Valerie Contreras is a Peruvian-qualified lawyer and a Master of Laws (LLM) candidate in Environmental Law at the University of Sydney, Australia.
She has experience across the mining, environmental, regulatory, and natural resources sectors in both private practice and the public sector. Prior to joining Harris Gomez Group, Valerie worked as an Associate in the Energy & Mining Department of Muñiz, one of Peru’s leading law firms, where she advised on mining, environmental, regulatory, and project development matters. As part of a secondment during her time at Muñiz, Valerie supported the Zafranal mining project, promoted by Teck Resources, assisting with contractual management and project-related legal matters.
She also worked in the Regulation and Permits area at Gold Fields La Cima, supporting regulatory compliance, permitting processes, and operational legal matters within the mining industry.
Valerie has additionally worked at the Presidency of the Board of Directors of the Environmental Evaluation and Enforcement Agency (OEFA), Peru’s main environmental enforcement authority, where she gained experience in environmental governance and public regulatory frameworks.
Currently, Valerie works with Harris Gomez Group in Sydney, supporting cross-border matters involving Latin America and Australia, with a focus on natural resources, sustainability, ESG, mining, regulatory advisory, and commercial matters connected to the METS sector.
Her academic and professional interests are particularly focused on environmental law, climate governance, ESG frameworks, sustainability regulation, and the legal challenges surrounding the energy transition and critical minerals.
Being fluent in both English and Spanish, Valerie assists clients operating across jurisdictions and contributes to matters involving Latin American legal and regulatory systems.
Practice Focus
- Mining and Natural Resources
- Environmental and Climate Law
- ESG and Sustainability Advisory
- Cross-border Transactions
- Regulatory and Permitting Matters
- Critical Minerals and Energy Transition
- METS Sector Support
Education
- University of Sydney – Master of Laws (Environmental Law) (Candidate)
- Universidad de San Martín de Porres – Bachelor of Laws