Chile: Antitrust litigator promoted at Morales & Besa

Morales & Besa announced the promotion of María José Henríquez to partner at the firm effective January 2020. Her appointment follows a distinguished legal career of over a decade in competition and antitrust matters, both in government and as a private practitioner.

Ms. Henríquez joined Morales & Besa as a senior associate in 2016 bringing with her a wealth of experience including as in-house lawyer at the Fiscalía Nacional Económica (FNE), the Chilean competition law enforcement agency, where she was appointed Head of the Anti-Cartel Unit. Under her tenure, the agency launched and successfully pursued several high-profile investigations involving cartelisation by key business companies in the tissue paper products market, supermarkets and shipping industries. She was also involved in the investigation of cartel conduct in public procurement. Prior to her work at the FNE, Ms. Henríquez was an associate at Carey y Cía.

“The expansion, regulatory changes and developments in the practice of antitrust law have created new paradigms and exigencies to our antitrust, M&A and corporate advisory work at the firm and María José has been instrumental to our success owing to her outstanding analytical skills, execution capabilities and teamwork,” said Guillermo Morales, founding partner of the firm.

Gonzalo Cordero, partner in the area of litigation and arbitration, who until now led the department with Ms. Henríquez, added “I know her work closely and I have witnessed her leadership and the key role she has played in complex and large-scale operations. She is an excellent lawyer, with a deep knowledge of her practice area, broad professional vision and that always goes beyond.”