Ricardo Vásquez Urra
Founding partner
Founding partner of Vásquez Urra Abogados, Ricardo has developed a solid career as a private attorney specialising in litigation and arbitration, corporate law and investment law, advising and representing individuals, and Chilean and foreign companies on matters ranging from incorporation, negotiation, drafting and managements of contracts, up to the resolution of disputes in Court and arbitration seats. His experience covers engineering and construction, financial services, banking, energy, pension funds, information technology and sovereign governments.
His experience covers the negotiation of free trade agreements on behalf of the Republic of Chile. In this capacity he developed a solid background in investment protection and international dispute resolution. That experience allowed him to advise the Chilean State, Sovereign governments, members of parliament and international organisations.
Ricardo is an active speaker on arbitration and mediation, foreign investment, and resolution of national and international disputes, and is often invited to share his experience abroad.
In September 2017, Ricardo was named to the select roster of arbitrators of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). In addition, he is on a roster of arbitrators appointed by the Chilean Judicial Power.
In September 2020, Ricardo was named to the select roster of arbitrators of the Beijing Arbitration Commission / Beijing International Arbitration Center.
Since 2019 recognized by ranking Best Lawyers for his work in arbitration and mediation.
Ricardo has a degree in legal and social sciences from the Faculty of Law of the University of Chile, holds the title of lawyer awarded by the Supreme Court of Chile, a Master of Laws (LL.M) awarded by the University of Sydney, Australia with specialization in international commercial arbitration, and postgraduate studies in Chile and abroad on management of investment disputes, international law, financing and corporate law.
Brett Young
Of Counsel (Australia)
Brett Young is a barrister specialising in taxation law and commercial law at the NSW Bar and commenced practising as a barrister in 2003. Brett has practised as a tax advisor since 1994.
Brett is also a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA).
Brett’s primary area of practise is resolving tax disputes for taxpayers in the Australian economy.
Brett advises and represents taxpayers in all areas of taxation law, including income tax, stamp duty, GST, land tax and other Federal and State revenue laws.
Brett appears in a variety of Federal Court, Administrative Appeals Tribunal, NSW Supreme Court matters. Brett acts for a broad range of taxpayers – including multinational corporations, small-to-medium businesses and high net worth individuals.
Juan Araya Allende
Partner
Attorney from Universidad de Concepción, holds a Masters in International Law from Universidad de Chile and LL.M from Heidelberg, with over 20 years’ experience in financial and regulatory matters.
Among the highlights in Juan’s work experience are as Chilean representative before the WTO regarding several commercial disputes, as well as delegate before various other international organisations and Forums such as the OECD, APEC, the World Bank, and the Interamerican Development Bank (BID)
Previously, he was director of International Affairs, Commercial Policy and Sustainable Development at the Finance Ministry (Treasury), where he was also member of “Comisión de Distorsiones” (Chilean Trade Remedies Commission) and government representative in various committees for policy development and regulation.
He has been director of the National Customs Agency, and Deputy Director of InvestChile, the agency in charge of promoting and developing foreign investments in Chile.
Alejandro Jara Puga
Of Counsel
Alejandro Jara P. is a Chilean lawyer of the University of Chile, with graduate studies at the Law School, University of California at Berkeley.
He practices international trade law in Santiago, Chile, and serves as Arbitrator before the Multi-Party Interim Arrangement (MPIA) World Trade Organization
He joined the Chilean Diplomatic Service of Chile (1976-2005) specializing in international economic relations. Served in the Chilean Delegation to the GATT in Geneva (1979–1984). Between 1993 and 2000 he was Director for Bilateral and Multilateral Economic Affairs, Senior Official to APEC, and negotiated Free Trade Agreements with Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Central America, Canada, South Korea and Mexico. In 1999, he was appointed Director General for International Economic Relations.
Appointed Ambassador of Chile to the World Trade Organization in Geneva (2000-05) and Chaired the Trade and Environment Committee (2001), and the Negotiating Group of Trade in Services (2002-2005).
From 2005 to 2013, he served as Deputy Director General of the WTO under Pascal Lamy.
2013 -2016 acted as Senior Counsel with the law firm King & Spalding LLP (Geneva).
Alejandro teaches in several universities including the Institute of International Studies of Universidad de Chile, University of International Business and Economics (UIBE Beijing), Central University of Finance and Economics (CUFE Beijing), Master of International Trade Negotiations (Colegio de Mexico), Master of International Law, Investment, Trade and Arbitration of the Universities of Chile and Heidelberg, and the Diplomatic Academy of Chile. In 2020 he was appointed as an arbitrator in the Multi-Party Interim Arrangement (MPIA) of a group of WTO members. Member of the Advisory Panel of the Tobacco Transformation Index. In 2022, he joined the law Firm Vasquez Urra Abogados as Of Counsel.
Founding member of the Friends of Multilateralism Group (FMG) Geneva. https://fmg-geneva.org and of the Punta del Este Group http://grupopuntadeleste.com/en/ . Co-Chair of LEDECO, Geneva Switzerland
His latest publication is Against the clock: Eight steps to improve WTO crisis management, in Revitalising multilateral trade cooperation; Why? Why Now? And How? Edited por Simon Evenett and Richard Baldwin, Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), Graduate Institute of Geneva (HEI) and University of St. Gallen.
Karina Cherro
Senior Associate
Karina Cherro undertook her law studies at the Universidad de la República in Montevideo (Uruguay), where in 2003 obtained her title of Doctor of Law and Social Sciences. In 2005, she received her LL.M. in International Law, Investments Trade and Arbitration from the University of Heidelberg and the University of Chile.
Since 2005, Karina Cherro has dedicated to work, researching and publishing on topics related to international arbitration. She assisted the Director for Latin America of the International Court of Arbitration, at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and was an Associate Lawyer at DJ Arbitration.
As well, she performed consultancies related to Free Trade Agreements and Trade Negotiations, to international organizations and the Chilean and foreign governments, at TLC Consulting.
In 2017 she obtained her Diploma in Regulatory Law at Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, and focused her professional practice on electricity law, regulatory law and antitrust areas at Quintanilla & Busel Niedmann, where she worked as Of Counsel for almost five years.
Brett Young
Of Counsel (Australia)
Brett Young is a barrister specialising in taxation law and commercial law at the NSW Bar and commenced practising as a barrister in 2003. Brett has practised as a tax advisor since 1994.
Brett is also a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA).
Brett’s primary area of practise is resolving tax disputes for taxpayers in the Australian economy.
Brett advises and represents taxpayers in all areas of taxation law, including income tax, stamp duty, GST, land tax and other Federal and State revenue laws.
Brett appears in a variety of Federal Court, Administrative Appeals Tribunal, NSW Supreme Court matters. Brett acts for a broad range of taxpayers – including multinational corporations, small-to-medium businesses and high net worth individuals.
Matias Monardes G.
Paralegal
Student. Final year at Universidad de Chile School of Law
English French.