Fielding ‘a team with great legal knowledge and extensive experience’, BACS Abogados is well-known for its expertise in crisis management and reputation protection. The firm’s 11-strong white-collar crime practice is consistently mandated by significant corporate and individual clients for high-stakes white-collar investigations, litigation and compliance work; and it stands out for its successful track record in assisting with environmental disputes-related white-collar crime cases. It also regularly assists with criminal complaints against online gambling sites. In recent highlights, the team assisted Merama Holdings and Merama Growth with filing criminal complaints for fraud, misappropriation, disloyal administration, and forgery of private commercial documents. The firm is home to several experienced practitioners, namely: Marcos Contreras, a specialist in financial fraud, economic crimes, money laundering and crimes against the environment; Miguel Schürmann, whose recent workload includes representing the Mayor of Santiago (Irací Hassler Jacobs) in a case involving the fraudulent purchase of the Sierra Bella medical centre; Alejandro Awad, who ‘tries to resolve issues quickly’; and José Pedro Silva (a partner since April 2023), who routinely acts in complex white-collar crime cases. The department further showcases Antonio Bascuñán, whose experience includes being involved in the development of bill No 13204-07, which extends corporate criminal liability.

Focused exclusively on dispute resolution work, Bofill Escobar Silva Abogados' ‘exceptional lawyers’ routinely act in complex disputes before both local and foreign courts, governmental authorities and international arbitration tribunals. The sizeable team’s caseload frequently covers politically sensitive or high-profile matters that include commercial, reputational and financial issues. Its wide-ranging expertise further covers the development of crime prevention models, complex economic crimes, investigations into corruption allegations, and crimes committed against Chile’s critical infrastructure. Examples include the group’s handling of several mandates that result from the country’s October 2019 social crisis. Other recent highlights for the practice include assisting Australis with filing a criminal complaint for disloyal administration against its former management; and conducting an investigation on behalf of Cintac into the former management of a Peruvian company that it acquired. The department is co-led by renowned commercial litigation, international arbitration and white-collar crime specialist Jorge Bofill, who is ‘capable of capturing, deducing and proposing innovative solutions’; and the ‘very thorough’ César Ramos, whose experience includes being a member of the 2018-convened Criminal Procedures Code Reform Commission. At associate level, former Public Defender Andrea Lema acts for both victims and defendants in criminal litigation before Chile’s criminal trial courts and the Santiago Court of Appeals.

Home to ‘excellent professionals in the field of criminal law’, López Escobar del Río is also widely respected for its expertise in civil and administrative law issues, particularly in relation to the financial, retail, electricity, ports, mining, banking, telecoms and infrastructure sectors. Recent highlights for the practice include defending former army general Cristián Le Dantec in a criminal investigation against several former Chilean Army commanders-in-chief for alleged embezzlement of public funds. The team’s principal figures are criminal, civil and commercial litigation specialist, Julián López Masle, whose track record includes leading the defence of the Penta Group’s controllers, in relation to criminal proceedings concerning alleged tax and bribery offences; and José Ignacio Escobar Opazo, whose experience includes defending Camanchaca in an investigation into irregular financing of political campaigns and alleged bribery of public officials. Escobar’s expertise also extends to cases involving environmental law issues. In a major boost to the group, former senior associate Ignacio Ananías Zaror, a trial lawyer who routinely defends high-stakes white-collar crime cases, was promoted to partner in January 2024. Ananías’ experience further extends to advising the Ministry of Justice and the Senate on criminal law bills. Former associates Carla Lagomarsino Talma and Monserrat Cárcamo left the firm in July 2023 and April 2024, respectively.

‘Recognised for being one of the best criminal and compliance firms locally’, litigation represents approximately 60% of BCP Abogados' workload. The 10-strong practice specialises in both defending economic crime allegations and handling criminal compliance, its expertise covering anti-corruption, money laundering prevention and counterterrorism. It also advises on tax crime, contentious administrative cases, and crimes by public officers. In international litigation, the firm stands out for its experience in defending human rights and crimes against humanity cases before the International Criminal Court and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The team is co-led by former Undersecretary of Justice Juan Ignacio Piña, who specialises in the development and implementation of crime prevention strategies; Francisco Cox, whose track record includes various litigation cases at national and international levels; and criminal litigation and compliance expert Matías Balmaceda, who is ‘always willing to provide excellent care and practical solutions’. Balmaceda’s experience includes designing and implementing crime prevention models for over 150 companies from a range of sectors. At associate level, senior Guillermo Cantin is the firm’s litigation director, his practice covering criminal litigation and military justice; and the career of litigation leader Mariella Pirozzi includes a stint as a legal intern at the Centre for Justice and International Law.

