Thanks to its presence across three Latin American nations, Philippi Prietocarrizosa Ferrero DU & Uría (Chile) stands out from competitors in the Chilean legal market. Its Santiago-based team benefits from PPU’s regional corporate offering, but the firm’s Chilean energy, environmental and disputes capabilities are also highly-regarded.
As a member of the world’s first major Iberian-American law firm, PPU (Chile) works with its counterparts in Chile and Colombia, fostering a collaborative working environment that helps the firm stand out. The firm facilitates cross-border matters with ease as it can work in all three jurisdictions in a deal under one partner’s guidance. Meanwhile, establishing a presence in Mexico is part of PPU’s long-term plan and would give the firm a presence in every Pacific Alliance nation.
PPU’s transactional offering in Chile has been active recently, particularly with energy and natural resources transactions. It strengthened its natural resources practice group last year by merging with local boutique Carcelén, Desmadryl, Guzmán y Tapia Abogados, incorporating three partners. The firm appointed a new environmental partner at the start of 2022 to respond to client demand. Capital markets work also kept the firm busy, while its non-transactional practice groups are also noteworthy, including arbitration, tax and labour.
Managerial policies span all of PPU’s Latin American offices as part of its regional approach. There are regional exchange programmes and common career and training plans in all three jurisdictions. Its equal opportunities policy, with emphasis on gender diversity, not only helps retain talent but also creates a better working environment to attract some of Chile’s best young lawyers.
Partners work with all associates across practices, cultivating a collaborative and transparent working environment. Lawyers are encouraged to work across several teams to offer more comprehensive counsel to clients. Meanwhile, its management software helps integrate practice areas regionally, which makes controlling billable hours and expenses easier across the different jurisdictions.
According to a study, “Who Represents Latin America’s Biggest Companies”, published by the Latin American Corporate Counsel Association, which is affiliated to Latin Lawyer, PPU is the most popular firm in Chile among the largest corporates in the region for the third year in a row. PPU represents some 22 of the region’s approximately 100 biggest companies and draws clients from a good range of sectors, including agribusiness, mining, energy and telecoms. PPU (Chile) has a long list of major clients, such as Chilean mining group Codelco, local energy company ENAP, paper and pulp business CMPC and Telefónica.
In January 2022, Philippi Prietocarrizosa Ferrero DU & Uría mourned the sad passing of former regional co-chair Juan Francisco Gutiérrez, who played a significant role in the firm’s expansion in Latin America.
Management
Partner Andrés Sanfuentes is the country manager in Chile while Martín Acero in Bogotá directs operations across Chile, Colombia and Peru as the managing partner for the regional firm. The firm’s board members include Chile’s Carlos Alberto Reyes, Jorge Di Terlizzi in Colombia and Lima-based Walker Villanueva. The board includes Salvador Sánchez-Terán and Luis de Carlos from Uría Menéndez.
Offices
In addition to Santiago, Philippi Prietocarrizosa Ferrero DU & Uría has offices in Bogotá and Barranquilla in Colombia, and in Lima in Peru. The alliance is backed by Iberian firm Uría Menéndez, which has offices in Spain, Portugal, New York, Beijing, London and Brussels.
Alliances and networks
PPU benefits from Uría Menendez’s widespread connections, which intertwines it with some of the most esteemed firms internationally and in Latin America, including Slaughter & May LLP in the UK, Marval O’Farrell Mairal in Argentina and Galicia Abogados in Mexico.