In 1905, Francisco Carey (1873–1946) established his law practice in the city of Antofagasta and began practicing independently.
By the 1940s, the firm had become one of the most important law practices in the country. In September 2010, Carey y Cía. changed its name to Carey. In 2012, the firm was recognized as the “Best Law Firm in Latin America” by Chambers Latin America. In 2017, it became the first firm in Chile to have all its practice areas ranked Band 1 and is the highest-rated law firm in the region according to the European publication Legal 500.
In 2021, the firm opened its first office in Florida, U.S., focusing on venture capital and startup investments, family businesses, and investment funds, and it is the only full-service Chilean law firm with a physical presence in China.
Carey’s operational structure is divided into three main transversal groups: Corporate, Litigation, and Regulatory. This institutional framework enables expert coverage across more than 50 specialized practice areas and industries, providing highly complex solutions both in preventive legal advice and dispute resolution.
Currently, Carey is a member of several international legal networks, which allows it to deliver reliable, high-quality legal services to its clients. Its philosophy is based on five fundamental pillars: excellence, ethics, teamwork, client focus, and respect and diversity. The firm has over 270 legal professionals and approximately 600 total employees.
Carey’s institutional management incorporates ESG and social responsibility criteria through three pillars: its Pro Bono practice, consistently recognized by Latin Lawyer (Pro Bono Leading Lights) for its dedication to community causes; the development of internal mentoring programs aimed at promoting female leadership within its partnership; and the creation of open-access technical content for the market, including regulatory update microsites on topics such as Tax Reform, the Fintech Law, and Data Protection, as well as its legislative podcast Desde el Congreso.
