Palma delivers high-quality services through a professional team that is committed to the training of the next generation of lawyers
– Chambers & Partners 2025
At Palma we help companies and individuals to adequately face the dizzying changes of the 21st century.
About us
about Palma
Our teams of highly qualified lawyers understand the needs of companies from very diverse industries, family offices and individuals, and help them to fulfill their corporate strategies in the long term and/or to face familiar matters related to the business world.
Our comprehensive legal advice helps to identify new opportunities and meet the high ESG standards of these times.
Our teams of highly qualified lawyers understand the needs of companies from very diverse industries, family offices and individuals, and help them to fulfill their corporate strategies in the long term and/or to face familiar matters related to the business world.
Our comprehensive legal advice helps to identify new opportunities and meet the high ESG standards of these times.
Uninterrupted legal tradition since 1819
History
In the history of Chile there are notable families that participated in the construction of the country. These families have left their mark on civic life, the business world and the culture and idiosyncrasy of the country. One such family is the Palma family. Thanks to a legal tradition that dates back to 1819, they positioned the law firm that bears their name as one of the main national referents in the field of legal advice.
José Gabriel Palma Villanueva (1794) graduated as a Bachelor of Sacred Canons and Law at the first university in the country –Universidad de San Felipe- and qualified as a lawyer in 1819. His career included serving as Comptroller General in the Chilean Liberation Army during the country's war of Independence against Spain.
Palma Villanueva was entrusted with the important mission of participating in the organization of Universidad de Chile together with Andrés Bello and José Miguel de la Barra. He was also vice rector of this university and later dean of the School of Law and Political Science. Throughout his life he was also a congressman, judge and minister of the Supreme Court.
Palma Villanueva’s descendants continued to make their mark on the Chilean legal scene. José Gabriel Palma Guzmán (lawyer, 1857) was president of the Supreme Court.
José Gabriel Palma Rogers specialized in commercial matters and is one of the authors of the bankruptcy law that replaced Book IV of the Code of Commerce. He was appointed Superintendent of Banks and served as vice-president and counselor of the Bar Association.
Alfonso Palma Vial stood out for his contribution in commercial matters and for his trajectory as arbitrator. This was maintained by his son Juan Eduardo Palma Jara, currently a senior partner at Palma and a recognized arbitrator in the commercial field.
José Gabriel Palma Villanueva (1794) graduated as a Bachelor of Sacred Canons and Law at the first university in the country –Universidad de San Felipe- and qualified as a lawyer in 1819. His career included serving as Comptroller General in the Chilean Liberation Army during the country's war of Independence against Spain.
Palma Villanueva’s descendants continued to make their mark on the Chilean legal scene. José Gabriel Palma Guzmán (lawyer, 1857) was president of the Supreme Court.
José Gabriel Palma Rogers specialized in commercial matters and is one of the authors of the bankruptcy law that replaced Book IV of the Code of Commerce. He was appointed Superintendent of Banks and served as vice-president and counselor of the Bar Association.
Alfonso Palma Vial stood out for his contribution in commercial matters and for his trajectory as arbitrator. This was maintained by his son Juan Eduardo Palma Jara, currently a senior partner at Palma and a recognized arbitrator in the commercial field.
Practice Areas
Banking, Financing, Investment Funds 
Banking Law, Project Financing and Working Capital Financing, Real Estate Financing, Investment Funds, Private Investment.
Palma has extensive Experience advising creditors, investors and debtors in banking and financial transactions, both for domestic and foreign clients. We have been involved in matters related to bilateral and/or syndicated loans, secured and unsecured, liability management, public and private equity and debt offerings and placements, securitizations, project finance, structured finance and derivative transactions, among others, as well as restructurings, refinancings, portfolio purchases and all types of transactions required during the life of the loans, among others.
Palma has advised numerous fund managers in their formation, as well as in the creation of private and public investment funds, including their registration with the Financial Market Commission (CMF) and in the investments that the funds make in various assets.
Compliance
Anti-corruption, Corporate Criminal Liability, Preparation and Implementation of Preventive Models, Prevention Officer, Conduct Protocols, Internal Investigations, Training.
