Morales & Besa was founded in 1992 by a group of outstanding professionals in the areas of corporate, financial and tax law, with the purpose of achieving the highest standards of professionalism, ethics and quality of service. Since then, we have been committed to building a first class firm and providing excellent service.
Our firm seeks, selects and integrates the best legal talent based on their personal merit and skills, to train them in its culture of excellence and teamwork. Many of our lawyers have postgraduate degrees from leading law schools in the U.S. or Europe and have completed internships in renowned foreign law firms.
Most of our lawyers have a Master’s degree in Law, either from international or Chilean universities. Those who have studied abroad have had the opportunity to participate in a foreign associate program, having the option of joining some of the most prestigious law firms.
We are constantly invited and participate in the main international seminars and conferences in the various fields of law, such as those organized by the IBA, ABA and other prestigious institutions.
We have a policy of collaboration with leading law firms around the world, which opens the doors to the exchange of ideas, approaches, knowledge and experience, resulting in innovative solutions.
At Morales & Besa we provide services to all types of national and international commercial entities, including open and closed corporations. We provide advice on corporate, financial, tax and regulatory matters. We know that every business is different, and we provide personalized and creative advice, which is valued by our clients and reflected in the long-standing relationships we have with corporates from various sectors.
Our firm has extensive experience advising on, and deep knowledge of, sophisticated corporate structures; mergers and acquisitions; joint ventures; and shareholders’ agreements, especially in the context of foreign direct investments. We also provide advice on corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and restructurings.
Our experience in corporate matters has led from small companies to large multinational corporations choosing us as their local counsel. We advise them on highly complex transactions and foreign investment strategies to be carried out in Chile.
Our real estate and construction team advises on complex and diverse real estate and infrastructure projects. It works closely with our other practices, to provide our clients with comprehensive and in-depth advice on their real estate and construction matters. Our collaborative approach allows us to guide developers throughout the life of a project.
We combine our knowledge of private law in the negotiation of different types of contracts with the analysis of the regulatory, construction and urban planning issues that often arise in developments. We have advised different stakeholders on some of Chile’s most important and challenging projects. Our advice covers bidding, development, financing, construction and operation, including for highways, airports, hospital, water concession companies, power plants and transmission lines.
At Morales & Besa, we provide our clients with the full range of services in labor and employment law, advising all types of employers, both in the public and private sector, including foreign employers.
The areas on which we commonly provide advice are:
We conduct workshops and training courses on labor and immigration matters, and for specific legal labor issues.
Morales & Besa’s Litigation and Arbitration practice is central to what we do. We advice on all categories of disputes and conflicts. Our team works in an integrated manner with all the other practice areas of the firm.
We regularly represent our clients before ordinary and special courts. We also actively participate in arbitrations before the Arbitration and Mediation Center of the Santiago Chamber of Commerce (CAM), before the National Arbitration Center (CNA) and before special arbitrators, as well as before international arbitration centers, such as the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the American Arbitration Association (AAA).
The disputes we engage in on behalf of our clients are typically complex and significant for our clients. Our group of experienced lawyers are able to handle the sensitivities that this kind of dispute often throws up.
A number of our partners serve as arbitrators for the Arbitration and Mediation Center of the Santiago Chamber of Commerce (CAM) and the National Arbitration Center (CNA).
At Morales & Besa, we specialize in the registration and protection of trademarks; registration and protection of copyrights on a wide range of assets; protection and revocation of internet domain names; and, in the registration and protection of invention patents.
We advise our clients on the defense and protection of their intellectual and industrial property rights before the corresponding courts, matters in which our lawyers have extensive experience.
We provide strategic and general advice for the application of Chilean industrial and intellectual property law in matters such as the right to privacy and protection of individual rights, personal data, electronic documents and electronic signature legislation, free competition law, protection of consumer rights, advertising and health law.
Our Reorganization and Insolvency practice has advised clients on some of the most emblematic proceedings of the recent past. We have participated in almost all cross-border insolvency proceedings with effects in our country. We have experience representing both debtors and creditors in these proceedings, as well as in relevant local insolvency proceedings, mainly in insolvency reorganization.
We understand that liquidation is not the only path granted by the New Insolvency Law, and it is here where we face the most important challenges in relation to the insolvency of companies and the consequences of, for example, the Covid-19 pandemic: the reorganization of viable companies that suffer certain and temporary effects, and that may opt for this path, rather than lowering their curtains. We stand out because we are able to provide creative solutions, always ensuring that our client’s objectives and business strategies are met.
Morales & Besa provides legal advice to natural (individuals) and legal persons (corporates) regarding economic crimes, tax, environmental, cybercrime, money laundering, violation of anti-corruption laws and infringements of intellectual property laws. We provide support for clients both accused of committing a crime, or who have been victims of a criminal offense.
If a person is a victim or has been charged with the commission of a crime, Morales & Besa will take on the defense of our clients’ interests, both in the prior investigation stage before the Ministerio Público and in the trial, known as Juicio Oral (oral trial), before the corresponding Courts with criminal jurisdiction.
Additionally, given the criminal liability that could fall on a legal entity, we advise companies and organizations through the design and implementation of crime prevention mechanisms, anti-corruption programs or policies, and self-regulation and review of due diligence processes, based on the activities of each client and the risks they represent.
