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Pabla Gainza
Partner

Pabla Gainza

Languages
  • Spanish
  • English
Social media

Pabla is a partner and head of the Real Estate Group at CMS Carey & Allende, covering Zoning, Infrastructure, and Regulatory Law. Her practice has allowed her to participate in areas such as urban planning, territorial planning instruments, urbanization, and plotting, as well as in the establishment of strategies for the planning of industrial distribution centres, supermarkets, shopping malls, asphalt terminals, gaming casinos, hotels, places of worship, residential areas, and educational establishments.

Pabla was a part of the team that developed an Integrated Projects Methodology for Santiago’s Inner Ring, for the World Bank’s United Nation’s Development Programme. She has also provided urban legal consulting for the Metropolitan Region Office of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning in Chile, for the modification and creation of the Santiago Metropolitan Regulation Plan, on matters related to Patrimony and Public Areas.

In Infrastructure, Pabla has led teams for local and foreign client projects such as public works concessions, the survey of new routes, surface property analysis, negotiation, establishment of easements, reversal of railways, and land use conversion. She has experience developing strategies for the procurement of permits and regularization of wastewater treatment plants.

She is highly involved in the practice of contentious administrative cases, before the various public entities, such as the Comptroller General of the Republic, Regional Offices of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, Regional Offices of the Ministry of Health, Urban Development Authority, Public Works Department, etc.
She worked as a senior consultant for the Real Estate practice group for the Cariola, Diez, Perez, Cotapos law firm (1995-2010).

Awards & Recognitions
01
  • Quote
    "Pabla Gainza stands out for her experience. She is good at providing strategic analyses that incorporate all the necessary variables in order to deliver concrete solutions in a limited time"
    Chambers Latin America - 2023
  • Quote
    "Pabla Gainza has extensive theoretical and practical knowledge – she is the best lawyer around for urban regulation issues, as she knows every detail of the regulations and her recommendations are applicable and accurate"
    The Legal 500 - 2022
  • Quote
    "Pabla Gainza’s greatest strength is her ability to mix legal knowledge with commercial and urban planning expertise; she also knows how the associated bureaucracy works, which allows her advice to be very complete and realistic"
    The Legal 500 - 2022
  • Quote
    "Pabla Gaínza is a top-notch urban consultant and attorney. I have not met anyone in the industry with such complete knowledge of urban law, both theoretically and in its application. In addition, she has a business vision that combines very well with her legal knowledge. I think that Pabla is more than just a lawyer, she is a very complete urban adviser. Furthermore, she is very transparent in explaining the risks of decisions"
    The Legal 500 - 2021
  • Quote
    "Pabla Gaínza is an extraordinary lawyer, with a very broad knowledge of both the theory and practice of the rules that govern the real estate industry, as well as strong business vision"
    The Legal 500 - 2021
  • Quote
    "A lawyer who offers an in-depth understanding of the market and strong analytical capabilities"
    Chambers Latin America - 2020
  • Quote
    "Really knows a great deal about the real estate market, and is also knowledgeable about regulatory issues. She advises on zoning, urban planning and easements, as well as land acquisitions and contentious mandates"
    Chambers Latin America

Relevant experience

  • Banco Santander, leading the team advising on the tendering process, drafting of construction contracts, GTC and annexes for the ‘Campus Santander’ project, which consists of the construction, fitting out and commissioning of the corporate building for 3,500 employees of the banking conglomerate, in the district of Las Condes. 
  • Ferrocarril Antofagasta Bolivia on the regularisation and updating of its title deeds and railway concessions. In addition, we are their advisors in the development of a 48-hectare urban project, on the conversion of railway yards to mixed land uses, leading the process of subdivision and development of the land.
  • Elécticas de Medellín Ingeniería y Servicios - EDEMSA, as EPC contractor, in all the planning and development of the regional power line of the company Interchile, including construction permits, installation of industrial sites and warehousing, installation of high voltage towers, especially in EPC of supply and installation.
  • Estée Lauder S.A. (Cela Cosméticos S.A.), on the construction, development, implementation and permitting of its cosmetics distribution centre for Latin America, including drafting of construction, GTC, and supply and installation contracts, together with acceptance of works, permitting and obtaining of commercial patents.
  • Rezepka Inmobiliaria, on the development of real estate projects, land acquisition, application of urban regulations, title searches, obtaining building permits, drafting of co-ownership regulations, drafting of construction contracts, bidding terms and conditions, drafting of promises of purchase and sale and subsequent sale of different types of real estate, such as industrial warehouse centre, and an office building.
  • Custodia Metropolitano, on obtaining building permits, construction contract, GTC and final acceptance of the project.
  • Unilever Chile, on the drafting of the construction contract, GTC and final acceptance of the Valle Grande Lampa distribution centre.
  • Gas Andes and Sonacol SA. on route surveys, surface property analysis, negotiation and establishment of easements for a gas pipeline and an oil pipeline, respectively.
  • Container Operators before public bodies in relation to the refusal of building permits for a new container terminal in the city of Santiago, due to erroneous interpretation of urban planning policies, procuring permits for its construction.
     

