Álvaro Araya

Criminal Litigation, Trial Practice, White Collar Crime, Compliance.

Partner at Alarcón Araya Abogados since 2014 (offices in Concepción and Santiago). Previously Public Criminal Defender (Defensor Penal Público) in the Biobío Region from 2003 to 2014, rising to Chief Defender (Defensor Jefe) in Concepción. He also served as Director of the first association of public criminal defenders in Chile. Earlier roles included Juvenile Criminal Defense Lawyer (2002 to 2003) and private practice at several Concepción law firms (2001 to 2003). Professor at Universidad de Concepción since 2015 across undergraduate, Master's and Diploma programs in Criminal and Procedural Law; litigation instructor in Chile and abroad, including training delivered in Mexico (2008). He has solid experience in Criminal Compliance.

1. "Naturaleza y finalidad de las medidas cautelares reales en el proceso penal chileno: un análisis dogmático y empírico para la coherencia de su régimen procesal" / "Nature and Purpose of Real Precautionary Measures in Chilean Criminal Procedure: A Dogmatic and Empirical Analysis for the Coherence of its Procedural Regime," Revista Política Criminal, 2026 (forthcoming).

2. "Procedimientos Sancionatorios de la Ley General de Pesca y Acuicultura" / "Sanctioning Procedures under the General Fishing and Aquaculture Law" in Procedimientos Civiles Especiales, Thomson Reuters, 2020, pp. 359 to 375.

3. "La Congruencia Procesal en la Jurisprudencia" / "Procedural Congruence in Case Law" Revista de Derecho, Universidad de Concepción, Nº235 to 236, 2014, pp. 79 to 107 (approximately).

4. "La Autoría en Comisión por Omisión" / "Perpetration through Omission" Actualidad Jurídica, Universidad del Desarrollo, Año 23, Nº25, 2012, pp. 583 to 630.

2026 Universidad de Navarra, Facultad de Derecho, Advanced Training Course "Fundamentos de Derecho Penal" (Foundations of Criminal Law). Directors: Mario Pereira and Pablo Sánchez-Ostiz.

2026 Diploma in Criminal Law, Universidad de Los Andes.

2017 Diploma in LATAM Compliance, Thomson Reuters.

2014 Ranked first in his class in the Master's program at Universidad de Concepción.

2008 Universidad de Chile, Facultad de Derecho, Postgraduate Diploma in Human Rights and Fair Trial.

2006 National Criminal Defense College, Mercer Law School, Macon, Georgia, USA – Trial Practice Institute.

1990 Graduated from Edgewood High School, Texas, USA.

Firm recognized by Chambers Latin America Guide, Dispute Resolution, White Collar Crime, Chile, 2025, 2026 y 2027;

Firm recognized by Leaders League, Derecho Penal Mercantil / Resolución de Conflictos, 2024, 2025 y 2026.

Practicing lawyer since 2001. Over two decades of criminal litigation experience, including institutional public criminal defense work from 2001 to 2014, followed by private practice and criminal compliance work since 2014. International experience training litigators.

Universidad de Concepción

Bechelor of Legal and Social Sciences

1991 - 1997

Universidad de Concepción

Master in Law

2011 - 2014