Gutiérrez, Waugh, Jimeno & Asenjo

Gutierrez, Waugh, Jimeno & Asenjo (GWJA) is a boutique law firm founded in 2006 by some of the most relevant practitioners in the areas of dispute resolution, litigation and arbitration in Chile.

GWJA is dedicated to assist and defend its national and foreign clients in the resolution of civil, commercial, economic and administrative disputes in the finance, banking, energy, telecommunications, retail, construction, insurance, and mining industries, among others; either they adopt the form of out-of-court negotiations or adversarial proceedings before ordinary courts of justice, arbitration courts, superior courts of justice and/or government agencies.

One of GWJA’s main features is that its partners are personally involved in the cases they handle, thus guaranteeing client-specific, professional and experienced counsel.

GWJA was founded in 2006, when its four founding partners decided to form their own practice dedicated exclusively to dispute resolution. Pedro Pablo Gutierrez was the head of litigation of Carey & Cia. for 25 years before creating GWJA. Alfredo Waugh, Cristobal Jimeno and Juan Francisco Asenjo held significant leadership positions in Philippi, Yrarrazaval, Pulido & Brunner (now Philippi Prietocarrizosa Ferrero DU & Uria).

In the last 14 years, GWJA and its partners have been consistently recognized as leading actors in their areas of expertise, ranking number one in most national and international rankings. Its senior partner, Pedro Pablo Gutierrez, has been chosen as one of the best dispute resolution lawyers in Chile.

Since its foundation, the firm has been involved in most high profile cases in Chile, assisting relevant local and international actors in complex processes of negotiations and in civil and commercial litigations.

The firm’s key clients are Codelco S.A., Telefonica S.A., Glencore International AG, Empresas CMPC S.A., Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE (AGCS), Ripley, Moneda Asset Administradora de Fondos S.A., Compania Minera Teck Quebrada Blanca S.A., AFP Provida, among others.

Main areas of practice: GWJA is regarded as one of the best law firms in Chile in the area of commercial litigation and arbitration. The firm is famous for handling the largest commercial litigation case in Chilean history which was settled in a record-breaking sum of $2.8bn. Its expertise spans over contract law, torts, property and private law in general with a special focus on handling complex business disputes both in local courts and arbitration tribunals.

GWJA has an outstanding reputation as the go-to firm in the construction industry in Chile. The firm’s partners have been constantly involved (before or after joining the firm) in construction disputes and have participated in some of the most relevant cases regarding this area of law. The firm has represented owners, contractors and subcontractors (both national and foreign) in major projects for the construction of power plants (hydroelectricity, coal power plants, etc), pulp mills, mineral treatment plants (copper and iron), tailings treatment plants, subway stations and lines, hospitals, highways, hotels, office buildings, etc.

The firm has also successfully represented clients in commercial litigation and arbitration cases in the insurance market, representing insurance and reinsurance companies, as well as policyholders.

GWJA is also very well known for its experience in regulatory disputes. The firm represents Moneda Asset Administradora de Fondos de Inversion (an investment bank) in a high profile case in Chile known as “las Cascadas”. Moneda is a minority shareholder in a group of companies in which the controller is being accused by the Chilean regulator of breaching the corporation and capital market law.

The firm is also highly recommended for its expertise in consumer law litigation. GWJA has represented clients in the largest class action cases in Chile, including clients in the retail market.

Finally, the firm has relevant experience in international arbitration, and has often worked closely with teams in other jurisdictions in co-counsel relationships to provide clients with specific local advice and expertise.