DLA Piper Chile has launched its White Collar practice, to be led by attorney Ignacio Schwerter, who joined the firm on September 2 as counsel.

Legal changes

The new practice will meet clients’ needs under new legal changes that have substantially extended criminal liability relating to bribery, corruption, unfair administration, incompatible negotiation, environmental crimes, and breaches of capital market rules. The White Collar practice will complement the work of DLA Piper Chile's existing Litigation and Compliance practice areas and will coordinate its efforts with the firm’s US and global White Collar practices. Ignacio Schwerter brings more than 15 years of experience advising both natural and legal persons in highly complex criminal litigation. He has worked in the criminal law firm Cortés y Rodríguez since 2007 and has been a partner of that firm since 2012.

Economic crime

DLA Piper says its presence in Chile allows the firm to more effectively address the growing demand from clients in Latin America for comprehensive advice across a range of practices. The firm says the launch of the White Collar practice by DLA Piper Chile is consistent with DLA Piper's global efforts to provide timely and sophisticated economic criminal advice to its clients and constitutes an important step in the expansion of the firm.