Law Firm

Specialists in Labour Law and public employment Experts at being on your side

We are a law firm specialising in labour law for the private sector and public officials, based in Viña del Mar and operating throughout Chile.

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Practice Areas

Labour and civil servant regulation is our area of professional specialisation. We also work as university lecturers and researchers in the field.

Preventive advice on labour and social-security matters

Support in a dynamic and complex regulatory environment shaped by recent technological, economic and social change.

We advise our clients on the efficient compliance with the labour and social-security rules applicable to the employment contract; on the requirements of workers' fundamental rights within the company; and on compliance models for the prevention of harassment, corporate criminal-liability prevention and personal-data protection, among other relevant legal matters.

Advice to civil servants and organisations on statutory rights

Representation in disciplinary procedures such as administrative inquiries (sumarios administrativos) and summary investigations (investigaciones sumarias).

We offer specialised advice on the complex rules governing public employment, covering central government, municipalities, the National Congress, the Judiciary and many State autonomous bodies. Our knowledge of the applicable administrative regulation allows us to provide strategic representation in disciplinary proceedings and administrative inquiries.

Litigation and legal representation

We represent our clients in labour trials and high-complexity litigation, providing a technical defence in workplace disputes, and taking on representation both before the courts and in enforcement proceedings before the Administrative Inspectorate.

Our courtroom practice covers labour trials for dismissals and indirect dismissals, social-security claims, and fundamental-rights protection claims, among others. We also act through the administrative process, by means of administrative reconsideration requests and judicial claims.

Company and collective relations; bargaining

We have extensive experience managing relations between unions and companies, as well as between public-sector unions and their agencies. Our advice is geared to efficiency and to safeguarding the legal procedures at every stage of the collective relationship.

This involves ongoing, committed advice, with deep knowledge and careful handling of the interpersonal relations between the parties. Our practice covers full representation in regulated and non-regulated collective-bargaining processes, as well as the assessment of minimum-services qualification procedures.

Legal opinions and technical training in labour and administrative-statutory law

We draw on our expertise as university lecturers in these branches of law to offer legal opinions, specialised expert reports and training activities.

Our academic work underpins our capacity to prepare technical reports and complex consultancy, delivering a thorough, well-founded analysis of the applicable rules on the matters our clients require. We likewise use this higher-education experience to design and deliver specialised training aimed at providing precise and effective legal tools in the field of labour and statutory law for our clients.

We represent our clients in high-complexity litigation, and have even represented them before international bodies. We work with companies, executives, civil servants and their organizations who need a rigorous, thorough, quick and strategic approach to their legal problems.

Our Team

Professionals committed to you. We are defined by a solid, committed approach to every case. We support individuals and organisations that need to understand their problem well and address it properly throughout the process. We handle every matter entrusted to us with commitment, care and speed, to their successful resolution.

Andrés Ahumada Salvo

Partner

Bio

Matías Rodríguez Burr

Partner

Bio

Alejandra Ahumada Salvo

Associate

Bio

Felipe Cáceres Rodríguez

Associate

Bio

Andrés Ahumada Salvo

Partner

Andrés Ahumada Salvo is a lawyer from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso and holds a Master's in Sociology from the Universidad de Chile.

He has a distinguished track record in Labour Law and Administrative Civil-Service Law. He is a professor at the Law School of the Universidad de Valparaíso and has served as a consultant to the International Labour Organization (ILO) on various comparative-research projects.

His professional practice is marked by a rigorous search for legal solutions aimed at fully satisfying his clients' interests, combined with a specialisation reflected in his numerous publications in specialised Labour Law journals.

Publications

  • Arellano, P. & Ahumada, A. (2026). "La negociación como mecanismo de prevención y de resolución de conflictos: la negociación posicional y la negociación de intereses". Nota informativa IRDS, International Labour Organization, pp. 1–7.
  • Ahumada, A. (2026). "El sistema de supervisión de la OIT en cuanto recurso de poder político-institucional". Revista de Diálogo Social, Tripartismo y Resolución de Conflictos, 2(1), pp. 21–40.
  • Rodríguez, M. & Ahumada, A. (2025). "Tutela laboral de funcionarios públicos: estudio de la jurisprudencia laboral durante la vigencia de la Ley N° 21.280 y su deferencia con los actos del Estado". Revista de Derecho (Coquimbo), 32.
  • Ahumada, A. (2025). "Les effets pendulaires de la législation du travail au Chili". Revue de Droit Comparé du Travail et de la Sécurité Sociale, 3.
  • Ahumada, A. (2025). "Derecho sindical y la OIT como recurso de poder institucional. Una propuesta de análisis para el debate sobre las transiciones justas". In P. Alvarado Barrientos, E. Costa Cordella & A. Gottschalk Castro (eds.), Derecho del trabajo, medioambiente y transición justa, Thomson Reuters.
  • Ahumada, A. (2024). "Modifications du Code du Travail au Chili sur le télétravail, le harcèlement et les violences au travail". Revue de Droit Comparé du Travail et de la Sécurité Sociale, 1.
  • Ahumada, A. (2023). "La precariedad en el teletrabajo. Un análisis de la flexible regulación de sus jornadas y sus consecuencias". In L. Bravo, D. Julián & A. Galliorio (eds.), Estudios del Trabajo desde el Sur, vol. IV, Ariadna Ediciones.
  • Ahumada, A. (2023). "De nouveaux droits sociaux en faveur des femmes au Chili". Revue de Droit Comparé du Travail et de la Sécurité Sociale, 1.
  • Ahumada, A. & Arellano, P. (2022). "El caso fortuito de grado superior. Reflexiones desde el derecho del trabajo a propósito del debate provocado por la pandemia Covid-19". Opinión Jurídica, 21(44).
  • Ahumada, A. (2022). "Chili – Actualités Juridiques Internationales". Revue de Droit Comparé du Travail et de la Sécurité Sociale, 1.
  • Ahumada, A. (2021). "Chili – Actualités Juridiques Internationales". Revue de Droit Comparé du Travail et de la Sécurité Sociale, 1.
  • Arellano, P., Ahumada, A. & Astudillo, N. (2020). "Covid-19 and Labour Law: Chile". Italian Labour Law e-Journal, 13(1).
  • Ahumada, A. (2016). "La eficacia diagonal u oblicua y los estándares de conducta en el Derecho del Trabajo, por Sergio Gamonal Contreras. Una reseña". Revista Electrónica Internacional y Comparada de Relaciones Laborales y Derecho del Empleo, 4(3).
  • Ahumada, A. (2016). "Los servicios mínimos como límite al derecho fundamental de huelga". Revista Laboral Chilena, 251.

