Alfonso Ugarte > Cuatrecasas > Santiago, Chile > Lawyer Profile

The 10-strong restructuring, insolvency and special situations team at Cuatrecasas‘ Santiago office acts for creditors, debtors, management teams and shareholders on the restructuring of transactions, production unit sales, and general insolvency proceedings. Clients notably benefit from the group’s cross-border insolvency expertise, as well as the multidisciplinary team’s litigation, finance, and M&A credentials. The practice is led by cross-border insolvency proceeding specialist Gianfranco Lotito, who also co-heads the office’s litigation department; Tomás Kubick‘s broad practice includes insolvency; and Alfonso Ugarte works across the firm’s New York and Santiago offices. Andrés Lafuente is an active mid-level associate.

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).

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.

Cuatrecasas is a significant player in Latin America thanks to its offices in Peru, Colombia, Mexico and Chile. Alongside its growing teams in these jurisdictions it has a substantial group of Latin America-facing practitioners in Iberia and New York. It is among the most prolific advisers on Latin America transactions, excluding Brazil. Along with a range of local transactions, the firm has extensive experience in cross-border deals, including private equity investments and exits. In January 2023, the firm absorbed Mexican four-partner firm Rico, Robles, Libenson, S.Cl into its local Mexico office and wider Latin America team – which  remains best known for operations in the energy and infrastructure, healthcare and retail sectors. Alfonso Ugarte transferred from Santiago to New York in 2022 to head the Latin America M&A, finance and special situations practice in North America. He joined an established Latin America-facing M&A team there, including Antonio Baena and Diego Pérez-Yarza; Baena recently advised Patria on the sale of Odata, the local company that operates a network of data centres in Latin America. Alfonso Reina led the launch of the Bogota office before returning to Madrid where he continues to have a strong focus on cross-border M&A in Colombia. Peru-based Oscar Trelles is head of the Latin America M&A and private equity practice and has a fine record in cross-border transactions, including intra-regional deals. Chile’s Roberto Guerrero V, Colombia-based Juan Felipe Vera and Santiago Ferrer in Mexico City are also key partners.