Mr Rodrigo Ochagavía > Claro & Cia. > Santiago, Chile > Lawyer Profile

Claro & Cia.‘s 29-strong banking and financing practice has a strong market reputation for its advice to commercial and investment banks, private equity sponsors, strategic investors, issuers, and borrowers. Delivering ‘prompt, efficient attention with complete knowledge of the issues addressed’, the broad finance practice covers multi-lateral and cross-border financings, project finance and loans, as well as corporate finance, LBOs, working capital facilities and structured financing. In relation to projects, the team comprises experts in hydro, renewables, thermo-electric, combined-cycle power plants, transmission lines, and oil and gas pipelines; and its experience extends to assisting developers with financing, partnerships, and greenfield project-related regulatory issues. Large-value highlights include advising Sociedad Transmisora Metropolitana on a $1.1bn dual-currency secured syndicated acquisition loan to partially finance its $1.5bn acquisition of Enel Transmisión Chile. Focused on the energy, mining, pension, infrastructure and insurance sectors, Rodrigo Ochagavía has deep banking and finance experience; José Luis Ambrosy‘s practice includes brownfield and greenfield project financing; Jorge Martín is a renewable energy project expert; and Cristóbal Eyzaguirre is a banking law specialist. The practice also showcases project finance practitioner Ariel Mihovilovic; José María Eyzaguirre F, who focuses on cross-border transactions; and M&A head José María Eyzaguirre B, whose practice includes infrastructure project financing. Beyond the partnership, counsel Philippa Cooper (banking and finance, capital markets, project finance and M&A) and senior associate Carmen Luz Chavarría (project finance) provide primary support. Active intermediate associate Rafael Mackay is also noted.

‘On the front line of new legal developments and cutting-edge practices’, legal market stalwart Claro & Cia. is home to a 14-strong reorganisation and insolvency practice that acts for major companies on the restructuring and rescheduling of their liabilities, as well as the negotiation of payment and creditor agreements. On the creditor side, the team routinely assists with bankruptcy liquidation processes and reorganisation agreements. Highlights for the practice include its current representation of LATAM Airlines, in relation to the reorganisation of its business globally under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code. It is also advising Citigroup Latinoamérica on Chilean bankruptcy and restructuring issues. The group’s key practitioners include civil and commercial litigation and arbitration expert, Nicolás Luco; M&A practice head José María Eyzaguirre B; Rodrigo Ochagavía, who regularly acts for creditors and debtors; and Felipe Larraín, an expert in M&A, business organisations and corporate finance, particularly in relation to cross-border mandates. The team also includes well-known litigator Cristóbal Eyzaguirre, whose broad practice includes restructuring work; bankruptcy specialist José Miguel Huerta; and Ariel Mihovilovic, who assists with both transactional and contentious matters.

‘An extraordinary firm in Chile’, Claro & Cia. ‘ensures excellent professional advice’. Acting for investment banks and issuers worldwide, the 16-strong capital markets team structures sophisticated securities transactions involving multilateral financings and cross-border capital flows. The team’s expertise covers public and private offerings, including IPOs, equity deals, project bonds, and investment-grade and high-yield debt offerings, as well as securities exchange listings, exchange offers, cash and debt tender offers, and hybrid securities. The firm additionally houses robust regulatory compliance and corporate governance practices. Major highlights included the practice’s involvement in the restructuring of LATAM Airlines, which involved a large capital issuance in Chile. The group is co-led by Rodrigo Ochagavía, who is particularly focused on the energy, mining, banking, infrastructure, insurance and pension fund sectors; and José Luis Ambrosy, whose capital markets expertise includess project bonds. The department further showcases Felipe Larraín, an adviser on cross-border deals involving foreign investors – particularly public transactions involving tender offers, securities laws and corporate governance issues; banking equity specialist Luisa Núñez; and José María Eyzaguirre F and Juan José León, who both advise on capital markets’ matters. Counsel Cristián Lagos‘ wide-ranging practice also includes securities law and capital markets offerings. At associate level, experienced semi-senior Nicolás Aspillaga has had a certain focus on equity deals of late – particularly capital increases, while up-coming intermediate María Jesús Argandoña has been busy on local bond issuances.

