Firm Profile

Acuña & Compañía Abogados

Latin America Guide 2024

Ranked departments
Ranked lawyers
Latin America

Acuña & Compañía Abogados

Acuña & Compañía Abogados

Contact number

+56 22 206 4237

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About

Provided by Acuña & Compañía Abogados
Latin America
Firm Overview:
Acuña, Hoetz & Cifuentes continues to be one of the few absolutely specialist firms in this area and is the undisputed market leader in insurance and reinsurance, with a focus on high-value losses. The firm provides customised, top-quality legal advice to local and international insurance/reinsurance companies and brokers. Matters relating to arbitration and litigation are a particular area of expertise.

In the 2020 edition of Chambers and Partners "Latin America Client’s Guide", the firm and Alejandro Acuña were ranked in Band 1, an honour they had previously been awarded in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Clients described him as “an excellent litigator,” adding: “He is probably one of the best and most well-recognised lawyers in Chile.” On the other hand, Felipe Hoetz has been ranked as Up-and-coming individual (2016), Band 3 (2017 and 2018) and Band 2 (2019 and 2020). The team also benefits from Luis Cifuentes’ superb recognition for his litigation expertise. The sum of their individual talents has merged to consolidate the firm as a professional team without precedent in Chile.

In the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers, the firm was named 'Law Firm of the Year' and while Alejandro Acuña (Lawyer of the Year 2015) and Felipe Hoetz were ranked as Leading Lawyers under Insurance Law, Luis Cifuentes was ranked as Leading Lawyer under Criminal Defense.

In 2020, Leaders League ranked the firm, Alejandro Acuña and Felipe Hoetz, as Leading Firm and Leading Lawyers under “Dispute resolution - Claims and insurance litigation”.

In the 2019 edition of The Legal 500's 'Clients’ Guide to the Latin America Legal Profession' the firm and Alejandro Acuña were ranked as Leading Firm and Leading Lawyer, honours they had previously been awarded in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. In turn, Felipe Hoetz is ranked as Leading Lawyer (2018 and 2019) and described as 'always available to help out, prompt in his responses, diplomatic, and knowledgeable of all aspects of the cases he works on.' Latin Lawyer also ranked the firm as Recommended.

Main Areas of Practice:

The team advises an impressive portfolio of domestic and international clients across the insurance and reinsurance spectrum.

Recent matters in which the partners have been involved include:

■ Representing Chubb, Liberty, Sura and AIG Chile (now Southbridge) in ongoing recovery actions against Costanera Norte (highway concessionaire owned by Atlantia), Sacyr (its contractor) and Chile´s Ministry of Public Works (MOP) in respect of damages to corporate buildings flooded as a consequence of the diversion of Santiago´s Mapocho River
■ Successfully representing insurers in arbitration proceedings initiated by BBVA Bank Chile (now Scotiabank), seeking additional compensation as a consequence of having to evacuate their corporate building due to the Mapocho River flood
■ Advising Swiss Re during the loss adjustment procedure of the worst wildfires in Chilean history
■ Providing legal advice to loss adjuster 'Viollier' regarding claims filed by several supermarket and pharmacy chains, as a consequence of the October 2019 protests, which led to the most violent unrest Chile has seen since the return of democracy in 1990
■ Representing insurers in ongoing proceedings against 'La Polar' (at the time Chile's fourth-largest retailer) and its directors and officers, regarding a D&O policy, in what has been described as 'the most significant revelation of corporate fraud in the modern history of the Chilean business community'
■ Representing insurers during the ongoing loss adjustment procedure of a claim filed by Aguas Andinas, owned by Agbar/Suez, resulting from the oil spill at its ESSAL plant, which left the city of Osorno without drinking water supply for 10 days
■ Representing insurers in ongoing recovery actions arising from a claim paid to their insured AES Gener, as a consequence of an explosion at their Ventanas power plant
■ Successful defence of insurers in arbitration proceedings initiated by the Iquique Casino in respect of earthquake-related losses. The award was confirmed by Chile's Supreme Court
■ Representing insurers in ongoing recovery actions arising from a claim paid to their insured Walmart, as a consequence of a fire at one of its biggest supermarkets in Chile
■ Representing insurers in arbitration proceedings initiated by their insured, stockbroker 'FIT', claiming alleged losses from dishonest acts committed by its owners, who were criminally convicted
■ Representing insurance broker 'Recover' before Chile's Financial Markets Commission and Consumer Protection Agency, as well as in arbitration proceedings, against Metlife and United Health Group's Santa Maria Clinic, due to the termination of collective insurance policies
■ Representing insurance broker 'Blanlot' in arbitration proceedings with broker “THB” regarding the sale of its customer portfolio and unfair competition charges
■ Providing insurers with coverage opinions regarding a maritime claim filed by Cummins Chile
■ Advising local importers in respect of Institute Frozen Food clauses
■ Advising reinsurers during the loss adjustment procedure of a claim regarding a Cessna Citation 680 Sovereign aircraft
■ Representing reinsurers in ongoing recovery actions in respect of a damaged Agusta 109SP helicopter
■ Providing foreign clients re/insurance regulatory advice in relation to the handling of claims arising from the provision of cover to commercial customers in Chile
■ Advising foreign clients regarding the applicable regulatory considerations for a foreign Insurer to write re/insurance business in Chile

Ranked Offices

Provided by Acuña & Compañía Abogados

Chile - Head office

Acuña & Compañía Abogados rankings

Latin America Guide 2024
Chile
Insurance
1 Department
2 Ranked Lawyers
Department
Insurance
1
Insurance
1
Band 1
Lawyers
Alejandro Acuña Murray
1
Alejandro Acuña Murray
1
Band 1
Luis Cifuentes
3
Luis Cifuentes
3
Band 3