Awards & Rankings

Pabla is recognized as one of the best real estate lawyers in Chile by Chambers Latin America (Band 1), in the Hall of Fame by The Legal 500, Latin Lawyer 250, as Excellent by Leaders League, IFLR 1000 Best Lawyers in Real Estate Law and Administrative and Public Law. In addition, she was nominated in 2022 by Chambers Diversity & Inclusion as Outstanding Contribution and in 2018 as Chile Lawyer of the Year at Chambers Women in Law Awards: Latin America.

Education

  • 2005 – Certification in Financial Administrative Law, specializing in “Public Assets, Urban Development, and Territory”, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile School of Law
  • 1997 – Certification in Tax Law for Today’s Company and its Business, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez
  • 1995 – Law Degree, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso 

Pabla is a partner in the Infrastructure & Projects Group at CMS Carey & Allende. She has headed work teams for local and foreign client projects such as public works concessions, the survey of new routes, surface property analysis, negotiation, establishment of easements, reversal of railways, and land use conversion. She has experience developing strategies for the procurement of permits and regularization of wastewater treatment plants.

Her practice has allowed her to participate in areas such as urban planning, territorial planning instruments, urbanization, and plotting, as well as in the establishment of strategies for the planning of industrial distribution centres, supermarkets, shopping malls, asphalt terminals, gaming casinos, hotels, places of worship, residential areas, and educational establishments.

She is highly involved in the practice of contentious administrative cases, before various public entities, such as the Comptroller General of the Republic, Regional Offices of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, Regional Offices of the Ministry of Health, Urban Development Authority, Public Works Department, etc.

Awards & Recognitions
01
  • Quote
    "Pabla Gaínza is an expert in public bids"
    The Legal 500
  • Quote
    "Her connections within the industry and the public administration speed up the necessary processes"
    The Legal 500
  • Quote
    "She is pragmatic, committed and effective in her dealings with the authorities"
    Chambers Latin America

Relevant experience

  • Rezepka Inmobiliaria, on various projects for office buildings, apartments and industrial warehouse centres.
  • AKI KB Minibodegas S.A on the drafting of contracts for the acquisition and development of self-storage facilities, in six projects in Chile, five in Santiago and one in Concepción.
  • Agrícola Vertical Ltda. on the search of land, in the title search and the drafting of real estate and water rights purchase and sale agreements, for the development of Stevia crops.Enex on the Environmental Impact Statement of the Urban Transportation System, and on access to public roadways and highway concessions.
  • Gas Andes and Sonacol SA. for the survey of new routes, surface property analysis, negotiation and establishment of easements for a gas and oil pipeline, respectively.
  • Global Crossing on the fibre optic network installation project in Chile.
  • Elecnor on the installation of electric power transmission lines.
  • Container Operators on building permit denials from public agencies for a new container terminal in the City of Santiago, due to erroneous interpretation of the urban policies, procuring permits for its construction.
  • American Tower on search and study of real estate, and on the installation of telecom infrastructure.
    Southern Cross and Endesa Chile S.A, on the study for the installation of coal-fired power plants

Awards & Rankings

Pabla is recognized as one of the best real estate lawyers in Chile by Chambers Latin America (Band 1), in the Hall of Fame by The Legal 500, Latin Lawyer 250, as Excellent by Leaders League, IFLR 1000 Best Lawyers in Real Estate Law and Administrative and Public Law. In addition, she was nominated in 2022 by Chambers Diversity & Inclusion as Outstanding Contribution and in 2018 as Chile Lawyer of the Year at Chambers Women in Law Awards: Latin America.

Education

  • 2005 – Certification in Financial Administrative Law, specializing in “Public Assets, Urban Development, and Territory”, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile School of Law
  • 1997 – Certification in Tax Law for Today’s Company and its Business, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez
  • 1995 – Law Degree, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso 

Insights by Pabla