Urzúa

Projects, engineering, and construction; and claims, litigation and arbitration on those fields.

Cristián Urzúa is partner of Urzúa Abogados.

He advises owners and contractors in infrastructure projects, in engineering and construction, from the idea of ​​developing a project, through the preparation of contracts and their performance, to litigation or liquidation, including claims.

Mr. Urzúa has been partner at Urzúa Abogados since 2017 and, previously, was director of the Arbitration and Litigation Group and engineering and construction specialist, at Carey & Allende – currently CMS Carey & Allende, Santiago (2015-2016); and senior associate (2009-2015); associate of the arbitration and litigation firm, Ortúzar, Águila & Concha -today Ortúzar Vergara & Boetsch, Santiago (2006-2008); and associate of the Arbitration and Litigation Group at Álvarez, Hinzpeter & Jana -now Bofill Mir & Álvarez Jana-, Santiago (2006-2008).

Mr. Urzúa usually writes about Construction Law topics in newspapers like El Mercurio Legal and Diario Financiero. Also, he teaches the subject at the most reputable universities in the country.

Some of their representative experience:

A mining company with global presence, in the contractual support of the construction of an expansion of mining infrastructure that required the performance of five packages of contracts, in various modalities, for USD 2,000 million. A construction company of power transmission lines, in the contractual support of the construction of one of the most important power transmission lines of the decade, for USD 250 million. An engineering company with global presence, in a domestic arbitration for USD 7 million, in a conflict related to impacts on term, costs and scope of the work, obtaining one of the few judgements that awarded a complaint against an arbitrator ex aequo et bono, in the last 15 years in Chile. A photovoltaic solar energy company, in a domestic arbitration for USD 8 million, in a dispute in connection with impacts on term, costs and scope of the work, obtaining a favorable ruling, despite the fact that the award issued by the first arbitrator was challenged before the Santiago Court of Appeal. An engineering company with global presence, in the determination of its environmental contingencies and in the early preparation of its environmental defense, in a project of USD 1,000 million, for contingencies amounted to USD 40 million.

Spanish. English.

Member of the Dispute Resolution Board Foundation. Member of the Chilean Bar Association.

LLM., University of California, Berkeley (cum laude, 2012). Certificate in Contracts and Torts Law, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (summa cum laude, 2005). Law, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (summa cum laude, 2005).

Professor at Pontificie Universidad Catolica de Chile, “Construction and engineering Law” course (since 2022). Professor at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, “The Construction Contract before the Civil Law” course (since 2018). Columnist of El Mercurio Legal, in matters of projects, engineering and construction, and in litigation and arbitration (2019-).

He enjoys his family and his dogs, as well as skiing, dirtbiking and swimming and following the chilean soccer team Universidad Católica.