Carey’s wide-ranging public law practice covers administrative and constitutional law, along with Chile’s regulated markets and high-stakes litigation. The team’s representative workload encompasses administrative and constitutional litigation, constitutional rights, and public procurement and public concessions. In litigation, the team regularly appears before the Ordinary Courts, Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, along with Expert Panels, the Constitutional Court, Public Procurement Court, Transparency Council, and General Comptroller of the Republic. It is also consistently mandated on sanctioning procedures, regulatory compliance, state-owned companies’ regulations, and legislative enactments. The group is co-led by senior counsel Patricio Zapata, a renowned specialist in administrative, constitutional, and regulatory law, whose experience includes serving as a President of the Citizen Council of Observers of the Constituent Process (under President Michelle Bachele’s second term); and Ignacio Gillmore, an expert in administrative contracts, public tenders and administrative litigation. From the firm’s enviable associate pool, senior Juan Ignacio Alarcón advises on regulatory issues, sanctioning procedures, public policy, and administrative contracting and concessions; while Sergio Cifuentes, Martin Canessa, Carolina Baeza and José Ignacio Millañir all maintain active public law practices. Since publication the team has been further strengthened with the hire of administrative law specialist Camilo Lledó (formerly at Chahuán Letelier Lledó) as a partner - effective as of Janaury 2024.

With ‘an unmatched level of knowledge of public law practice’, Barros & Errázuriz’s public, administrative law and economic regulation department is particularly focused on constitutional and administrative law, as well as economic regulation. Its representative experience ranges from tariff-setting administrative procedures and contentious administrative proceedings, to administrative sanctioning procedures concerning the natural gas, telecoms, electricity, healthcare, education, and water and wastewater sectors. Other areas of strength include administrative contracts, government liability, public procurement, and maritime concessions. The widely-respected group is co-led by arbitration specialist José Tomás Errázuriz and David Cademartori, whose ‘level of knowledge is difficult to find’. Cademartori’s experience encompasses administrative proceedings before government entities, and civil and administrative litigation before Chile’s ordinary courts of justice. The associates to note are public law-focused senior Martin Gutiérrez, along with Marissa Baldazzi, Valeria Donoso, Cristóbal Millar, and Cristián Dorador (‘an excellent lawyer with a bright future’). The firm also boosted its constitutional offering recently, with the September-2022 hire of former Constitutional Court president, Juan José Romero.

With ‘great technical knowledge of regulatory, administrative and constitutional law', FerradaNehme's public law and government practice encompasses expertise in administrative law, economic regulation and litigation; while recent mandates include both environmental and urban planning issues. Following the January 2023 departure of former partner and practice co-head Luis Cordero  to become Minister of Justice and Human Rights, the department is co-led by public and environmental law expert Josefina Court, whose career includes serving in the Legislative Office of the Presidency of Chile; and José Tomás Correa, who advises public agencies and private companies on administrative matters, administrative sanctioning procedures, and the regulated markets. Promoted to director level in May 2022, Fernanda Skewes focuses on regulatory work, administrative procedures, concessions, and administrative sanctioning and contentious proceedings before the Comptroller General of the Republic and the Superior Courts of Justice.

Guerrero Olivos’ sizeable 11-lawyer public law practice consistently acts for private, publicly-listed and state-owned companies from highly-regulated sectors, such as mining, oil and gas, power, public utilities, financial services, healthcare, insurance, and telecoms. The team’s representative expertise covers defence-side public law litigation, judicial reviews, and representation before regulatory bodies. It also advises on public bids and public procurement matters, along with assisting with administrative procedures to obtain permits. Jointly heading the group, renowned constitutional and administrative lawyer Eduardo Cordero is sought out particularly to file reports before the Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, and Comptroller General of the Republic; and José Gabriel Undurraga is a specialist in both administrative litigation and public procurement work. Administrative law professor Rosa Fernanda Gómez is a 2022 senior counsel hire who advises on administrative law penalties, along with urban, environmental, and municipal law matters; while senior associate Roberto Burgos focuses exclusively on regulatory and public law.

‘A team with solid knowledge’, the public law department at full-service international law firm Philippi Prietocarrizosa Ferrero DU & Uría is particularly active in administrative law disputes, and -of late- increasingly involved in urban affairs (on behalf of real estate companies) and public procurement issues. Recent mandates also include acting for telecoms clients, as well as a raft of state agencies and state-owned enterprises. The 10-strong team is led by José Luis Lara, a longstanding expert in public procurement, and administrative and constitutional law. Lara is flanked by public law-focused senior counsel Guillermo Zavala, who also advises on related areas, such as environmental law, regulatory work, public procurement, and municipal and urban law; and counsel Jorge Femenías, a dispute resolution director who is experienced in environmental damage-related liability issues, administrative sanctioning law, and negotiations involving Chile’s public authorities. At senior associate level, Matías Larroulet and Florencia Portales are also key group team members.

The five-lawyer practice at Allende Bascuñán & Cía is highly experienced in public contracts, procurement issues, regulatory work, and litigation. The ‘committed‘ group is routinely sought out by both international and domestic clients on major administrative and regulatory matters concerning the mining, agriculture and food production sectors. It is also experienced in public law issues concerning social security administration, public utilities, and energy. Heading the department, Felipe Bascuñán Montaner‘s regulatory expertise encompasses public law, energy, natural resources and electricity law; while at associate level, senior Diego Miranda is a recent lawyer hire from Chile’s Environmental Assessment Service.

