Two transactions advised by DLA Piper Chile are awarded as "Deal of the Year"
The acquisition of Cornershop by Uber and the DIP financing of LATAM Airlines were the transactions awarded as “Deal of the Year” by the prestigious English publication Latin Lawyer, which recognizes the most outstanding transactions of the year in the region in eight categories. Latin Lawyer’s editorial team selected the winning deals from more than 600 nominations.
“The winning deals all demonstrated innovative legal work at a level of complexity that broke new parameters in the jurisdictions where they took place. The lawyers involved performed extraordinary work, and the impact and significance of the deals go well beyond the negotiating table”, noted Latin Lawyer.
In 2020, Uber acquired a majority stake in the Chilean company Cornershop for US$459 million, after a process that included more than a year of regulatory clearences from antitrust agencies in both Chile and Mexico in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. This transaction was awarded as “Deal of the Year” in the private M&A category in its fifteenth.
DLA Piper Chile advised both parties as joint counsel in corporate, tax and antitrust matters.
In the same year, LATAM Airlines obtained a US$2.45 billion DIP financing from a group of shareholders, creditors and international lenders several months after the airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under U.S. federal law in New York. This transaction was the winner of the Banking and Finance category of the aforementioned award.
In this transaction, our firm advised Oaktree Capital Management L.P. and its subsidiaries as Tranche A lenders for the DIP (“Debtor-in-Possession”) Financing Agreement, whereby the Debtor requested a US$2.450 billions term loan, of which Oaktree committed Tranche A, in the amount of US$1.300 billions in order for the Debtor and its subsidiaries to continue to operate and manage its business.
Congratulations to our teams that participated in both transactions!
