Mr Felipe Larraín > Claro & Cia. > Santiago, Chile > Lawyer Profile

Widely-lauded for its sophistication, Claro & Cia. is particularly well known for its M&A work involving publicly-listed clients. The large practice is routinely mandated to advise on significant acquisition agreements, in relation to cross-border mergers, share and asset deals, takeovers and exchange offers; and the team’s expertise covers due diligence and structuring work, along with negotiations and complex drafting. The department’s principal figures include senior partner and renowned M&A specialist José María Eyzaguirre B who advises on cross-border deals, tender offers, public transactions and corporate governance; Rodrigo Ochagavía, whose track record is particularly strong as regards energy sector-related clients including generation, transmission and distribution companies; Matías de Marchena, who is experienced in M&A, corporate finance and capital markets; and cross-border transactions expert Felipe Larraín. Also key to the group, Juan José León‘s broad practice covers restructuring work, and José María Eyzaguirre F, a former visiting attorney at Shearman & Sterling LLP‘s New York office. Also of note, counsel Patricio Smart specialises in corporate law, M&A, project finance and energy. Former partner Ariel Mihovilovic  left the firm in February 2023 to become a candidate for Chile’s Constitutional Council.

Legal market powerhouse Claro & Cia. fields a sizeable reorganisation and insolvency team that covers the gamut of insolvency matters and is consistently sought out for high-level restructuring work (both domestically and internationally). In what probably constitutes the most high profile matter of recent years, the team is currently co-lead advisor (in conjunction with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton) on the multibillion-dollar bankruptcy and restructuring process of LATAM Airlines, the first Chapter 11 proceedings of a public company in Chile. More typically, representative work includes advising company clients on the restructuring and rescheduling of their liabilities, along with negotiating payment and creditor agreements, and assisting creditors with insolvency proceedings and reorganisation agreements. Department head Nicolás Luco is a civil and commercial litigation and arbitration specialist; M&A leader José María Eyzaguirre B is notably active in major restructurings; and Rodrigo Ochagavía, Cristóbal Eyzaguirre and Santiago Bravo all assist with reorganisation and insolvency matters. Also integral to the department are cross-border expert Felipe Larraín; José Miguel Huerta, whose wide-ranging practice covers bankruptcy work; and bankruptcy and restructuring specialist José María Eyzaguirre F. Raised to the partnership in January 2022, Álvaro Vives is also active in the sector.

Acting for issuers, financiers, initial purchasers, selling shareholders, and institutional and individual investors, Claro & Cia. houses a go-to practice for high-stakes domestic and international securities deals, including public and private offerings. The team’s scope of expertise ranges from IPOs, project-related bond issuances, high-yield and investment-grade debt and equity offerings, to listings on stock exchanges, exchange offers, offers for share acquisitions and debt securities, and hybrid securities. The department features several widely-respected partners, namely: Rodrigo Ochagavía, whose expertise covers the energy, mining, banking and insurance sectors; José Luis Ambrosy, an expert in capital markets-related projects involving the Chilean authorities; and Felipe Larraín, who is particularly focused on deals with foreign counterparties. Luisa Núñez and Juan José León are additional highly-rated capital markets’ transactions partners, while Cristián Lagos is an experienced counsel. Nicolás Aspillaga and María Jesús Argandoña are the associates to note.