Cuatrecasas hires Michel Diban and Jaime Vargas as new partners in Santiago and Bogotá

At its Extraordinary Partners Meeting held today in Barcelona, Cuatrecasas approved the appointment of lawyers Michel Diban and Jaime Vargas as new partners in the Corporate and M&A Practice in Santiago and in the Tax Practice in Bogotá, respectively. Their hiring confirms the firm’s commitment to consolidating its position as a leader in all the jurisdictions where it is present in Latin America.

With 18 years of experience, Michel Diban has developed his career advising clients on complex transactions, focusing on M&A transactions, particularly in the energy, technology and infrastructure sectors. In recent years, he has led advisory services for acquisitions, sales, mergers and restructurings of Chilean and international companies, both in Chile and other jurisdictions of Iberian America and Europe, such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Spain. 

With a Bachelor of Laws (magna cum laude) from Universidad de los Andes de Chile and an LLM from Northwestern University in Chicago, Miguel Diban lectures in the Master of Laws at Universidad de los Andes and has been recognized as a leading lawyer in the corporate law and M&A categories in specialized rankings. 

"I am excited to be able to join this wonderful professional team and to have the opportunity to help the Corporate and M&A Practice to grow locally and internationally. Cuatrecasas is rapidly positioning itself as a leader firm in Chile and in Latin America, similar to its position in Spain, and I am delighted to be part of this project,” said Diban about his hiring at the Cuatrecasas office in Santiago.

Jaime Vargas studied law at Universidad Externado de Colombia and specialized in tax at Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México. He has over 30 years of experience as a tax advisor, particularly advising on M&A transactions, national and international tax planning, wealth management and taxes applied to sectors such as energy, gas and oil. 

He also lectures on tax law at Universidad Externado de Colombia and is chair of the Academic Committee of the Colombian Institute of Tax Law. Due to his expertise in tax, he is frequently mentioned in specialized publications as a leading tax lawyer in Colombia. 

Regarding his hiring at the Cuatrecasas Bogotá office, Jaime said the following: “I was drawn to Cuatrecasas based on its dynamic approach, the quality of its lawyers, its focus on meeting client needs and the top-quality recommendations. It has achieved this by attracting both young and experienced professionals with high-quality technical and personal skills, as well as placing importance on their wellbeing and growth. There is an energizing atmosphere at the firm, excellent connection between teams, as well as dedication and enthusiasm. I cannot think of a better place to continue developing my professional practice, where the focus is on what I like: the creation of teams with the capacity necessary to propose practical added-value solutions to our clients’ challenges, based on and understanding of their businesses and of the characteristics of the industries they operate in and, of course, based on their extensive tax knowledge. I am happy to have taken this step and very grateful to my partners for their warm welcome.”