Manuel Blanco

A lawyer graduated from the Universidad de Chile School of Law, Santiago, and LL.M. from Columbia University, New York. In his more than 30 years of professional experience, Mr. Blanco has developed his practice representing local and foreign clients in corporate matters, M&A, antitrust, foreign investment, energy, litigation, insolvency and reorganization; in industries such as metal manufacturing, real estate, construction, construction materials, energy generation, farming, financial services, education and other services.

He has been appointed as director to private and public corporations; has been a member of the Advisory Board of the Columbia Global Center – Santiago and of the Advisory Committee to the board of the Chilean American Chamber of Commerce – Amcham Chile, and President of its Legal Committee. He has been recognized by the specialized publications Legal 500 and IFLR Energy and Infrastructure as a Chilean Leading Lawyer.

He is currently a member of the Chilean Bar Association (Colegio de Abogados de Chile A.G.) and a member of its Ethics Tribunal. He is listed in the roster of bankruptcy arbitrators of the Chilean Insolvency and Reorganization Superintendency (Superintendencia de Insolvencia y Reemprendimiento), and a member of the Advisory Council of the ProBono Foundation. In addition, he is a professor of Commercial Law and Director of the Department of Corporate Law at Finis Terrae University, Santiago.

Married, 6 children, he is a Reserve Officer (RNY) with the Chilean Marine Corps of the Chilean Navy (Infantería de Marina).

Among his recent significant representations, the following transactions may be included:

– Representation of Embotelladora Andina S.A. in a lawsuit filed by the franchisees of a popular restaurant chain, for alleged abused of dominant position as the franchise’s provider.

– Assistance to global law firm Jones Day in the Chilean related matters of the XIO Group’s leveraged buyout of Triton Partners from the COMPO EXPERT business, a leading supplier of specialty fertilizer products for professional applications.

– Advised Solventus Chile SpA to develop non-conventional renewable energy projects.

– Advised Solventus Chile SpA and its European owners in the sale of a 70 MW project to Total and Etrion enterprices.

– Advised CDEC-SIC, CDEC-SING and the Ministry of Energy in regulatory issues.

– Defense of Fitch Ratings Chile in the La Polar case and related civil lawsuits.

– Representation of Garibaldi S.A. in contentious-administrative issues.

– Representation of Enerbosch in corporate matters and negotiations.

– Representation of Pizarreño S.A. in matters of energy, corporate and labor.

– Representation of several high net-worth individuals and families regarding estate planing and inheritance matters.