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Carey wins five awards at the IFLR Americas Awards 2026, including lifetime achievement recognition for Jaime Carey
Carey received five awards at the IFLR Americas Awards 2026, including lifetime achievement recognition for Jaime Carey, the Partner of the Year – Mining award for Rafael Vergara and the award for the historic Codelco-SQM partnership
From left to right: Rafael Vergara, partner in Natural Resources and Environmental Law; Jaime Carey, Executive Chairman of Carey; and Cristián Eyzaguirre, partner in Mergers & Acquisitions and Capital Markets, at the IFLR Americas Awards 2026 in New York
The Chilean firm Carey was one of the leading firms at the IFLR Americas Awards 2026, held on 15 October at Capitale, New York, winning five awards for professional achievement, individual leadership, institutional excellence and advice on strategic transactions in Latin America.
The awards included the Latin America Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to Jaime Carey; the Partner of the Year – Mining award, presented to Rafael Vergara; and the Deal of the Year – Mining award for the public-private partnership between Codelco and Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM).
The firm also received the Chile National Firm of the Year and Chile National Firm of the Year – Miningawards, making this a particularly significant year for the firm.
Organised by International Financial Law Review (IFLR) in collaboration with The Lawyer, the awards recognise firms, professionals, legal teams and transactions that have contributed to the development and innovation of the Americas’ financial and transactional markets.
The 2026 awards featured more than 150 categories and expanded sector-specific recognition, including in mining, while adding awards that reflect the growing importance of cross-border transactions.
Jaime Carey: recognition for nearly five decades in practice
The Latin America Lifetime Achievement Award 2026 is one of the ceremony’s leading individual honours.
This year, it went to Jaime Carey, executive chairman of Carey and one of the most experienced figures in Chilean corporate law.
His career is closely linked to the firm’s development since its founding in 1905 and to the transformation of Chile’s legal market over recent decades.
Jaime Carey joined the firm in 1979, when it had a team of just six lawyers, after working as a foreign associate at Steel, Hector & Davisin Miami.
He became a partner in 1986 and built a long career in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, foreign investment, and tax and estate planning.
For more than two decades, he held leadership roles at Carey, helping establish it as a multidisciplinary firm and professionalise its management structure.
In 2024, the firm began a new phase of institutional succession, with Pablo Iacobelli leading executive management as managing partner.
Transactions he has worked on include advising Qatar Airways during the reorganisation of LATAM Airlines under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code, and advising UnitedHealth Group on its acquisition of Banmédicafor approximately USD 2.8 billion.
His contribution to the profession extends beyond transactional work.
Jaime Carey was the first Chilean lawyer to serve as president of the International Bar Association (IBA), where he has held various leadership roles, including positions connected with the Latin American Regional Forum, the Legal Practice Division and international Corporate and M&A practice.
The IFLR award adds to other professional honours he has received during his career, including the leadership award presented by Latin Lawyer in 2020.
His career also reflects the evolution of Latin American firms from relatively small practices into specialised legal organisations able to advise clients on complex international transactions.
Rafael Vergara named Partner of the Year in mining
Another individual award went to Rafael Vergara, a partner at Carey and one of the leaders of its Natural Resources and Environmentgroup, who was named Partner of the Year – Mining.
Vergara has extensive experience in mining law, natural resources, energy, the environment, water rights, project development and infrastructure finance.
His work includes advising domestic and international companies on mining transactions, investments, sector regulation and environmental matters relating to major extractive projects.
His work includes advising Codelco on its partnership with SQM, a transaction that also received a specific award at the ceremony.
He has also worked on transactions involving Pan American Silver, Yamana Gold, Teck and other major mining groups.
Alongside his legal practice, Vergara has taught mining law at the Universidad de Chilesince 1996 and at the Universidad de los Andessince 2003.
He is a member of professional organisations focused on mining law and natural resources and has taken part in specialist training initiatives, including training judges in mining regulation.
His work has previously been recognised by international publications and directories, including Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, IFLR1000 and Lexology.
