Grupo Vial Abogados is a prestigious and renowned international law firm known for its profound dedication to each of its clients, fostering long-term relationships of trust.
Our firm comprises a team of experienced professionals that handles each case with a comprehensive focus and commitment, understanding that this is how we can offer creative, innovative, prompt and effective solutions.
Our main practice groups are divided into different areas: corporate, tax, litigation, employment & labor, and bankruptcy & reorganization. For all other matters, we make sure to personally obtain the best advice available for our clients, overseeing every case through until the end.
We are heirs to a long family tradition with a deep-rooted history that dates back to the inception of Chile as a Republic; however, we always try to keep ourselves up-to-date and at the forefront of all law-related matters.
Both our Firm and its professionals are frequently mentioned in the most prestigious global rankings, which emphasize our excellence in service, constant dedication, our ability to build long-term relationships with each client and garner the appreciation, respect and recognition of our peers, all supported by our high ethical and professional standards.
Our solid reputation has allowed us to form alliances with leading international firms, sharing the idea that collaborative work is essential in today’s globalized world. These alliances allow us to provide top-quality advice to clients from any country promptly and diligently.
At Grupo Vial Abogados we focus on providing excellent service to our clients. Their loyalty over the years is the best proof that we are, and will continue to be, on the right track.
Manuel José de Vial y de Xarabeitía was one of those young European adventurers and dreamers who crossed the Atlantic Ocean in search of a new life. Born on May 31st, 1725 in Bilbao, Spain, he arrived in Buenos Aires in 1743, settling down the following year in Santiago de Chile.
That´s where he takes root and forms a family. He inherits that restless and curious spirit to his children, especially to Agustín Vial Santelices, who was born on August 27th, 1772. On January 14, 1793, he enters the Royal University of San Felipe to study Canons and Law. He graduated and later obtained his law degree before the Royal Court on April 16, 1798. He would be the first jurist in the family.
Vial Santelices’s adult life was marked by the historical events that led to Chile’s independence. As one of the most enlightened “criollos” of the time, he would play important roles.
The Supreme Director of Chile and Founding Father, Sir Bernardo O’Higgins, appointed him Minister of Finance on October 23, 1821 and later as Minister of War. On January 28, 1823 he was again appointed Minister of Finance and Minister of War by the Governing Body, which held office until April 4th of the same year.
In 1831, President José Joaquín Prieto Vial appointed him as a member of the Constituent Assembly in charge of writing the Political Constitution of 1833.
Later on, his son, Manuel Camilo Vial Formas, followed him also studying Canons and Law at the Royal University of San Felipe, to become a lawyer on July 30, 1835.
The President of Chile, Mr. Manuel Bulnes, appointed Mr. Vial Formas as Minister of Interior and Foreign Affairs on September 18, 1846. Four days later, he also appointed him Minister of Finance. On August 26, 1863, he was appointed Dean of Universidad de Chile’s School of Law and Political Science.
Mr. Gabriel Vial Palma, a direct descendant of Agustín Vial Santelices and Manual Vial Formas, studied law at Ponficia Universidad Católica de Chile and graduated as a lawyer on December 17, 1934. That same year he founded the law firm Vial y Palma Abogados, specializing in matters related to Civil, Commercial and Litigation Law, standing out as one of the most prestigious law firms in the country.
His son, Mr. Manuel José Vial Vial, continuing with the family tradition, also studied law at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and graduated as a lawyer on July 25, 1977, leading the firm founded by his father.
In 2005, the then partners of Vial y Palma chose to continue their professional practice in two separate groups. This is how Grupo Vial Abogados came to exist, whose members maintain their traditional practice and professional quality, enriched by new specialties incorporated over the years with the aim of providing a comprehensive service to its clients.
