Chirgwin bets on Chile and launches National Projects Area to accompany the country’s strategic initiatives

25/05/2026

SANTIAGO – At a key moment for the Chilean economy, marked by the need to reactivate investment, simplify the regulatory system, and advance in the unlocking of strategic projects, the Chirgwin law firm announced the launch of its National Projects Area.

The new Area constitutes an integrated practice that brings together Energy, Mining, and Natural Resources from a comprehensive, pro-business perspective. The decision reflects a clear strategic definition: Chirgwin is committed to Chile, to its development, to the changes underway, and to the necessary improvements to make viable projects that will be key to the country’s growth in the coming years.

The launch of this new Area takes place in a context in which projects have reached a turning point with respect to regulatory, environmental, and territorial complexity, institutional requirements, legal uncertainty, and public scrutiny. Faced with this scenario, Chirgwin chooses to strengthen a specialized practice that allows it to accompany relevant projects, combining legal knowledge, sectoral understanding, and practical experience in complex projects.

Chirgwin explains that the creation of the National Projects Area is due to a proactive initiative for the changes and improvements that the country needs to move forward: improvement of environmental and sectoral assessment processes, greater institutional coordination, legal certainty for investment, and an approach that allows productive development, sustainability, and regulatory requirements to be compatible.

A team designed for complex projects

The central pillar of this new practice is its team, composed of specialists with highly recognized careers in critical sectors for project development in Chile.

Mike Hantke, with more than 25 years of experience in water, environment, and natural resources law, Mike was a Titular Minister of Law and President of the Third Environmental Court of Valdivia, and is an associate professor of environmental and procedural law at the School of Law and Social Sciences of the Universidad San Sebastián. His career – which combines professional practice, jurisdictional experience, and a solid academic and international dimension – is especially relevant in a context in which water, territory, and sustainability have become determining variables for the viability of projects.

Francisco Valle has extensive experience in metallic and non-metallic mining projects, sectoral regulation, negotiations, and dispute resolution before ordinary and arbitration courts in mining, water, and environmental matters. During his professional career, Francisco has represented clients in administrative proceedings, dispute resolution, and trials in ordinary courts, as well as in mining, water, and environmental matters.

Mónica Ortega, a specialist in environmental and regulatory law, with a focus on water law, energy, and REP Law projects, has advised companies and public bodies. Monica currently brings an academic and international dimension as an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

The projects of the Area will be led by the specialist most closely aligned with the nature and legal challenges of the client and the specific project, with the expert assistance of the other members of the Area. The combination of these profiles, together with the support of the other specialists and collaborators of the firm’s corporate law and litigation teams, allows Chirgwin to integrate, in a single practice, regulation, permits, territory, water, energy, mining, and basic legal services, offering transversal advice aimed at projects of high technical, legal, and strategic complexity.

Commitment to effective execution and support

The service model of the National Projects Area is designed to accompany the project through its entire cycle, from its initial regulatory and environmental evaluation, through the management of permits, contractual structuring, and support in transactions and financing, to the management of contingencies, inspections, and controversies at administrative and judicial headquarters.

With this launch, Chirgwin reaffirms its position as a legal partner of strategic projects, aligning its structure and capabilities with the real execution challenges facing the country. The new Area reflects a conviction: that regulatory changes and improvements must be translated into viable, executable, and sustainable projects, capable of driving long-term economic and productive development.