Juan Ignacio Johnson is an associate in the Administrative and Constitutional Law area of Garrigues’ Santiago de Chile office. His practice centers on public and regulatory law, with a special emphasis on the management and handling of administrative proceedings, administrative litigation and legal advice through the issuance of legal opinions. He holds a Master’s Degree in Advanced Studies in Public Law from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, focused on doctrinal analysis and specialized legal research.
Experience
His practice includes advising on administrative proceedings before various public authorities, including those aimed at obtaining authorizations, permits and concessions, as well as on matters relating to municipal law, planning, zoning and environmental regulatory compliance.
His experience includes developing legal strategies, as well as managing and handling administrative proceedings before administrative agencies and administrative litigation before ordinary and special courts. In addition, he has experience reviewing environmental management instruments and conducting regulatory compliance audits to identify potential regulatory contingencies.
Before joining Garrigues, Juan Ignacio was an associate at Barros Silva Varela & Vigil (2022–2025), where he started his professional career. He subsequently pursued a Master’s Degree in Advanced Studies in Public Law at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (2025–2026), while simultaneously undertaking an internship at Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales de España (2026). In the academic sphere, he served as coordinator of the Master’s Program in Administrative Law at Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (2023-2024) and was a member of the Chilean Administrative Law Association (ADAD) (2020-2024).
He is fluent in Spanish and English.
Academic background
- Degree in Law, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (2021)
- Admitted to practice law by the Supreme Court of Chile (2022)
- Postgraduate diploma in Administrative Law, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (2022)
- Postgraduate diploma in Administrative Penalty Law, Universidad de Valladolid, Spain (2024)
- Master’s Degree in Advanced Studies in Public Law, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain (2026)
Distinctions
- Full scholarship to pursue the Master’s Degree in Advanced Studies in Public Law, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (2025).
- Full scholarship to pursue the Postgraduate diploma in Administrative Law, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (2022).
- Highest academic achievement in the Postgraduate diploma in Administrative Law, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (2022).
Publications
- “El silencio administrativo positivo en perspectiva histórica a la luz de la jurisprudencia de la Contraloría General de la República” (Positive administrative silence in historical perspective in light of the case law of the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic), in Evolución e historia del derecho administrativo chileno, XX Jornadas Nacionales de Derecho Administrativo, Asociación de Derecho Administrativo de Chile (2025).
- Opinion column: “Planes de manejo y el silencio administrativo positivo” (Management plans and positive administrative silence), El Mercurio Legal (2023).
- “¿Es la potestad dictaminante de la Contraloría General de la República una manifestación de la función consultiva?” (The opinion-issuing authority of the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic: a manifestation of the advisory function?), Revista de Estudios Ius Novum, Vol. 13 N° 1 (2020), pp. 301–347.
- Opinion column: “Ciberseguridad en el proyecto de ley que modifica el sistema registral y notarial” (Cybersecurity in the bill amending the registry and notarial system), Boletín Ius Novum N° 4 (2018), pp. 16–18.