Law firms nearing their centenary often trade on tradition and reputation. Colombia’s Brigard Urrutia does that too — but it is innovation that now defines the firm’s edge.
Founded in 1934, Brigard Urrutia has built a dominant presence across Colombia’s most active legal disciplines, from antitrust and M&A to project finance, energy and tax. Few major transactions in the country move forward without lawyers from one of its 26 practice areas involved.
Managing partner Carlos Fradique says the firm’s strategy is rooted in anticipating change rather than reacting to it. The firm remains deeply embedded in Colombia’s largest and most complex transactions — while simultaneously redefining how legal services are delivered. That combination of scale, relevance and forward thinking continues to sets the firm apart in a competitive market.
“We have been strengthening our practices to respond to demands and to anticipate the needs of the market,” he says. “We are very focused on analyzing national, regional and international market trends to offer our clients the strategic accompaniment that allows them to take advantage of opportunities.”
That approach translated into a year of work on transactions exceeding $10 billion, spanning sovereign financings, transport infrastructure, financial-sector deals and projects tied to Colombia’s energy transition. The volume and complexity of that work earns Brigard Urrutia the award for Law Firm of the Year – Colombia.
Several mandates stood out for their national importance. Fradique highlights the firm’s role in structuring the financing for Bogotá Metro Line 1 — a project first conceived in the 1940s, when Brigard Urrutia itself was still in its infancy.
The line, now under construction by a Chinese consortium and scheduled to begin operations in 2028, required a multilayered financial solution involving public funding, private capital and multilateral institutions.
“The financing for Line 1 was an innovative and complex operation that combined private, public and multilateral financing. It was a significant challenge that was, at the same time, gratifying,” he says.
The firm also deepened its role in Colombia’s renewable energy push, advising on wind and hydroelectric projects that are reshaping the country’s power matrix.
“Renewable energy projects have been particularly innovative. We have taken part in wind and hydroelectric deals, projects that are part of the energy transition and represent novel issues in the Colombian context,” Fradique says.
Beyond infrastructure and energy, Brigard Urrutia continues to expand in fast-evolving regulatory fields. Technology-driven mandates now account for a growing share of its workload, as clients confront new frameworks around data protection, cybersecurity, fintech and artificial intelligence.
“We have had an increase in our work related to technology, data protection, cybersecurity, fintech and artificial intelligence, areas where our clients face new regulatory challenges and opportunities for innovation,” he says.
That mix of traditional legal rigor and experimentation is also evident in the firm’s move into alternative legal services. Brigard Urrutia launched Biu, an in-house alternative legal service provider that uses technology to manage high-volume, recurring matters such as traffic infractions and administrative claims.
Fradique says the goal is not to dilute standards but to modernize delivery.
“Biu maintains the firm’s legal rigor, while offering simple and effective solutions,” he says. The ambition, he adds, is to “make that which is traditional innovative.”