Category: News

• Affinitas is the strongest legal services alliance in the region, composed of the law firms Barros & Errázuriz from Chile; Gómez-Pinzón from Colombia; Mijares, Angoitia, Cortés y Fuentes from Mexico; and Miranda & Amado from Peru. 
• Marcelo Armas has over 30 years of experience in the legal sector and recently served as a partner at the Philippi Prietocarrizosa Ferrero DU & Uría firm in Chile. 

Lima, September 25, 2023. Marcelo Armas, a Chilean lawyer with recognized prestige in the Latin American legal sector, will take office as of October 1 as the new Chair of Affinitas, the most robust legal services alliance in the region, made up of Barros & Errázuriz studies from Chile; Gómez-Pinzón from Colombia; Mijares, Angoitia, Cortes and Fuentes of Mexico; and Miranda & Amado from Peru. 

Marcelo worked for 33 years at Philippi Prietocarrizosa Ferrero DU & Uría, where he also served as Regional Co-President from 2018 to 2020. This lawyer, an expert in banking, financial, and capital markets law, has been repeatedly recognized as one of the top lawyers in Latin America in the legal rankings of Chambers & Partners, Legal 500, IFLR, and others. 

“It will be an honor to lead Affinitas and continue working for this legal services proposal that has brought together these four leading law firms in their respective markets for nearly 20 years. The alliance has allowed them to offer legal advice with the same level of excellence, efficiently and collaboratively to their clients, which is the hallmark of Affinitas,” stated Marcelo Armas. 

The new Chair will replace Juan Luis Avendaño, partner at the Miranda & Amado law firm in Peru, who has served in this role for 5 years. 

“With this appointment, the Affinitas Management Committee takes another step towards consolidating the alliance as a key player in the provision of legal services in Latin America, particularly focused on the Pacific axis,” added Juan Luis Avendaño. 

About Affinitas 

Affinitas was established in 2004 and now has more than 470 lawyers in 21 areas of business law. The regional alliance is composed of the law firms Barros & Errázuriz (Chile); Gómez-Pinzón (Colombia); Mijares, Angoitia, Cortés y Fuentes (Mexico); and Miranda & Amado from (Peru), all leaders in their respective countries and recognized by various national and international publications for their track record. 

The four member firms of Affinitas have been shortlisted in seven categories of the Chambers Latin America Awards 2023 and Chambers D&I Awards: Latin America 2023.

These awards recognize the achievements of the firms in the region over the past 12 months, including outstanding work, notable strategic growth and continued excellence in client service. Furthermore, they celebrate remarkable advancements in diversity and inclusion throughout Latin America.

The Affinitas firms were shortlisted in the following categories:

• Chile Firm of the Year | Barros & Errázuriz
• Colombia Firm of the Year | Gómez-Pinzón
• Mexico Firm of the Year | Mijares, Angoitia, Cortés y Fuentes
• Peru Firm of the Year | Miranda & Amado
• Environment and Sustainability: Outstanding Firm | Mijares, Angoitia, Cortés y Fuentes | Gómez Pinzón 
• Pro Bono: Outstanding Firm | Gómez-Pinzón | Mijares, Angoitia, Cortés y Fuentes
• Diversity and Inclusion: Outstanding Firm | Miranda & Amado

Likewise, one of our lawyers was nominated in the Chambers D&I Awards: Latin America 2023.

• Diversity and Inclusion: Future Leader | Ángela María Jurado Echeverri – Gómez-Pinzón

The winners will be announced at the award ceremony scheduled for November 17, 2023, in Miami. You can check the complete list of nominees here.

On September 7, 2023, our Labor experts, María Fernanda Espinosa (Barros & Errázuriz Abogados), Mauricio Montealegre (Gómez-Pinzón), Mario Ballesteros (Mijares, Angoitia, Cortés y Fuentes), and Eric Castro (Miranda & Amado), participated in the webinar ‘Labor Evolution: The Transformation of Working Hours in Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru,’ where they analyzed the current regulations in their respective countries.

During the webinar, the panelists addressed issues related to the maximum duration of the workday in the Pacific Alliance countries, which varies from 40 to 48 hours per week.

Furthermore, they highlighted that the reduction of the workday is a trend in Latin America aimed at creating better working environments, with the expectation that, with greater flexibility and personal time, workers will increase their efficiency and productivity.

Finally, they pointed out that the evolution of labor landscapes is partly due to the advancement of digitization during the pandemic, which accelerated the debate on reducing working hours in the region, posing challenges for both employees and employers.

If you wish to watch the video again, you can access it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAx8QP84Pqo&t=2427s