ARRIETA MANTILLA & ASOCIADOS S.A.S. is a boutique law firm with a top-tier global reputation that has renowned experience in the mining-energy sector and has counselled leading national and foreign mining companies in all necessary aspects in order to establish their short, medium and long-term operations. The Firm advises its clients in all matters related to the exploration and exploitation of natural resources, such as gold and coal.

Our focus and Significant clients

One of the most remarkable aspects of the Firms’ services to the mining sector is the wide-ranging knowledge, experience and recognition that it has regarding public and administrative law, which in most of the cases is required to offer an adequate service to mining companies and to fulfil the client’s expectations and demands.

One of the mayor services that the Firm offers to the mining clients is the representation in fiscal liability proceedings before the General Comptrollership of the Republic (Contraloría General de la República). Currently we are representing some of the Firm´s clients in fiscal liability proceedings related to the payment of royalties, compensations and other tariffs derived from the companies’ extraction activities. In the last year the Firm had important positive results in those proceedings.

Regarding to the services that the Firm offers, it provides legal advice on the drafting, negotiating and execution of mining concession contracts; the term extension of mining and association contracts; and legal advice concerning regulatory matters before the national mining and environmental authorities such as: Colombian Ministry of Mines and Energy (Ministerio de Minas y Energía), Colombian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible) and the National Mining Agency (Agencia Nacional de Minería).

Finally, it is important to remark that one of the areas of recent growth include national and international litigation on behalf of mining companies, specifically the representation Minera Vetas (Red Eagle Exploration) in an International Arbitration Proceeding regarding International Investments before the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism.

It is important to notice that most of the large mining companies with operations in Colombia are clients or have been clients of The Firm due to its broad and well-known experience in all legal aspects of the mining business.

In these matters the Firm currently provides legal advice to relevant clients such as:

• Carbones del Cerrejón Ltd.
• Cerrejón Zona Norte S.A.
• Drummond Ltd.
• Cerro Matoso S.A.
• Minera Vetas (Red Eagle Mining),
• Continental Gold
• Orica Colombia S.A.S.