Regulatory compliance is key for the proper functioning of companies. Globalization, international standards imposed by the practice of transnational companies, Chile’s participation in international agreements, and local legislation and regulations, all imply normative requirements in ESG aspects. Companies and their corporate governments require a permanent updating of information in this regard.
Palma advises local clients in matters of corporate governance and compliance, in line with the various norms, standards and regulations, specific to ESG requirements.
Corporate Law
Mergers and Acquisitions, Corporate Structuring and Restructuring, High Complexity Contracts, Corporate Governance, Antitrust, Insurance.
Palma advises national and foreign companies, even before the latter are incorporated or arrive in our country. Our services help the creation of greater value, while serving the fulfillment of our clients’ strategic objectives. By adding the Experience of other practice areas, we offer a comprehensive service to our clients.
Palma serves as a bridge between Chilean and foreign companies, whether companies interested in investing, settling or operating in any of these jurisdictions (outbound), and also advises companies interested in settling or operating in Chile (inbound), providing the legal knowledge of its teams as well as the ability to bring cultural meanings and perspectives.
We have extensive Experience in mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs and/or reorganizations of companies. We are present in all stages of the relevant negotiations, structuring transactions, advising in the financing of investments, in the constitution and review of appropriate corporate governance, participating in joint ventures and strategic alliances, among other operations.
We have partners admitted to practice in Spain and Luxembourg, with extensive Experience in these and other jurisdictions. We have advised and implemented multiple cross-border transactions that have considered the rules of the United States (New York, Delaware, Florida, California), Europe (England, Luxembourg, Spain), and Latin America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay).
Palma has recognized Experience in insurance and reinsurance law. We represent Chilean and foreign insurance and reinsurance companies, as well as financial institutions and insurance brokers, in regulatory, corporate, transactional, M&A and dispute resolution matters.
Palma has a solid track record in financial transactions of insurance companies in Chile, acting bilaterally or in conjunction with other financial institutions.
We support our clients in the negotiation and structuring process of their insurance packages, as well as in the design, implementation and commercialization of new products and instruments.
We represent corporate clients in all phases of claims, including preliminary claims analysis, filings, loss adjustments, negotiations and dispute resolution processes.
Team
Real Estate
Real Estate Projects, Regularization, Real Estate Administrative, Development, Urban Planning, Construction, Concessions, Infrastructure.
Palma has extensive Experience advising clients in all stages of development of real estate projects of diverse nature.
Our advisory services include obtaining financing, reviewing titles, purchasing land, obtaining permits, contracting architectural services and construction work, as well as selling or leasing real estate. Our teams are also present in the corporate and tax structuring of the projects and, if necessary, we provide solutions in the disputes that may arise in this regard.
In Palma we have broad Experience in bidding processes or acquisition of concessions of diverse nature, such as sanitary services, electricity, ports, roads, highways and airports.
Our legal advice to investors and companies covers from the development of the process of awarding, obtaining and operation of concessions, to the representation of the concessionaire before the governmental authorities, according to the applicable regulations and the development of processes of calculation and application of tariffs.
International Law
Cross-border contracts, international trade, customs compliance, import and export, entry of regulated products.
At Palma we have a strong capacity to advise our clients in relation to the law applicable to multiple jurisdictions and the Experience of our lawyers in cross-border transactions.
The firm has partners admitted to practice law in Spain and Luxembourg, with extensive actual practice Experience in those jurisdictions. In addition, several of its members have worked abroad and have solid Experience in advising and implementing cross border transactions involving jurisdictions such as the United States (New York, Delaware, Florida, California), Europe (England, Luxembourg, Spain), and Latin America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay).
This allows Palma to serve as an excellent bridge between Chilean and foreign companies, both in the case of companies interested in investing, settling, or operating in any of these jurisdictions (outbound), and in the case of companies interested in settling or operating in Chile (inbound), providing legal knowledge and the ability to bring together cultural meanings and perspectives.
Insolvency and Restructuring
Bankruptcy liquidation and reorganization proceedings, insolvency proceedings, corporate restructuring, financial stress management, clawback actions.
