Schultz Carrasco Benitez Abogados is home to an ‘excellent work team with knowledge and experience in the environmental space’. The 14-member environmental and natural resources team has notable insight into how Chile’s public authorities operate, with several of its practitioners being former employees of the country’s key environmental bodies. The practice, which fields sector experts in renewable energy, mining, wastewater treatment, real estate and infrastructure, routinely defends its clients against administrative special procedures before the the Environmental Courts, the Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court. It additionally assists with the design and environmental assessment of projects, project-related permits, and compliance with Chile’s environmental legislation. Former Ministry of the Environment’s legal division head, Rodrigo Benítez, is an expert in the environmental assessment of mining, energy, infrastructure and agro-industry investment projects; and Edesio Carrasco is a former Environmental Assessment Agency regional director, who focuses predominantly on environmental permits, energy, land use and the development of industrial projects, as well as defence-side administrative matters. In the firm’s associate team, Esteban Cañas assists with administrative litigation and project-related environmental matters; and Mario Arrué advises on the environmental assessment of investment projects. In a boost to the group, environmental law specialists Graciela Venegas and Carlo Sepúlveda were made partners in August 2023.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Excellent work team with knowledge and experience in the environmental space, which allows the lawyers to address complex issues and generate solid work strategies.’
‘They maintain good relationships with people and provide personalised advisory services.’
‘The plus they have is their experience in the environmental area, which allows them to bring clarity to their advice and concrete responses, especially during critical decision-making stages.’
‘They differ in that they provide a personalised service, ensuring good-quality products, constantly monitoring their management. Very responsible, great communication skills, and the ability to solve problems.’
‘What clients value is the closeness that the firm's partners have to clients, which allows them to understand the activities that the client carries out, and thus understand the problems that arise in order to find the best solution.’
‘The issues are addressed directly by the partners who participate in the meetings and define the solutions they recommend. It is a versatile firm that has a broad understanding of the problems of the economic sector to which the client belongs, and is well up to date with current regulations on environmental matters.’
‘Clients highlight the technical knowledge that lawyers have and the ability to find concrete solutions to the problems that arise with solid legal foundations.’
‘Edesio Carrasco and Carlo Sepúlveda are outstanding.’
Key clients
- Fundamenta
- Compañía Mineta Doña Inés de Collahuasi
- Conexión
- Oxiquim
- Parque Eólico Ovejera
- GPG (Global Power Generation)
- Inmobiliaria Alto Volcanes
- Capstone Cooper
- Aguas Pacífico
- Sociedad Concesionaria Puente Industrial
Work highlights
- Assisted Fundamenta with litigation in relation to the Metropolitan Environmental Commission's revocation of an environmental permit.
- Acted for Compañía Minera Doña Inés de Collahua in a lawsuit brought by a group of indigenous communities that sought reparations for alleged environmental damage.
- Assisted Conexión Energia with the environmental assessment for the development, building and operation of the Kimal-Lo Aguirre transmission line.
Lawyers
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Edesio Carrasco, Rodrigo Benítez, Carlos Sepúlveda, Graciela Venegas