The Lain American Lawyer: March 2018 Latam_March 2018 | Page 6

News
Pro-business credentials of new Chilean president set to trigger
more M&A
Mining and energy sectors also expected to generate more work as business confidence returns
Lawyers in Chile are anticipating an
increase in M&A work following the
election of Sebastián Piñera as the
country’s president
The election of Piñera – seen as
having pro-business credentials
– ended a period of uncertainty
in which deals slowed down or
stopped completely, lawyers
say. According to Javier Ybáñez,
Matías Zegers, DLA Piper BAZ|NLD
a partner at Garrigues in Spain,
Piñera’s victory is likely to cause
an increase in economic activity,
as many projects on hold are set
to be developed. Meanwhile,
Garrigues’ Chile-based partner Luis
Felipe Merino says the result of the
presidential election means that
“most likely, we should see an active
M&A market”.
Jaime Carey, managing partner at
Carey, says the country’s existing tax
and labour regulations post many
challenges for businesses, while
obtaining environmental approval
for deals can be difficult. However,
he adds that he expects an incre