Palma provides advice on insolvency and restructuring matters, through the definition of strategies and actions that enable the preservation of assets, the adoption of preventive measures, recovery and/or protection of assets, the negotiation and formalization of refinancing operations with commercial creditors and/or banks, among other formulas of legal asset management.
Palma also advises its clients in out-of-court payment agreements, in the preparation of requests for voluntary or compulsory liquidation, preparation of requests for corporate restructuring in bankruptcy, management and preparation of bankruptcy proceedings, assistance and representation in creditors’ meetings and elimination of records of liabilities of individuals and companies in commercial databases.
Labor Law
Collective Bargaining and Union Relations, Employer-Employee Relations, Hiring and Termination Processes, Social Security, Human Resources Management, Labor Audits, Immigration.
Palma advises clients on labor law and immigration matters. In practice, we take care of the day-to-day business of companies in these areas. Due to the globalization of business, Palma supports domestic and foreign companies in aspects of hiring, subcontracting, wage compensation, labor inclusion, working hours, collective bargaining processes, labor audits and work accidents, among others.
We also provide advice on a wide range of visa, labor and social security matters associated with the immigration of company employees.
Team
Free Competition
Regulated markets, administrative investigations, abuse of dominant position, concentration operations.
Economic regulation ensures the proper operation of the markets, regulating the actions of private parties and the State. Regulatory and sectorial compliance is essential for companies, which must ensure that they act in accordance with a multiplicity of rules in this area.
Palma provides legal advice and representation in antitrust matters, contained in Decree Law No. 211 regarding the prevention of collusive practices and abuses of dominant position, as well as advice on whistleblower matters, control of concentration operations, interlocking and litigation before the Court for the Defense of Free Competition and the National Economic Prosecutor’s Office (FNE).
We have advised clients in economic regulation related to the telecommunications, banking, port, insurance, health, sanitary services, gas, aviation, energy, among others.
Public Law and Regulated Markets
Administrative Litigation, Regulated Markets, Constitutional Litigation.
The increase -and the dispersion- of sectorial regulations impacts, directly or indirectly, on the different areas in which our clients participate. Representation before the State and its agencies is, therefore, key for the success of their activities.
Palma has a team Experienced in dealing with multiple state bodies and agencies, and with extensive knowledge of economic and financial regulation.
We offer representation in contentious-administrative matters, in public law nullity proceedings and proceedings seeking to enforce the responsibility of the State, in litigation before the Comptroller General of the Republic, administrative contracting, administrative investigations and summaries, municipal and urban law, among others.
Dispute Resolution
National and international commercial arbitration, investment arbitration, civil and public law litigation, shareholder disputes, contentious and voluntary legal proceedings, sanctioning, construction and concession proceedings.
We have extensive experience in national and international arbitration, specifically in large-scale matters, such as multi-party and multi-contract proceedings. Whether acting as party representatives or as arbitrators, the Palma team has been successful in resolving disputes in various industries.
Senior partner Juan Eduardo Palma Jara heads the area. He is recognized among Chile’s leading arbitrators and is a prestigious professor of commercial law. He has been recognized in Band 1 by the international ranking Chambers & Partners.
We participate in insolvency and restructuring proceedings, with strategies and actions that seek the preservation of assets, the adoption of preventive measures, recovery and/or protection of assets, the negotiation and formalization of refinancing with commercial creditors and/or banks, among other legal-asset management formulas.
Palma intervenes in out-of-court payment agreements, in requests for voluntary or compulsory liquidation, requests for corporate restructuring in bankruptcy, management and preparation of bankruptcy proceedings, assistance and representation in creditors’ meetings and elimination of liability records of individuals and companies in commercial databases.
Tax Law
Tax Administration, Tax Lawsuits, Inheritance, Wealth Management.
Palma offers tax advice, both at corporate and personal level. The team has vast experience in proceedings before the tax authority, be it the Internal Revenue Service, the Tax and Customs Courts and also before the courts of justice.
Palma advises, especially, family businesses and business groups, promoting their proper functioning through structures that allow them to grow and professionalize.
By structuring and planning the protection of family assets, Palma’s lawyers are involved in the sustainability of the business by passing it on to the next generations through proper planning, preventive risk identification, and the design of efficient corporate governance.
Innovation and technology
PalmaTech
