Contreras Velozo

Number of Partners: 5

Languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese

Firm Overview:

Established in 2015, Contreras Velozo combines the experience of over 30 years of high-standard legal service to foreign and national companies in strategic matters. The firm also advises governmental bodies in conflict management, dispute resolution and design of sectorspecific regulation.

Partners of the firm are recognised practitioners with a strong academic background who directly address their clients’ requirements. They serve as professors at some of the best law schools in Latin America and the Chilean Judicial Academy.

Contreras Velozo is particularly focused on cases overlapping multiple institutions and regulations, since the firm gathers well known experts in antitrust, arbitration, commercial litigation, public law and white-collar crime.

With a consolidated practice in merger control and M&A, the firm has been active in several national and cross-border commercial transactions during the last years. Contreras Velozo also provides day-by-day corporate legal services to a selected group of clients and it conducts internal compliances upon their request.

The firm keeps strategic alliances with several law firms and experts both in Chile and abroad.

Main Areas of Practice:

Dispute Resolution:

The firm handles its corporate cases with a preventive dispute resolution approach in both the civil and criminal areas, a combined expertise rarely found in the Chilean legal market. Its lawyers are known to be effective litigating before state tribunals in contractual, tort, unfair competition, consumer protection, constitutional and administrative claims. They permanently deliver successful oral arguments before several Courts of Appeals and the Chilean Supreme Court.

Arbitration:

Contreras Velozo has extensive experience in both national and international arbitrations, especially in cases of high complexity and large scale, such as multi-party and multi-contract procedures, as well as in sensitive injunctive relief. Its lawyers have participated in countless arbitrations in several industries, particularly in the construction, infrastructure, energy, finance, M&A and other corporate disputes. The firm is particularly known for its expertise in CAM Santiago and ICC Rules of Arbitration. Likewise, partners of the firm are appointed arbitrators on a regular basis.

Antitrust/Competition:

Contreras Velozo serves clients in all aspects of competition law, including merger control, cartels, abuse of dominance, follow-on damage litigation, non-contentious proceedings and compliance. The firm holds notable experience in regulated network industries, as it permanently advices corporations and governmental bodies active in markets such as telecommunications, energy, gas, transport, banking and public infrastructure.

Compliance & Investigations:

The firm provides permanent and comprehensive advice in order to prevent legal contingencies. Contreras Velozo is particularly regarded for the evaluation of legal risks through legal opinions, expert reports, and the design and implementation of compliance programs, especially in the field of crime prevention within the context of Corporate Criminal Liability Regulation (Law No. 20,393), as well as in the field of securities, labor law and antitrust.

Corporate/M&A:

Contreras Velozo provides comprehensive advice to companies in contract negotiation, corporate structures, mergers and acquisitions, due diligences, project finance, public-private partnerships, construction and real-estate projects, distribution and representation, stock markets, consumer protection, data privacy, among other corporate matters. The firm plays a significant role in the industries sectors of international finance, mining equipment, pharmaceuticals and logistics.

Public Law & Constitutional Law:

The firm represents its clients before sector-specific regulators and administrative courts, and it advises them on all aspects related to public law, including public procurement, administrative contracts, project developing and planning. Contreras Velozo also has a strong litigation practice defending clients before constitutional courts in fundamental rights cases.

White-Collar Crime:

Contreras Velozo provides expert advice in highly complex criminal trials, supporting its clients in every stage of the judicial processes. The firm specialises in economic, intellectual property and IT related criminal litigation, with an outstanding practice in emblematic trials, such as the extradition processes of former leaders of Argentina and Peru.

International Work:

Contreras Velozo holds a long-stand relation with international clients, and it is regularly involved in cross-border M&A transactions that simultaneously trigger antitrust and sector-specific filling obligations in different jurisdictions. Also, the firm deals with investigations concerning global offenses or that may cause other cross-border implications, such as the need of submitting extradition requests. In this context, the firm has built up a strong international network of several outstanding law firms located worldwide. This enable Contreras Velozo to offer a high-standard crossborder service without losing its independency.

Key Clients:

Aguas Andinas (the largest water utility company in Chile), Amaro Family (Brazilian investing group), APM Terminals (global port operating company) Astaldi (construction), Banco Santander (banking), Banco Security (banking), Bolloré Africa Logistics (transport and logistics operator), Caterpillar Financial Corporation (heavy-equipment global company), CEN (Chilean Electricity Coordinator), Direct TV (broadcast satellite service provider), Embotelladora Andina (one of the three largest Coca-Cola bottlers in Latin America), DGOP (Coordination of Public Works Concessions), Empresas Carozzi (one of the largest Chilean companies of the food industry), ENAP (the National Oil Corporation), Eukor Car Carriers (global car carrier company), Genzyme Corporation (biotechnology), Geodis (logistics), GNL Quintero (Chilean land-based terminal for liquefied natural gas), Inmobiliaria Manquehue (one of largest Chilean real-estate companies), Interamerican Bank of Development (IDB), Interamerican Investment Corporation (IIC), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Macquiare Mining, Multicaja (new entrant in the electronic payment industry), Mercado Libre (transnational company dedicated to e-commerce and online auctions), Rappi (Latin American unicorn delivery app), Redinterclínica (network of private hospitals in Chile), Sanofi-Aventis (global pharmaceutical corporation), Sanofi-Pasteur (vaccines division of Sanofi), Siemens AG (industrial manufacturing multinational company), Scotiabank (Chilean bank) Sigdo Koppers Ingeniería y Construcción S.A. (engineering and construction), Telefónica (main Chilean telecom provider), Tecno Fast (leading modular building company in South America).