‘A one-stop-shop with exceptional professionals in each area’, Claro & Cia.‘s 36-strong practice has an enviable market reputation for cross-border M&A, tender offers for publicly-listed companies, and corporate governance work. The full-service practice covers due diligence and strategic structuring, as well as negotiations and complex acquisition agreement drafting. Its expertise also extends to domestic and international contract negotiations, distribution strategies, private equity and venture capital transactions. The team is led by cross-border M&A transaction expert José María Eyzaguirre B, who ‘has outstanding negotiation and execution skills’. Also integral to the department: regulated sector specialist Rodrigo Ochagavía is a specialist in energy, pension fund and insurance company-related M&A; Matías de Marchena is an experienced energy M&A practitioner; Felipe Larraín is routinely involved in cross-border transactions involving foreign investors, particularly public deals concerning tender offers, securities laws, and corporate governance issues; and José Luis Ambrosy, who advises on energy M&A alongside his financing and capital markets workloads. The practice further comprises Ariel Mihovilovic, an adviser on the acquisition and sale of energy sector assets; Juan José León, who assists with fund and asset manager-related M&A; cross-border deal practitioner José María Eyzaguirre F; and regulated markets expert Joaquín Rodriguez, an adviser on telecoms, energy and gas industry-related M&A. Beyond the partner level, counsel Philippa Cooper, senior associate Josefina Covarrubias and experienced associates Vicente Allende and Rafael Mackay have all been active in transactional matters over the last year.

Claro & Cia. houses ‘one of the best energy and natural resources teams in Chile’. Focused on energy, environmental law, renewables, energy transition, and mining, the full-service firm’s large project development practice handles long-term energy contract negotiations, backup agreements, power and gas plants, mining project finance and regulatory matters. The group’s expertise encompasses the development, construction, acquisition, sale and financing of energy and gas projects; and it is increasingly called on to advise on hydrogen mandates. On the renewable energy side, the department assists with hydro, wind, and solar projects. It additionally handles transmission lines, substations, gas plants and liquefied gas terminals. The practice is led by energy law specialist Rodrigo Ochagavía, whose track record includes structuring off-take agreements, energy-related financings and decarbonisation processes. The team further showcases José Luis Ambrosy, a regular adviser on major brownfield and greenfield projects, renewable energy-related corporate matters and gas terminals; Ariel Mihovilovic who (with an ‘impeccable work ethic’) predominantly focuses on off-take agreements, greenfield development and financing, project refinancing, hydro power plants, and the acquisition and sale of renewable energy sector assets; cross-border corporate and project finance specialist Luisa Núñez; and José María Eyzaguirre F, an expert in M&A, business organisations, finance and corporate matters.

Claro & Cia. houses ‘a deep bench and agile and commercially-oriented partners’. The sizeable project development team is consistently sought out to advise on high-profile energy and infrastructure projects, including greenfield and brownfield projects. It also fields experts in power plants, transmission lines and substations. The group’s representative workload routinely encompasses project finance, development and construction work, as well as operational issues, acquisitions, sales, and infrastructure-related public concessions. Its expertise further extends to engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreements, along with operation and maintenance (O&M) contracts. The practice is led by Rodrigo Ochagavía, who has extensive experience in projects and infrastructure; Jorge Martín assists with the structuring, developing and financing of international infrastructure and transportation projects, as well as the acquisition and sale of energy and infrastructure assets; and José Luis Ambrosy who ‘knows his projects very well’. Also key to the firm’s offering, Luisa Núñez‘s wide-ranging expertise includes project finance; Ariel Mihovilovic is an energy and project finance specialist; Hernán Felipe Valdés is an adviser on the development of construction and development projects; and José María Eyzaguirre F‘s broad sector expertise covers energy and infrastructure. Counsel Patricio Smart is experienced in the negotiation of project-related O&M and EPC contracts.