Ariza & Marin > MEDELLÍN, Colombia > Firm Profile

Ariza & Marin
CALLE 7 SUR #42-70
EDIFICIO FORUM (OF. 1203)
MEDELLÍN
ANTIOQUIA
Colombia

Email firm Visit website 57 4 444 9499

City focus > Medellín Tier 1

Ariza & Marin ‘specialises in matters concerning the city of Medellín’, according to sources; alongside its local focus, it also demonstrates increasing activity on behalf of national and international clients. Indeed, the firm’s single-site model has proved no barrier to growth, and it added clients across all of its key practice areas during 2022/23, including major names such as AkzoNobel, Grupo Argos, and Proing. The firm is arguably best known for its projects and public law teams, both of which are co-led by Carolina Ariza, who is recommended for her strong skill sets in negotiations and complex disputes, including arbitration; she is advising ICPB on the construction of a new government and administration centre in the municipality of Caldas. Camilo Marín co-heads the projects department, and additionally co-heads the dispute resolution group alongside Ariza; he is advising Consortium Redes Fonseca 2022 on a contract for the optimisation of the aqueduct system of the municipality of Fonseca. Other key contacts include senior associate Luis Felipe Estrada, who spearheads the insurance practice; and senior associate María Paz Restrepo, who joined in November 2022 from the Administrative Court of Antioquia to co-head the public law unit. Senior associate Nicolás López Ochoa left to study abroad in April 2023.

Testimonials

‘The team specialises in matters concerning the city of Medellín, and in the contracting of one of the largest municipal companies in the country, Empresas Públicas de Medellín. This specialism was what led us to hire the firm, and its performance has been very positive.’

‘Lawyers are very willing to listen to the client. There is a pyramid structure where the most important documents are not sent without the respective review of the most expert lawyers. In the same way, the firm has lawyers specialised in different topics, which means it provides specialist advice.’

‘The Ariza & Marin team demonstrated commitment to the objectives of the legal advice requested beyond the specific reports requested and had enough flexibility to adjust to the new requirements of the advice in times and forms, guaranteeing efficient and effective legal support.’

‘The office has a large interdisciplinary group, which guarantees comprehensive advice regarding the needs of each user, as well as providing ongoing support and monitoring to obtain the expected results.’

‘Each of its members and partners have great human qualities and assertive communication, among which Carolina Ariza stands out.’

‘The team is distinguished by its seriousness, order and commitment to client requirements. It is a group of professional people, educated, and well presented.’

‘Excellent customer service, very proactive and maintains excellent communication with the client.’

‘Lawyers are very studious and skilled in hearings, they understand the complexity of the cases.’

Colombia > Projects Tier 4

Ariza & Marin has a strong record in advising construction companies on project development and contentious work, with a particular focus on matters in and around its home city of Medellín. The group’s infrastructure expertise spans a wide range of areas, including roads, energy, aqueducts, sanitation, and government buildings, and it counts both domestic and international names among its clients. The department is led jointly by Camilo Marín, who specialises in project development and arbitral proceedings; and Carolina Ariza, whose practice focuses on administrative law and civil liability.

Practice head(s):

Camilo Marín; Carolina Ariza

Testimonials

Key clients

Consortium San Vicente (Andina de Construcciones y Asociados y Conintel

Proyectos de Infraestructura (Proing)

Consortium Gaico-Hycsa

Consortium ANSA (Andina de Construcciones y Asociados and Sanear)

Empresa Para el Desarrollo Territorial – Proyecta

ICPB

Ingenierías Aliadas

Construcciones AP

Paecia

Ingeniería y Contratos

Consortium Acueducto Redes San Nicolás (Andina de Construcciones and Redyco)

Work highlights

Advised Ingenierías Aliadas on the negotiation of the purchase and sale, as well as on the operation and maintenance contract, of the Cantayús hydroelectric power plant project.
Advised Consortium Redes Fonseca 2022 on the pre-contractual and contractual stage of a contract for the optimisation of the aqueduct system of the municipality of Fonseca.
Advised Consortium San Vicente on the contract for the construction of the Héctor Abad Gómez National School of Public Health for the Universidad de Antioquía.

Colombia > Public law Tier 4

Ariza & Marin’s public law team is distinguished by its ‘commitment to client requirements’. The group’s orientation towards contentious work translates into a practice that is particularly active in disputes concerning government contracts, expropriation, state liability, class actions, and disciplinary and fiscal actions, among other matters. Department co-head Carolina Ariza has extensive experience in public law-related disputes, both arbitral and judicial. Fellow co-head, and senior associate, María Paz Restrepo is also recommended; she joined the team in November 2022 from the Administrative Court of Antioquia.

Practice head(s):

Carolina Ariza; María Paz Restrepo

Testimonials

‘Each of its members and partners have great human qualities and assertive communication, among which Carolina Ariza stands out.’