The IFLR award highlights the importance of mining law expertise in an industry that accounts for significant investment transactions and strategic projects in Latin America.
Codelco-SQM partnership named mining deal of the year
The Deal of the Year – Mining award went to the public-private partnership between Codelco and SQM, which aims to develop lithium production at the Salar de Atacamain Chile.
The transaction is one of the country’s most significant corporate and mining agreements in recent years, both for its economic scale and its implications for the global strategic minerals industry.
The agreement establishes a framework for the partnership to optimise, modernise and expand lithium production at the Salar de Atacama, with activities and commitments extending to 2060.
Its significance extends beyond the corporate sphere, as it forms part of Chile’s strategy to develop the lithium industry through public-private collaboration.
Lithium is a key mineral used in batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems, increasing its importance in international supply chains.
From a legal perspective, the Codelco-SQM partnership required addressing complex issues of corporate law, mining regulation, corporate governance, compliance and contractual structuring.
Carey advised Codelco on the negotiation and structuring of the partnership, a transaction that required the coordination of long-term business, regulatory and strategic interests.
Carey lawyers whose practices and advice cover these matters include Rafael Vergara, in mining and natural resources, and Cristián Eyzaguirre, a partner in the M&A and Capital Markets groups.
Eyzaguirre has extensive experience in corporate transactions, partnership agreements, joint ventures, shareholders’ agreements and corporate governance, particularly in industries such as mining, infrastructure and healthcare.
The award also reflects the nature of the transaction: a partnership between a state-owned company and a private company to develop a strategic resource over several decades.
In transactions of this kind, legal work goes beyond negotiating contracts: it requires designing durable structures, allocating risk and establishing governance and coordination mechanisms between the parties.
Carey named firm of the year in Chile and mining
The firm completed its five-award haul with the Chile National Firm of the Year and Chile National Firm of the Year – Miningawards.
The first recognises Carey’s overall performance in the Chilean legal market, while the second recognises its work in the mining sector.
The national firm of the year award is particularly significant given Carey’s consistent results: it has received the distinction in numerous editions of the IFLR awards, including 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Founded in 1905, the firm has developed a multidisciplinary practice covering corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, banking and finance, mining, energy, infrastructure, litigation and arbitration, among other areas.
Its mining practice combines regulatory advice, investment structuring, project development, environmental matters and complex corporate transactions.
The recognition is particularly significant at a time when Chile remains central to international copper and lithium markets.
The IFLR awards and their focus on legal innovation
The IFLR Americas Awards are part of the international awards programme of International Financial Law Review, a publication specialising in financial and transactional law.
Unlike other legal awards that focus mainly on transaction volume or revenue, IFLR places particular emphasis on legal innovation, transaction complexity and impact on market practice.
The assessment of transactions considers the legal solutions developed, the precedents set and the contribution of the structures used to the development of financial and corporate markets.
The selection process is conducted by IFLR’s research and editorial teams.
The 2026 awards, presented jointly with The Lawyer, expanded their scope and strengthened their international reach.
In this context, Carey’s five awards offer a broad view of its work, from recognition of one of its leading figures’ careers to its role in strategic transactions and the standing of its specialist teams.
The combination of individual, institutional and transactional awards places Carey among the leading firms at the 2026 awards and highlights the role of Chilean lawyers in the development of Latin America’s corporate and financial markets.
Key facts
Five awards: Carey won five awards at the IFLR Americas Awards 2026, held on 15 October in New York
Lifetime Achievement Award: Jaime Carey received the Latin American award for his career, which began at the firm in 1979
Partner of the Year – Mining: Rafael Vergara was recognised for his experience and leadership in mining law
Deal of the Year – Mining: The Codelco-SQM partnership to develop lithium production at the Salar de Atacama was named mining deal of the year
Firm of the year: Carey received the Chile National Firm of the Year and Chile National Firm of the Year – Mining awards
Strategic transaction: The Codelco-SQM partnership provides for lithium production activities through 2060
International profile: Jaime Carey was the first Chilean lawyer to serve as president of the International Bar Association (IBA)
