Macarena Ravinet > Cuatrecasas > Santiago, Chile > Lawyer Profile

The sizeable banking and finance practice at Cuatrecasas‘ Santiago office routinely acts for debtors as well as issuers, guarantors, commercial and development banks, and debt and private equity funds. The team, which ‘handles local and international banking issues very well‘, assists with an array of financings – particularly project finance, banking regulatory issues, and restructurings and refinancings. The group is co-led by Macarena Ravinet, an expert in project financing, financial transactions and capital markets, and banking and finance expert Roberto Guerrero V. Fellow finance partner Alfonso Ugarte divides his time between the firm’s New York and Santiago offices; while principal associate Federico Espinosa, who focuses on banking and finance matters, is a March 2022 hire from Garrigues Chile.

The 19-strong corporate and M&A practice at the Chilean office of Iberian law firm Cuatrecasas is consistently mandated on major M&A deals, joint ventures, distressed deals, commercial agreements, and asset and business transfers. Indeed, the team has undoubtedly punched above its weight during the course of 2022, registering a deal volume second only to the market’s largest full-service players. Beyond the strictly transactional sphere, other areas of strength include licensing, corporate restructuring (including due diligence), and contract drafting and negotiating. The office additionally specialises in private equity and venture capital investment matters. Coordinator of the corporate, M&A, banking, finance and capital markets practices, Roberto Guerrero V is a well-known expert in corporate restructuring, corporate governance, and domestic and international M&A; and Macarena Ravinet, Josefina Yávar and Tomás Kubick are also active M&A partners. Corporate and M&A partner Alfonso Ugarte relocated to the firm’s New York office in September 2022, since when (in May 2023) Fernanda Anguita -who advises technology, insurance, infrastructure, and food and beverage companies on corporate, contractual, and transactional matters- has been promoted to senior associate. Since publication, the practice group has been further strengthened with the hire of Michel Diban, formerly corporate/M&A practice co-head at Morales & Besa; concurrently, it also hired labour litigation specialist Raúl Fernández Toledo – previously at his own firm, Saez & Fernandez Abogados – to develop the office’s labour practice (both incorporations are effective as of December 2023).

Cuatrecasas‘ Santiago office advises on a range of energy projects, including renewables, oil, gas, nuclear plants, and electric roads. The 12-strong team also assists with tenders for energy transmission infrastructure developments, along with power purchase agreements. It additionally acts in energy disputes, as well as before Expert Panels. The team is led by energy M&A and projects specialist, Josefina Yávar with support provided by her fellow former Guerrero Olivos colleagues Roberto Guerrero V (who has considerable experience in energy transactions) and M&A expert Macarena Ravinet, along with energy arbitration partners Cristián Conejero and Gianfranco Lotito. January 2023 saw the team further strengthened with the arrival of Sebastián Leyton (as partner) from the Superintendency of Electricity and Fuels.