While Chile’s economy may have slowed down in the past few years, there has been no shortage of work for the country’s law firms. Despite the slowdown, foreign investors
remain interested in doing business in the country.
Jaime Carey, managing partner of Chile’s largest law firm, explained that Carey has more than 230 legal professionals to keep up with the continuing interest from international companies and businesspeople.
“We have the opportunity to employ lawyers who are involved in every area of the field and keep on growing,” he said.
Carey was instrumental in many significant deals involving local and foreign companies. It advised Banco de Crédito e Inversiones (BCI) on its acquisition of a Miami-based bank, to date the largest buyout of an American company by a Chilean company. It also participated in foreign partnership negotiations with Chile’s national oil company, ENAP.
Because of its long history of working with Japanese companies, the firm has developed a deep understanding of how the Japanese do business and how best to meet their needs. Its reputation led to contracts to represent its clients in their domestic and regional expansion plans.
As Japanese companies realize the advantages of making Chile a starting point for their Latin American expansion, Carey offers valuable advice: “Chile is a stable country in the sense that the rule of law will continue. It’s a good long-term country to invest in because we’ve established a tradition of a strong legal system and legal institutions and I think we’ll continue this tradition.”
