Lembeye > Santiago de Chile, Chile > Firm Profile

Lembeye > The Legal 500 Rankings

Chile > Dispute resolution: white-collar crime Tier 3

Lembeye‘s niche, two-member team is regularly retained by both individuals and companies for major criminal cases. Recent highlights include representing Itelecom in a high-profile anti-corruption criminal investigation. The former co-head of Bofill Escobar Silva Abogados‘ white-collar team, Daniel Praetorius, heads up the firm’s dispute resolution and criminal law practice. Praetorius, whose career also includes working at the Money Laundering, Economic Crime and Organised Crime Unit at the National Prosecutor’s Office, is a specialist in civil and criminal litigation, administrative sanction proceedings, compliance programmes, and internal corporate investigations.

Energy and natural resources > Mining Tier 3

Founded in 2017, Lembeye‘s four-member mining group handles exploration issues, project development, acquisitions and sales, financing and permitting. The firm also houses experts in project closures, environmental approvals, and construction and operational matters; and additionally assists with options and earn-ins, farm-ins, mine construction work, joint ventures and shareholder agreements, and royalties and streaming contracts. Other notable areas include stakeholder and local community matters, and litigation regarding mining concessions. The department is led by longstanding mining industry specialist, the dual-qualified (Canada/Chile) Rony Zimerman (a former Bofill Mir & Álvarez Jana partner), who acts on a range of transactional and regulatory mining matters. Fellow partner Guillermo de la Jara assists clients with regulatory mining matters, including exploration permits, easements and environmental authorisations; while associate Lukas Hudson maintains a broad mining practice.

Chile > Public law Tier 3

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.

Chile > TMT Tier 3

Lembeye routinely advises public and private entities on rate-setting procedures, TMT-related antitrust issues, and regulatory issues. The firm boosted its TMT, public law, regulated markets and free competition practices when it recruited former Bofill Mir Álvarez Jana partner Guillermo de la Jara in the summer of 2021. TMT group head de la Jara is also a former Telecommunications Undersecretariat’s legal department head, who acts for telephony, mobile telephony, and internet and telecoms technology services providers, as well as television channels.

Chile > Corporate and M&A Tier 4

‘A multidisciplinary office that adapts to clients’ needs‘, Lembeye houses a 12-strong corporate practice that advises on the full scope of corporate work; its expertise ranges from complex M&A and corporate restructuring, to incorporations, corporate governance and day-to-day corporate advisory matters. The team is led by founding partner Jorge Lembeye, who consistently leads advice on the firm’s most significant corporate mandates; and dual-qualified (Chile and Canada) Rony Zimerman, who is well known for his advice to Canadian companies (and their Chilean subsidiaries) on corporate matters. Key support comes from younger -but nevertheless experienced- partner, Nicolás Espina, who advises on M&A, corporate law and venture capital; and associate practice director Francisco Palma. However, associate Camila O’Shea left to undertake her LLM in July 2022, while María Jesús Palacios P moved in house at CMPC in April 2023.

Chile > Projects and infrastructure Tier 4

Lembeye‘s ‘excellent and very complete team’ acts for domestic and international companies throughout projects’ lifecycles. The team’s experience covers development and financing issues, as well as construction and operational aspects. The eight-strong group is particularly active in project finance and development work, including EPC and O&M contracts. Founding partner and practice head Jorge Lembeye advises on M&A, project finance, developments and capital markets; while dual-qualified (Chile/Canada) Rony Zimerman is a noted mining-projects specialist. Nicolás Espina also assists with project development matters, while associate Camila O’Shea‘s practice includes energy and infrastructure projects’ work.

Chile > Venture capital Tier 4

With extensive experience in corporate and financial matters, Lembeye‘s three-member practice advises founders and investment funds on private equity and VC deals, including strategic investments, M&A transactions, and securities’ offerings. The group’s expertise ranges from the structuring and formation of corporations, to advising on corporate, tax, labour and regulatory matters. It additionally assists with designing stock option plans with collaborators, as well as negotiating initial investment rounds and investment agreements. The experience of founding partner Jorge Lembeye includes the structuring of funds, while Nicolas Espina advises entrepreneurs and start-ups throughout growth stages.

Chile > Dispute resolution: litigation Tier 6

Lembeye‘s dispute resolution (arbitration and litigation) and criminal law department is led by Daniel Praetorius, a January 2020 partner-hire from Bofill Escobar Silva Abogados who undertakes both civil and criminal litigation, as well as defence in administrative sanctioning proceedings. Completed by  associate Lukas Hudson, the niche, two-member team is particularly active in disputes involving construction contracts and energy projects.

Chile > Tax