‘The team is distinguished by its seriousness, order and commitment to client requirements. It is a group of professional people, educated, and well presented.’

Key clients

AkzoNobel / Andercol

Grupo Argos

Valores Simesa

Caja de Compensación Familiar de Antioquia (Comfama)

Hyundai Engineering and Construction

Acciona Agua

Ingenierías Aliadas

Construcciones El Condor

Concesión Ruta al Mar (Corumar)

Enecon

Work highlights

Representing Caja de Compensación Familiar (Comfama) in an administrative action ordering the public authorities to comply with its duties of disaster risk prevention and mitigation, in an area seriously affected by a geological phenomenon.
Representing IDOM Consulting, Engineering, Architecture in six proceedings stemming from the destabilisation of hundreds of houses during a construction project.
Representing Grupo Argos in several executive proceedings against the Special, Industrial and Port District of Barranquilla following its undue collection of a territorial tax; value $1.6m.

Dispute resolution > Litigation Tier 5

Medellín-based Ariza & Marin’s strong orientation towards projects and public law-related matters is reflected in its dispute resolution practice, which stands out for its representation of infrastructure clients. The ‘very studious and skilled’ team regularly appears before administrative, civil, and labour courts, while it also has experience in representing clients before Colombia’s key regulatory bodies. Name partners Camilo Marin and Carolina Ariza jointly co-lead the department — both have experience in arbitral and judicial proceedings. Senior associate and litigation coordinator Tomás Cuartas Orrego is also noted.

Practice head(s):

Camilo Marín; Carolina Ariza

Testimonials

‘Excellent customer service, very proactive and maintains excellent communication with the client.’

‘Lawyers are very studious and skilled in hearings, they understand the complexity of the cases.’

Key clients

Fundación Oleoductos de Colombia

Hyundai Engineering

Grupo Argos

Ménsula

Estudios Técnicos

Procopal

Intramaq

Concesión Ruta al Mar

Atalaya de la Mota

Comercializadora S & E

Hidroeléctrica Barrancas

Comfama

Conjunto Residencial Atavanza

Work highlights

Represented Comfama in filing a class action to obtain a court order to stop the advance of a natural disaster affecting its property.
Represented Grupo Argos in several executive proceedings against certain public entities that currently owe the client money.
Acted for Rehabiductos in its efforts to obtain compensation for damage derived from the change of technology during the execution of a contract, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Colombia > Insurance

Firms to watch

Ariza & Marin’s nascent insurance practice continues to make progress following its establishment in February 2022. Led by associate and former Seguros Sura in-house counsel, Luis Felipe Estrada, the group acts for a solid base of insurers, brokers and insured companies.

Rising stars

Luis Felipe Estrada - Ariza & Marin

Ariza & Marín is a national firm which focuses on transactions, conflict resolution and litigation in the following areas of law: public contracts, commercial contracts, civil and state contractual and extra-contractual liability, insurance, consumer law and public law. The partners, Carolina Ariza and Camilo Marín, are renowned lawyers who lead in a customized way the legal strategies of each of the affairs handled by the firm. The key to their success lies in the thoroughness of their legal analyses, in their ability to identify and measure risks and manage uncertainty, in their agility in managing the requirements of their clients, and evidently in the human and professional quality of the members of their team.

Ariza & Marín has extensive experience in the defence of party interests before dispute boards and judicial and arbitral courts. Due to the expertise of the team in these areas, the firm has managed to position itself in sectors such as energy, consumer goods, real estate, consulting and technology. In fact, the firm is known for obtaining closings, direct settlements, in addition to the design and implementation of legal strategies adapted to the specificities of each client, based on the meticulous analysis of their respective business settings.

Ariza & Marín has a long history in the infrastructure sector, where it has represented national and international companies in public bids for the awarding of important projects and provides legal advice during the execution of contracts for the design, construction, assembly and auditing of roads, public buildings, energy networks, waste water treatment plants, hydroelectric power plants, among others. In this field, the firm has been chosen by some of the main companies in the region, the country and some of the largest international business groups with presence in the Colombian infrastructure market, to represent their interests.

Likewise, Ariza & Marin has vast experience in public law, particularly in sanctioning processes, expropriation, administrative acts and constitutional actions. The firm possesses a profound knowledge of administrative procedures and litigation in specialized jurisdictions. Its lawyers have intervened in numerous and representative proceedings initiated by national and regional public authorities and are experts in the analysis of the legality of State actions.

For further information we invite you to visit: www.arizaymarin.com

Department	Name	Email	Telephone
Dispute Resolution, Public Law and Projects	Carolina Ariza	cariza@arizaymarin.com	+573006194058
Dispute Resolution, Public Law and Projects	Camilo Marin	cmarin@arizaymarin.com	+573206748064