, administrative procedures, and collective bargaining. Practice head José Ignacio Arteaga focuses on labour-related disputes, collective bargaining negotiations, and corporate labour work; and associate Andrea Abdala Ready advises on labour law and migration issues, along with litigation.

The four-member team at ‘excellent firm’ Aninat Abogados specialises in corporate-related labour law issues, complex labour litigation, collective bargaining processes, and migration. The department is led by Rodrigo Ugarte (‘excellent for his commitment’), whose broad experience takes in collective bargaining, union negotiations, corporate labour matters and strategic labour litigation. At associate level, the practices of Leyla Alul and Mariana Ramírez both focus on labour law advisory work, immigration issues and labour-related litigation.

Deloitte Legal Chile’s labour practice focuses on collective bargaining negotiations, complex labour litigation, and compliance investigation processes concerning sexual harassment and mobbing. The 13-strong team also provides clients with labour training on post-pandemic legislative modifications (such as teleworking). Other key areas are executive personnel transfers, immigration, due diligence reviews, labour restructuring solutions, and mining sector labour issues involving contractors and subcontractors. Co-office founder Ruby Soteras is a former FerradaNehme senior lawyer; director and former immigration group leader at Carey, Monserrat Nova, is a November 2022 hire; and manager Santiago Swett is the labour advisory head in Chile.

Dentons Larrain Rencoret fields a go-to team for mining sector-related labour issues. The Santiago office is also the exclusive Chilean law practice member of the Inclusive Companies (REIN) network, an organisation that focuses on making Chile a more inclusive country for people with disabilities (the firm’s role includes providing expert assessments on the Labour Inclusion Act). The broad practice of Karlfranz Koehler encompasses labour law compliance, collective bargaining and labour litigation; and the labour practice of recently-raised partner Rodrigo Sanhueza covers the mining, construction, energy, banking, technology and agriculture sectors. At senior associate level, both Francisca Vivaldi and María Belen Kútulas maintain active labour law and immigration practices.

PAGBAM Schwencke Chile‘s four-member labour and employment practice has significant experience in litigation, company closures, union negotiations, collective bargaining, social security and migration. The team also covers cross-border employment work, along with discrimination and harassment issues. Heading the group, labour law specialist Gonzalo Aravena Frontaura is a November 2022 counsel-level hire from Jara Del Favero Abogados (replacing former counsel and team leader Constanza Ríos Ghio, who departed the previous month). Key senior associate Fernanda Laborde Poblete also maintains a noteworthy and wide-ranging employment, immigration and social security practice.

TSP Legal was co-launched in April 2022 by labour, employment, social security and human resources expert, Marianela Smith; Pedro Torres, a specialist in individual and collective lawsuits; and experienced labour law practitioner Edmundo Piffre de Voban. Smith is a former senior associate at Uribe, Hubner & Cia, where Torres was a group lead lawyer, and Piffre de Voban previously worked as adviser to both the Undersecretary of Labour and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. Since its establishment, the practice has advised on labour law matters on behalf of clients from the retail, insurance, finance, agriculture, healthcare and technology sectors.