Yrarrázaval, Ruiz-Tagle, Ovalle, Salas & Vial

‘Offering clients a level of specialisation that is unmatched in the Chilean market’, Yrarrázaval, Ruiz-Tagle, Ovalle, Salas & Vial fields ’formidable’ experts in both investment and commercial international arbitration, who provide ‘excellent representation in exceptionally complex matters’. The practice is consistently sought out to act in high-stakes construction, energy, telecoms and finance-related matters; while recent highlights include acting for Zurich Chile (Chilena Consolidada Seguros de Vida) in a $162m arbitration against pension fund administrator companies (further to Chile’s 2020 legislation allowing citizens to withdraw a portion of their pension funds). The practice’s principal figures are professor of international arbitration at the Catholic University School of Law, Gerardo Ovalle, who has substantial experience before both domestic and international arbitral tribunals, his track record also including being appointed as arbitrator in several cases; and Fernando Salas, who focuses on construction, energy, real estate and unfair competition disputes under the Santiago Arbitration and Mediation Centre (CAM Santiago) and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) rules. The next line of key practitioners are: civil and commercial litigator Aníbal Vial, who has notable experience in high-stakes cases before both courts and arbitral tribunals; and Miguel Dibarrart, who represents national and international companies in heavyweight domestic and international arbitrations.