Francisco Guzmán > Carey > Santiago, Chile > Lawyer Profile

The longstanding venture capital (VC) practice at full-service firm Carey is consistently mandated by local and international VC funds to advise on significant company purchases and sales. The sizeable group also assists start-ups during initial stages, as well as internationalisation processes. Heading up the ‘very solid’ team is Francisco Guzmán, the current President of the Chilean Venture Capital Association (ACVC), who plays a vital role in promoting Chile as an attractive destination for investors. Guzmán’s recent track record includes advising large corporate ventures, such as CMPC Ventures and Agunsa, as well as VC investors Genesis Ventures and Manutara Ventures, on their investments in tech start-ups. He also assists start-ups with their internationalisation plans. Within the firm’s enviable associate pool, the broad practices of Carlos Alcalde and Andrés Latorre cover VC deals; Sebastián Melero’s experience includes advising a fintech, which grants micro-loans to individuals and SMEs, on a financing round; and Carolina Miller focuses on commercial and corporate matters, M&A, and VC transactions.

Market leviathan Carey fields ‘lawyers with deep knowledge, specialisation and experience in M&A issues‘. The huge, 64-strong team is consistently involved in the structuring of headline M&A deals, including takeovers through public offerings, minority share purchases, acquisitions of companies and asset-packages, private equity deals, and asset purchases during insolvency processes and in the context of reorganisations. The firm’s numerous active practitioners included senior partner Jorge Carey, whose broad practice encompasses M&A, and corporate and business law; managing partner Jaime Carey T who routinely assists with landmark international transactions; Pablo Iacobelli – ‘the best M&A lawyer in Chile‘; and Salvador Valdés, who frequently acts for investment and private equity funds on the acquisition of strategic companies. Francisco Ugarte, Marcos Ríos and Cristián Figueroa, along with Cristián Eyzaguirre, Jorge Ugarte, Alejandra Daroch and Jaime Carey A are also highly-regarded M&A specialists; Guillermo Acuña advises on the corporate side of aviation matters; Patricia Silberman is ‘creative and commercial‘; and Francisco Guzmán assists with M&A, venture capital and private equity deals. Josefina Marshall is the senior associate to note. Former partner Claudio Lizana  departed to establish his own practice in December 2022.