With ‘solid knowledge of criminal investigations and trials’, Carey's multidisciplinary law team specialises in highly complex litigation at both national and international levels. Assisting with risk prevention, internal investigations and how to respond to criminal contingencies, the department focuses on economic and tax crimes, violations of anti-corruption laws, domestic and international asset laundering, and breaches of industrial and intellectual property legislation. The full-service firm also fields experts in cybercrime. In recent highlights, the group acted in a criminal investigation, which was initiated further to a criminal unfair administration complaint for the falsification of financial and accounting records. The six-strong department is co-led by Gonzalo Fernández, who focuses on litigation, national and international arbitration, securities, and corporate and business law; and senior counsel and criminal law specialist Rodrigo Aldoney, who predominantly advises on economic crimes, fraud, environmental offences, antitrust, and general litigation. ‘Highlighted not only for his knowledge but also for his availability’, Aldoney additionally assists corporate boards with compliance issues, disputes, and internal corporate investigations. In the firm’s associate ranks, the wide-ranging criminal law practice of senior Eduardo Alcaíno focuses on white-collar crime, compliance work and complex litigation. Former associate Caterina Ravera departed the firm in late 2023.

‘Always on top of its cases’, Albagli Zaliasnik's criminal litigation team handles complex and large-scale investigations before Chile’s criminal representation agencies, including the Investigations Police, the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Courts of Justice, the Courts of Appeals, and the Supreme Court. The litigation practice is headed up by founding partner and criminal law specialist, Gabriel Zaliasnik, who focuses on complex economic crimes and extradition proceedings. Zaliasnik’s recent experience includes serving as coordinator for the Chilean Ministry of Justice’s Criminal Procedure Code Reform Commission. The team also includes criminal group director Loreto Hoyos, who is a specialist in economic crime-related cases; and up-and-coming senior, David Segall, who focuses on legal strategy development and acting as counsel in complex litigation, primarily in relation to economic crimes.

Cariola Díez Pérez-Cotapos' five-member white-collar crime and investigations practice focuses on criminal litigation, investigations and compliance assessments, the latter covering risk control and compliance programmes. The team’s experience extends to cases involving fraud, unlawful administration, IP issues, corruption, and environmental and tax crimes; while in addition to the practice’s work on behalf of individual executives, it also handles matters related to corporate criminal liability. The department is led by Jorge Boldt, a specialist in both company and economic crimes. In the firm’s associate team, senior Lorena Avendaño routinely assists with defence-side criminal matters; Simona Marquet's experience includes internal investigations into fraud and corruption; and Cristóbal Lema and Camila Arenas also both advise on white-collar crime.

‘A benchmark firm in Chile and the region due to its high-level specialism in criminal law’, Etcheberry García Abogados' white-collar crime law practice covers the identification and prevention of possible criminal risks, as well as pre-dispute advice. Its areas of expertise include fraud, embezzlement, disloyal management, conflicts of interests and unlawful negotiation, as well as customs offences, financial crimes, bankruptcy offences, and tax and securities fraud. It also advises on the corruption of public officials, money laundering, and the criminal liability of corporations. Economic crime expert René García Cusacovich ‘provides excellent support in criminal matters’, while criminal litigator Matías Hiriart is ‘a lawyer with excellent skills’.

‘Methodical in analysing all the possible options of each case’, approximately 75% of Giroux Vial Abogados' workload involves cases concerning economic or white-collar crimes. The dispute resolution practice is composed of specialists in criminal law, competition issues, administrative criminal law, and civil and commercial litigation. Moreover, the boutique firm also fields experts in regulatory compliance, the criminal liability of individuals and legal entities, and anti-money laundering prevention. The group is co-led by founding partners Cristophe Giroux, who focuses on crime prevention, criminal litigation, crimes committed by officials, and economic, financial and tax crimes; in conjunction with ‘excellent lawyer’ Salvador Vial, who is ‘assertive and effective’. Intermediate associate Esteban De Carolis is also noted.

