María Francisca
Salas

María Francisca is partner of our firm, which she joined in 2010. She advises national and foreign clients, mainly in corporate and civil matters, mergers and acquisitions processes, corporate restructuring operations, civil and commercial contracting, fishing and aquaculture, energy and sanitary matters. She has participated in and directed several and important transactions and also has served as in-house or secondment lawyer for companies related to the energy industry. 

Within the context of her professional practice, she has advised clients such as Empresas Públicas de Medellín, Organización Terpel, BHP Billiton, DISA Group, Mitsui, Multi X and Mitsubishi, among others.

She forms part of Cariola’s marketing and alumni committees and has participated in relevant probono publications and has collaborated with some chapters of Cariola’s podcast.

• Purchase and construction of a wind farm by EPM Group, for USD 220 million. 
• Sale of Terpel to Enex for USD 270M.
• Acquisition of Aguas de Antofagasta S.A. by EPM Group, for USD 975 million. 
• Sale by EPM Group of the local company owning Parque Eólico Los Cururos to an affiliate of AES Gener for a total amount of USD 138 million.
• Purchase of the listed salmon producer Australis Seafoods S.A. by Joyvio Group Co. Ltd., for an approx. of USD 920 million.
• Sale by Multiexport Foods of 24.5 state in Multi X to Cargill for USD 290 million.
• Participation in the due diligence, negotiation, capital raising process, flip and opening to international markets of Datamart, a Chilean Fintech that closed a first USD 6 million round in seed stage. 
• Advice and participation in the implementation of two of the first five collective managements systems in Chile, under the context of EPR Law, since its genesis (specifically, Giro and Valora+, created for packaging and tire industry, respectively).
• Conduction of a legal due diligence regarding the Chilean companies that formed part of the Aquaship Group and the Intership Group, and assesment regarding relevant matters of the applicable Investment and Share Purchase Agreement (executed abroad) by which American Industrial Partners became the majority shareholder of both, Aquaship AS and Intership AS. 
• Advice to Grupo EPM in the purchase of a wind farm, for USD 220 million.
• Advice to Grupo Terpel in the sale of its Chilean subsidiaries to Enex, for USD 270 million, as well as in certain restructuring transactions.
• Advice to Grupo EPM in the acquisition of Aguas de Antofagasta, for USD 975 million, and in the related restructuring transactions.
• Advice to Grupo EPM in the sale of Los Cururos Wind Farm to AES Gener Group, for USD 138 million.
• Advice to Joyvio Gruop in the purchase of Australis Seafoods, for USD 920 million.
• Advice to Multiexport Foods in the sale of 24.5% of Multi X to the American food company, Cargill, for USD 290 million.
• Advice to Datamart in the raising of capital in seed round for USD 6 million, and its flip to Delaware.
• Advice and participation in the implementation of two of the first collective management systems in Chile, under the context of the EPR Law (groups that today constitute Giro and Valora+, created in relation to the packaging and tire recycling industry, respectively).
• Advice to American Industrial Partners, in connection with the acquisition of the majority interest of the Aquaship Group and the Intership Group, both dedicated to the well boat industry.
• Advice to Mitsubishi Power Americas in the execution of a series of contracts with Guacolda Energía which are part of a long-term maintenance project of Guacolda’s thermoelectric power plant, located in Huasco, Atacama Region.

• Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Law School, 2011.

• WE Academy – Clifford Chance 2024.
• Outstanding senior associate “Rising Star” in Corporate and M&A, Legal 500 (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024).
• Shortlisted as Corporate and M&A: high-end rising star of the year, The Legal 500 (2023).