The regulatory law practice at full-service law firm Cariola Díez Pérez-Cotapos fields specialists in defence-side work involving administrative sanctions, or inspections conducted by Chile’s Health Authority, Superintendencies and Under-Secretariats. The team additionally assists with analysing the legality of regulatory provisions; report preparation; and defending the rights of individuals and legal entities before the State Administration (through judicial and administrative appeals). The department’s principal figures are infrastructure project expert Gonzalo Jiménez, who advises on environmental impact studies, concessions, permits, and other administrative authorisations; and Martín Astorga, an experienced adviser on administrative authorities’ sanctions proceedings. Senior associate Verónica Cuadra routinely advises on regulatory, environmental and energy law issues.

The five-strong public law practice at full-service firm DLA Piper Chile is increasingly active in administrative procedures before Chile’s authorities. The team, which consists of figures with former public-sector experience, handles matters involving a range of sectors, from technology, public infrastructure, construction and real estate, to energy, education, media, and food and beverage. Heading up the Santiago office’s regulated markets and antitrust practice group, Felipe Bahamondez has broad public law and regulatory experience; and the practice of Paulina Farías  (promoted to counsel in March 2023) covers the regulatory aspects of energy, telecoms, and public health and infrastructure, as well as public bidding processes, and administrative actions and procedures. Since the conclusion of research, Farias has left the firm – effective as of August 2023.

Lembeye’s five-member team specialises in the regulatory aspects of several sectors, such as energy, mining, telecoms and media, as well as transportation, higher education, health services and casinos. It also advises on the regulations concerning environmental matters, water law, consumer protection, public procurement, health, and urban planning. The department is led by Guillermo de la Jara who consistently represents clients before the administrative law authorities and Chile’s courts, including the Constitutional Court. The disputes practice of associate Lukas Hudson includes punitive administrative proceedings before state administrative agencies.

The ‘proactive, committed and responsible’ 10-member public and administrative law department at full-service practice Prieto Abogados covers public law disputes, sanctioning proceedings, transactions-related regulatory reviews, and interactions with authorities; the team’s recent caseload includes public law matters involving healthcare, telecoms, infrastructure, and  environmental sector clients. The group is led by the ‘very innovative’ counsel Juan Pablo Riesco, who acts for both national and international companies on regulatory and administrative matters. Partner-level support is provided by Fernando Samaniego, whose disputes practice covers proceedings before administrative and regulatory authorities; and Agustín Martorell, a recently-promoted partner who is increasingly active in administrative, public and regulatory law-related work.

Baker McKenzie Chile’’s five-strong team fields constitutional, administrative and human rights lawyers who advise clients from the healthcare, insurance, infrastructure, construction, mining, pharma, and defence and aerospace sectors. With ‘an edge over other law firms’, the group additionally works on defence-side Constitutional Court matters, while recent highlights further include working alongside industry guilds during discussions on Chile’s new Constitution. The practice is led by Rodrigo Díaz de Valdés (a professor of civil and constitutional law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile), who frequently advises legislative commissions on high-profile public issues. Associate Felipe Soza’s practice covers constitutional litigation and administrative law.

Barros Silva Varela & Vigil’s eight-strong public law department regularly works alongside the firm’s real estate and energy and natural resources groups, particularly in relation to electricity regulations and urban matters. It is also increasingly active in public procurement work. The team is co-led by public and administrative law specialist Felipe Riesco, a former Undersecretary of the Ministry of the Environment; and Claudia Ferreiro, whose practice covers public sanctioning law, as well as administrative and electricity law. At senior associate level, José Ignacio Vial focuses on regulatory and environmental issues, including administrative and judicial proceedings; and Esteban Carmona acts in Constitutional Court cases and contentious administrative matters.

Bofill Mir Abogados' public law department consists of experts in constitutional and administrative proceedings and evidences a caseload that extends to judicial reviews, as well as litigation before the local courts, Courts of Appeals, Supreme Court and Constitutional Court. The group is led by Cristián Franetovic, whose practice includes administrative law and litigation, regulatory matters, and environmental law. Senior associate Pablo Nogueira, whose career includes working at the Superintendence of Pensions and General Secretariat of the Presidency, provides key support, while name partner Octavio Bofill brings additional senior involvement in the sector. Former practice leader Jorge Barrera and senior associate Daniela Severin both recently departed the firm.

Fleischmann & Román Abogados (known as Fleischmann & León Abogados until the early 2022 departure of former co-founding partner Juan Ignacio León) is experienced in advising on public contracts, particularly in relation to the construction of public works and public work concessions; the retained four-member team encompasses broad expertise, particularly in relation to infrastructure such as hospitals, airports, highways, penitentiaries, public roads and desalination plants. The principal figures are name partner Hernán Fleischmann Chadwick, who advises on the public law aspects of projects; and Juan Diego Rabat Celis, a specialist in construction disputes involving local authorities. The public law practice of associate Cristián Repetti Aravena includes the regulations that apply to Government-related construction contracts and public works concessions.

Garrigues Chile‘s four-member public law practice is particularly experienced in advising concessionaire companies on the management of concession contracts with the Ministry of Public Works. Other key areas include public tenders, and the implementation of public-private partnerships involving telecoms, toll roads, public transport and airports. The department also has a robust administrative litigation practice. The practice is led by of counsel Claudio Moraga, who has ‘vast administrative law experience‘. At associate level, principal Sebastián Hassi routinely acts for public works concessionaires, while junior Isabel Canales advises on public tenders. Former senior associate Francisco Irarrázaval left the firm in March 2022.