Partner of Carey and co-head of the firm’s Energy Group. His practice area is focused on energy regulatory matters and various types of energy projects, including contracts for electricity, liquid fuels, natural gas, NCRE accreditations, electric transmission, gas transportation, engineering and construction of infrastructure projects, property and land use permits, environmental matters and litigation related to regulatory matters of the energy industry, and civil law.

Bar Admissions
Chile (1997).

Education

• Law, Universidad Católica de Chile.
• LL.M., Duke University Law School (2000).
• Program of Instruction for Lawyers, Harvard University (2000).

• Named Lawyer of the Year in Energy, Best Lawyers (2016 and 2023).
• Recognized as Best Individual Lawyer in Energy & Natural Resources, Client Choice (2022).
• Recognized in Energy and Natural Resources; and Projects, Chambers Latin America.
• Recognized in Electricity, Oil and Gas, Legal 500.
• Recognized in Energy, Latin Lawyer 250.
• Recognized in Project Development, IFLR1000.
• Recognized in Mining, Energy - Oil & Gas, and Project Finance, Who’s Who Legal.
• Recognized as Thought Leader in Energy, LACCA.
• Recognized in Corporate and Mergers and Acquisitions, Energy, Natural Resources, Oil and Gas and Project Finance and Development, Best Lawyers.
• Recognized in Project Finance, Leaders League.
• Recognized in Energy, Natural Resources and Projects, Top Ranked Legal.

• Member of the Board and advisor, World Energy Council (WEC), Chile chapter.
• Former member of the Advisory Council, Chilean Arab Chamber of Commerce and Investments.
• Member of the Council, Asociación Chilena de Energías Renovables (ACERA) (2017-2018).
• Founder and former vicechairman, Small and Mid-sized Hydro Projects Association (APEMEC).
• Former vicechairman, Fundación Mi Parque.
• Past president of the Chilean-Australian Chamber of Commerce (2010-2016).
• Invited scholar of the Master of Energy Law, School of Law, Universidad Externado de Colombia (2012-2014).
• Member of Fundación Independízate.
• Member of the Council of the Section on Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Law (SEERIL), International Bar Association (2012-2016).
• Writer of the SIC-SING interconnection bill, which was signed into law in 2013 (Law N° 20,726).
• Member of the Drafting Committee of the Public Electric Highway, presented before Congress by President Sebastián Piñera in 2012.
• Member of the Chilean Energy Ministry’s Drafting Committee for the NCRE bill, which was signed into law in 2010 (Law N° 20,698).
• Advisor on a major change to a legal project of the Chilean Ministry of Energy to change the current regulation regarding transmission in relation to construction permits, stronger capacity, tariff and environmental certainties in Chile.
• Past president of the Power Law Committee, International Bar Association (2011 and 2012).
• Assistant professor of Mining Law, Universidad de Chile (2001-2008).
• Foreign associate, Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, New York (2000-2001).
• Assistant professor of Civil Law, Universidad Diego Portales (1998).
• Member of the Chilean Bar Association.
• Member of the International Bar Association.

• Ministry of Energy Establishes Criteria for Requests of Unique Collective Permit Applicable to Power Generation Companies

  By Juan Francisco Mackenna |July 2020

• NEC Exempt Resolution No. 176 that Determines the Scope on the Exclusive Business Purpose of Energy Distribution Companies

  By Juan Francisco Mackenna |June 2020

• CORFO Creates Green Credit to Boost Investment in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Circular Economy Projects.

  By Juan Francisco Mackenna |June 2020

• Peer reviewer in "The Transformation of the Electricity Industry and Challenges of Energy Law", coord. PhD Vivian Lima López Valle and Prof. Lucio Sánchez Povis, Universidad Católica del Perú (2022).
• Co-author of the Chilean chapter of Construction and Projects Q&As Global Guide, Thomson Reuters (2018-2020).
• Co-author of the Chilean chapter of "Foreign Investment in South America: A Comprehensive Guide to Infrastructure and the Legal Environment", American Bar Association (2018).
• Co-author of Electricity Projects & Regulations, Latin Lawyer (2015-2017).
• Author of the Annual Report: Energy and Utilities, Financier Worldwide (2013).
• Co-author of the Chilean chapter on Energy, First Edition, Global Legal Insights, Global Legal Group (2012).
• Author of the Chilean chapter of Electricity Regulation, Getting the Deal Through (2007-2009).