Gianfranco  Lotito > Cuatrecasas > Santiago, Chile > Lawyer Profile

Cuatrecasas‘ restructuring, insolvency and special situations practice has extensive experience in complex business crises, including cross-border insolvencies. ‘Very skilled in insolvency and restructuring issues’, the team also advises creditors, debtors, management teams and shareholders on deal restructurings and production unit sales. The multidisciplinary group is further able to leverage the firm’s expertise in litigation, finance and M&A. Practice leader Gianfranco Lotito regularly advises lenders and investors on distress-related scenarios involving company restructurings, liquidity injections and M&A. Tomás Kubick and Alfonso Ugarte (currently located in the firm’s New York office) are additional partner-level contacts for insolvency work – particularly cross-border matters in the case of Ugarte); while principal associate Andrés Lafuente specializes in civil and commercial litigation and arbitration, particularly in relation to insolvency proceedings (bankruptcy reorganisation and liquidation).

Cuatrecasas‘ ‘international presence in several countries and experience in arbitration stand out’. The firm’s 18-strong international arbitration practice in  Santiago specialises in international disputes concerning construction and engineering contracts, infrastructure, energy agreements, international investment protection, and international sales and supplies. The disputes department also acts in matters involving services contracts, M&A, joint ventures, agencies, commercial distribution, and conflicts between shareholders and companies. Beyond Chile, the firm is additionally notably active in the wider Latin American region. The department is co-led by international arbitration, litigation and alternative dispute resolution specialist Cristián Conejero, a former ICC Secretariat Counsel for Latin America who is sought out by company clients to act in both commercial and investment arbitrations; and international arbitration and alternative dispute resolution practitioner Juan Manuel Rey, who ‘has a lot of experience in arbitration’, and represents clients in disputes concerning construction and infrastructure contracts, M&A, concessions, share agreements, and power purchase contracts. The group further includes Gianfranco Lotito, a specialist in domestic and international arbitration; and in the firm’s senior associate pool, Valentina Alamo regularly assists with disputes involving public works concessions, power purchase agreements, and construction and infrastructure contracts. Alamo also acts as and administrative secretary in domestic and international arbitrations.

With ‘solid experience in litigation’, Cuatrecasas‘ broad coverage ranges from civil, commercial and administrative disputes, to reorganisations, insolvencies, business crises, and private enforcements of competition law. The 19-strong litigation and arbitration team in Santiago is led by Gianfranco Lotito, whose broad practice includes investigations and injunctions brought by national and foreign agencies in relation to securities and pension funds; restructuring and insolvency proceedings; and construction, infrastructure and share sale disputes. Providing notable support at associate level, principal Andrés Lafuente specialises in insolvency proceedings, while Alexandra Guerra acts in public law-related national litigation and commercial arbitration.