Rafael Vergara is a partner at Carey and co-head of the firm’s Natural Resources and Environment group. His practice focuses on natural resources, mining, water rights, energy, environment, ESG, surface lands, project finance, and corporate and commercial law.
Mr. Vergara has been recognized as a leading lawyer in these areas by several international publications such as Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, Latin Lawyer and IFLR, among others. He was named Lawyer of the Year in Mining (2024 and 2021), in Natural Resources (2019, 2016 and 2014) and in Energy (2015) by Best Lawyers. Also, he was named Lawyer of the Year in Resources: Mining (2022) by Who’s Who Legal.
He graduated from Universidad de Chile’s Law School and attended to the Academy of American and International Law, Southwestern Legal Foundation in Dallas, and to the Program of Instruction for Lawyers at Harvard University, in USA.
Mr. Vergara is At-Large council member representative for Latin America at the Inter-Pacific Bar Association and chair of the Advisory Council of the World Association of Mining Lawyers. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada, RIELA and the Chilean Bar Association, of which he is a former advisor. He is also a member of the panel of arbitrators of the Arbitration and Mediation Center of the Santiago Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Vergara is professor of law in several graduate studies and Master’s degree programs at some of the most important universities in Chile, such as Universidad de Chile and Universidad de los Andes. Additionally, he has presented several papers about Chilean mining, energy, natural resources regulations, environment and arbitration at numerous seminars, both in Chile and abroad.