LABOR AND SOCIAL SECURITY CONSULTANTS
For years we have been at the heart of legal decision and policy-making, and in its subsequent implementation and oversight.
This unique experience allows us to comprehend labor and social security laws and policies, with their political and legislative debates, through wide and expert lenses, providing practical and strategic solutions to our clients.
SEBASTIAN MERINO VON BERNATH
Partner
Sebastián is a Lawyer from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, LL.M in Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution from University College London (London, United Kingdom), labor arbitrator and member of the Labor Arbitrators Registrar of Chile.
He has focused his professional practice on labor law and social security matters, working for more than 10 years in the private sector, both in Chile and the United Kingdom, advising companies and workers on a wide range of matters, both individual and collective.
Between September 2019 and March 2022, he served as Chief of Advisors at the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, which gave Sebastián a 360° view of labor law and social security, and a criterion that combines his public and private sectors’ experience. At the Ministry, he led the team of advisors that designed, implemented and oversight of emergency laws and public policies destined to protect jobs and promote Chile's economic reactivation due to the October 2019 social outburst and the Covid-19 pandemic.
MARÍA JOSÉ ZALDÍVAR LARRAÍN
Senior External Consultant
María José is a Lawyer and has a History degree from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. She has developed a very recognized career linked to the Social Security, Pension and Labor areas, mainly at the public sector, serving as Minister of Labor and Social Security, Undersecretary of Social Security, Superintendent of Social Security and Head Counsel of the same institution, between 2005 and 2021. María José also has experience in the private sector, as CEO of the Social Security Studies Corporation (Ciedess) and as an associate attorney at the Carey y Allende law firm. In addition, she is an academic at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Universidad del Desarrollo, among other universities.
During more than 15 years in these undertakings, she has both led and implemented highly valued projects and public policies, mainly linked to social security, employment, labor training, as well as labor and social protection policies focused on women.
JOSÉ RIQUELME GONZÁLEZ
Senior External Consultant
José is a Lawyer from the Universidad del Desarrollo and Master in Regulatory Law (LLM) from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. He has focused his professional practice on strategic legislative advice and public relations, both for the public and private world, being an advisor to representatives, study centers and companies.
Between March 2018 and March 2022, he served as Legislative Coordinator in the Ministry of Finance, being in charge of the relationship between the aforementioned Ministry and the National Congress. In this capacity, he had to lead the coordination of the design and drafting of the legal initiatives of the Ministry of Finance, among them, the creation of the Autonomous Fiscal Council, FOGAPE, the Employment Protection Law and had a role in the negotiations of the Emergency Plan due to the Covid-19 pandemic, an agreement that allowed the approval of the Emergency Family Income (IFE), tax measures to support Mipymes and the law known as "loan to the middle class", among others.
Since October 2022, he has been an external consultant on legislative affairs and public relations for companies, study centers and universities.
SILVIA LEIVA PARRA
Senior External Consultant
Economist and Master in Public Policy from the University of Chile, she has extensive experience in labor issues in the private and public spheres. She has worked as an Impact Evaluation economist in the Budget Directorate (2008 - 2009), worked as an Economic Evaluator of Projects in CORFO, INNOVA Chile, was an advisor to the Minister of Finance (2009 - 2011), Coordinator of Advisors and Head of Studies of the Ministry of Labor (2011 - 2013) and, recently, she served as Chief of Advisors and Coordinator of Labor Policy of the Ministry of Finance (2021 - 2022).
She has led and participated in quantitative and qualitative studies and research on the labor market, pensions, training, poverty through consultancies to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), International Labor Organization (ILO), among others. In the academic field, she has worked as a professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business of the Diego Portales University, in the Introduction to Economics and Macroeconomics II chair of the same university, in addition to training CORFO executives on project evaluation.