Matías Rodríguez Burr

Partner

Matías Rodríguez Burr is a lawyer from the Universidad de Chile and holds a Master's in Labour Law from the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez. He also holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in Public Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and a PhD in Law from the University of Bristol, England.

Matías is a specialist in Labour Law and Administrative Civil-Service Law. He has extensive professional experience in preventive advice, collective bargaining and judicial and administrative representation of the interests of companies, workers, public officials and their organisations.

Before founding AyR, Matías worked at Aylwin Abogados as a senior labour lawyer between 2011 and 2022. Before that, he was a labour-law associate at Luis Navarro Egaña y Cía. between 2010 and 2011, and head lawyer of the Environmental Law Department at Ossandón Abogados between 2009 and 2010.

He serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Labour and Social-Security Law at the Law School of the Universidad de Valparaíso. He is also a professor at the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez and in various national postgraduate programmes on labour law (UAI, Universidad de Chile, UdeC, Instituto de Estudios Judiciales, among others). He also taught the Jurisprudence course at the University of Bristol.

Publications

  • Rodríguez, M. & Ahumada, A. (2025). "Tutela laboral de funcionarios públicos: estudio de la jurisprudencia laboral durante la vigencia de la Ley N° 21.280 y su deferencia con los actos del Estado". Revista de Derecho (Coquimbo), 32.
  • Rodríguez Burr, M. (2025). "Deberes de abstención de competencia y negociación incompatible: una aproximación comparada entre Chile y el Reino Unido". In Ferrada & Walter (eds.), Desafíos del Derecho del Trabajo y la función pública: el caso chileno y uruguayo, DER.
  • Rodríguez Burr, M. (2020). "El Convenio sobre la no discriminación (empleo y ocupación) N° 111 (1958) de la OIT y el derecho a la no discriminación en el empleo en Chile". In P. Arellano Ortiz & J. P. Severin Concha (eds.), Chile y la Organización Internacional del Trabajo. 100 años de relación normativa, Tirant lo Blanch.
  • Rodríguez Burr, M. (2018). "Principios normativos que justifican la elección de criterios de discriminación no listados en el derecho a la no discriminación en el empleo". In P. Arellano Ortiz (ed.), Discriminación en la legislación social, Ediciones Universitarias de Valparaíso, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso.
  • Rodríguez Burr, M. (2017). "Different Routes for Protecting Caste Discrimination: Chandhok v Tirkey". Industrial Law Journal (Oxford), 46(3).
  • Rodríguez, M. (2013). "Nociones sobre la discriminación laboral indirecta. Reconocimiento legal en Chile". Revista de Derecho Laboral y Seguridad Social (Thomson Reuters), 3.
  • Carey, G. & Rodríguez Burr, M. (2005). "Sistemas de transferencia de música por redes P2P". Revista Chilena de Derecho Informático (Universidad de Chile), 6.
  • Member of the Editorial Board of the Revista de Derecho Laboral y Seguridad Social (Thomson Reuters) since 2012, contributing regular case-law commentaries.
  • Rodríguez, M. & Lorenzini, F. (6 June 2023). "Ley que reduce la jornada laboral (40 horas) y algunas dudas interpretativas que genera el texto antes de su entrada en vigor". El Mercurio Legal.
  • Rodríguez, M. & Fullerton, A. (1 June 2024). "La presunción de validez de las sanciones de sumarios administrativos en la tutela laboral". Diario Constitucional.
  • Rodríguez, M. & Fullerton, A. (18 July 2024). "Presunción de validez o legalidad vs. presunción de laboralidad: privación del derecho a la acción declarativa de existencia de contrato de trabajo para los prestadores de servicios a honorarios en la Administración del Estado". Diario Constitucional.
  • Rodríguez, M. & Fullerton, A. (13 December 2024). "Ley Karin y su aplicación a los funcionarios públicos". Diario Constitucional.

Alejandra Ahumada Salvo

Associate

Alejandra Ahumada Salvo is a lawyer from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. She complements her undergraduate training with a Diploma in Administrative Sanctioning Law, giving her specialised tools for resolving complex litigation against the State administration.

Her practice focuses on Labour Law and Administrative Law. Her experience spans preventive and strategic advice and representation before administrative bodies and the courts.

Publications

  • Ahumada, A. (2023). "La administración local y los mecanismos anticorrupción: relevancia del fortalecimiento interno". Revista Chilena de la Administración del Estado.

Felipe Cáceres Rodríguez

Associate

Felipe Cáceres Rodríguez is a lawyer from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. His academic training stands out for a solid doctrinal command of current law.

His practical experience concentrates on litigating labour cases, developing labour-compliance strategies for organisations, and university teaching.

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