Boutique law firm Merino y Cía. Abogados specialises in high-stakes white-collar crime cases and corporate compliance work. The four-member team predominantly acts for companies, but is increasingly mandated to defend high-profile individuals, such as managers and CEOs against criminal charges. It also routinely defends government authorities in relation to white-collar crimes. The group is co-led by regulatory and economic criminal law litigation specialist, Eugenio Merino Palacios, who ‘stands out for his technical and practical knowledge’; and fellow founding partner Javier Wilenmann Von Bernath, whose recent experience includes representing Karl Gross, a German transportation and logistics company, in corporate fraud-related criminal proceedings filed against its former CEO and former chief commercial officer.

In addition to its notable labour law specialism, Estudio Navarro Abogados' white-collar team advises national companies from the energy, metallurgy, pharmaceutical, construction, transportation, banking and financial services, and agri-food production industries on criminal matters, including representation during complex trials. The group also assists with the development of policies to prevent crimes being committed within companies, as well as crime prevention models in compliance with Law 20,393. The practice is co-led by former head of the Economic Crimes Unit at the Public Ministry’s National Public Prosecutor’s Office, Catalina Navarro; and international justice and economic and transnational crime specialist, Carlos Vernaza.

Silva & Urrutia Abogados was established in January 2024, following the decision of Darío Silva Villagrán, the former name-partner and criminal law department head at Montero, Silva & Valdés, to launch a firm exclusively focused on criminal law and white-collar crime. Silva, who ‘stands out for his deep legal knowledge and vast experience in various types of cases’, is a well-known expert in financial crime work and corruption allegations. The practice covers complex criminal cases, as well as the development of compliance models. The new firm also includes young criminal law expert Juan Enrique Urrutia, who joined as partner from Hermosilla Abogados.

Bartucevic Piergentili fields a five-strong team that predominantly focuses on criminal and civil law-related litigation. The practice’s expertise covers legal representation in criminal matters, conflict resolution advice and assistance with preventing criminal liability. The firm’s clients range from pharmaceutical, food, transportation and insurance companies, to mining, energy and retail entities. The team is led by former Rivadeneira Colombara Zegers partner, Rodrigo Piergentili, an economic crime specialist who ‘has the ability to find simple solutions to highly complex issues’. Piergentili is supported by Pelayo Vial, an expert in complex criminal cases.

Dal Pozzo Medina Abogados‘ ‘expertise is extraordinary and covers all areas of criminal law’. The six-strong team is highly experienced in complex litigation, predominantly economic crime and corporate criminal-liability matters. It is particularly experienced in cases that have high media exposure. The practice also increasingly assists members of corporate boards of directors and their senior executives with decision-making that involves potential criminal risks. It also advises on compliance models. The team is co-led by the ‘very dedicated’ Sebastián Dal Pozzo, whose track record includes defence-side white-collar crime litigation; and Gonzalo Medina, who consistently acts in high-profile economic criminal cases. Associate Felipe Oyarzún is also noted.

‘A boutique office that chooses the cases in which it intervenes’, Harasic ǀ Barros is routinely involved in high-profile criminal cases that have significant public exposure. Examples include the five-strong team’s representation of the Association of Health Insurance Providers (Isapres) in a fraud case involving the issue of medical licences. The practice is co-led by civil, criminal, constitutional and administrative litigation specialist Davor Harasic, who is ‘deservedly ​​one of the most prominent practitioners in the country; and criminal disputes expert Ivan Harasic and Natalia Barros, whose representative experience includes involvement in the La Polar and Penta Group cases, and representing the interests of Codelco in a large-value fraud, respectively.

Lembeye routinely plays key roles in headline white-collar criminal cases on behalf of both individuals and companies. The firm’s criminal and dispute resolution practices are led by Daniel Praetorius, formerly the co-head of Bofill Escobar Silva Abogados' white-collar group. Praetorius has extensive experience in representing domestic and foreign clients in civil and criminal litigation, as well as administrative sanctioning proceedings; his expertise also extends to advising on compliance programmes and internal corporate investigations. Key support is provided by associate Lukas Hudson whose litigious practice takes in civil, white collar, regulatory, administrative and economic public law matters.