The Legal 500

Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is particularly strong in arbitration, and recently led pre-litigation advice to Enel on its high-profile joint acquisition of Endesa with Acciona. It also advised British American Tobacco on a claim filed against it by the regional government of Andalusia over smoking-related healthcare costs. Cani Fernandez and Pere Kirchner are ‘dedicated and customer-minded’.

Garrigues’ ‘hugely respected’ dispute resolution practice is headed by Carlos de los Santos. Recent mandates include acting for OHL in ICC arbitration with a subcontractor on a major project, and advising a large Peruvian insurer on international arbitration. On the civil litigation side, the group acted on a request for the fulfilment or termination of a contract governing the audio-visual rights of the Spanish football league.

Uría Menéndez’s sizeable practice is led by Jesús Remón, ‘the best in class in litigation and arbitration’. The team also includes Esteban Astarloa, who is ‘particularly strong in negotiation and preliminary advice’. Recent highlights include representing Banco Santander in financial products litigation. The team ‘gives advice clearly, and takes the time to get to know the business it is giving advice to’.

Clifford Chance has considerable litigation expertise and a prominent arbitration practice including investment arbitration. The group has recently been advising Abengoa in arbitration pertaining to the construction of a power plant, and represented Endesa in a damages claim filed by Iberdrola as a consequence of its takeover bid for the client. José Antonio Caínzos heads the department, while Iñigo Villoria recently made partner.

Perez-Llorca’s high-profile clients include Ahorro Corporación, BBVA and Motorola. The firm is particularly busy with restructuring and insolvency disputes, and has a prominent trade mark litigation practice. It acted for Quabit Inmobiliaria in a case concerning its corporate name and brand image and represented Técnicas Reunidas in arbitration over a breach of turnkey contract for a biodiesel plant. David Arias is ‘a rising star’.

Allen & Overy is ‘one of the few firms in Spain that has litigation lawyers with perfect knowledge of financial issues’. Practice head Antonio Vázquez-Guillén is ‘a born fighter’ with ‘great knowledge of restructurings and bankruptcy law’. Recent work includes financial litigation relating to derivative transactions and structured notes issued by insolvent banks Lehman Brothers and Kaupthing.

Baker & McKenzie’s ‘excellent’ practice is led by the ‘very professional’ José Ramón Casado. The group recently defended insurer Bes Vida against a misrepresentation class action brought by 33 ULIP (Unit Linked Insurance Policy) holders. Other instructions included representing Transportes García Villalobos in arbitration proceedings concerning an M&A valuation.

CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo strengthened its practice by recruiting José Antonio Rodríguez Álvarez, who has litigation experience within both public administration and the private sector. The team advises on civil and criminal litigation and arbitration nationally and internationally. Carlos Aguilar heads the three-partner department, which also includes Juan Ignacio Fernández Aguado.

DLA Piper Spain S L has nearly doubled the size of its disputes capability, following the recruitment of several lawyers from Lexland Abogados. Among them, new practice head Álvaro Lobato is highly regarded for his expertise in insolvency litigation and commercial and bankruptcy disputes. Miguel Bermúdez de Castro and four associates also joined the team, as well as of counsel Antoni Frigola. The firm is advising BP on contract disputes and issues of restrictive covenants.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s ‘client-centric’ practice is led by Vicente Sierra, who is ‘totally committed and devoted’. The team also includes the ‘very professional’ Rafael Murillo. Key clients include JT International, HSH Nordbank, Sony and Cargill. Recent work includes acting for one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies in administrative and civil proceedings relating to a medication that was withdrawn from the market.

The ‘intelligent, professional and effective’ Francisco Peña heads the team at Gómez-Acebo & Pombo Abogados, which is praised for its ‘speed in understanding problems and proposing solutions’. It has been particularly active in creditor- and debtor-side insolvency cases. Recent highlights include bringing a claim for Viajes Iberojet against Viajes Marsans, pursuing payment of a €37m debt.

Araoz & Rueda represented Estudio 2000, the Spanish distributor of Puma, in ad hoc breach of contract arbitration against the German manufacturer. Iñigo Rodríguez-Sastre joined the firm in May 2010 from Clifford Chance and focuses predominantly on national arbitration, while Clifford Hendel mainly acts on international matters. The practice also includes Alejandro Fernández de Araoz.

Disputes boutique B Cremades & Asociados has long held an excellent reputation for national and international arbitration. Founding and managing partner Bernardo Cremades is hugely well respected.

Bird & Bird (Spain) LLP’s practice is headed by managing partner Javier Fernández-Samaniego. The firm is representing Spanish IT consultancy Everis in litigation cases relating to software implementation projects. Other clients include Actavis Group and RBS. Miguel Ángel Rodríguez left the firm.

Widely known for its leading insurance litigation practice, Davies Arnold Cooper LLP has been active in both Spanish and international disputes relating to liability, including acting for the liability insurers of Dragados (a construction company now known as ACS) in a major environmental disaster case. Paulino Fajardo is ‘well recognised in the market’ and ‘brilliant in negotiations’. Ricardo Garrido is ‘remarkable’.

Luis Divar oversees Deloitte’s rapidly expanding practice, which recently advised a leading Spanish construction company on civil and criminal cases. Other highlights included representing a European cotton producer in criminal and civil proceedings.

Managing partner José Luis Huerta heads Hogan Lovells International LLP’s disputes practice and is a commercial litigation and arbitration expert with experience in engineering, construction, and product liability litigation as well as contentious insolvency. Clients include Motorola, Arcelor Mittal, Técnicas Reunidas and Polimeri.

Jones Day’s practice is headed by Mercedes Fernández and is particularly focused on commercial disputes and disputes arising from the protection of foreign investments, particularly in infrastructure. It is also active in construction conflicts, post-acquisition litigation and distribution. As well as advising Spanish clients, the team acts for foreign clients in judicial and arbitration proceedings in Spain and international arbitration.

Linklaters SL provides an ‘excellent quality of work, dedication and expertise’, and is ‘flexible and customer-oriented’. Practice head Francisco Málaga ‘is particularly strong in litigation, and has the ability to deal with the most complicated of cases’.

Ramón Hermosilla & Gutiérrez de la Roza’s experienced litigators and arbitrators typically advise on commercial transactions in order to minimise conflicts, and represent clients in ad hoc and institutional arbitration proceedings in Spain and abroad.

Ashurst LLP’s rapidly growing disputes practice was boosted by the arrival of new practice head Daniel Jiménez, formerly a civil litigation partner at Díaz-Bastien & Truan. Expertise within the team includes litigation and arbitration, particularly in the sports and real estate sectors. Jesús Almoguera, Gonzalo Jiménez-Blanco and Cristina Calvo Ortega are recommended.

The team at Broseta Abogados has ‘substantial business knowledge’ and ‘quick decision-making skills’. Areas of expertise include litigation arising from business law and unfair competition, construction defects and bankruptcy and insolvency. Practice head Antonia Magdaleno is recommended.

The ‘proactive and experienced’ team at Ecija Abogados is valued for its ‘availability and speed’. Javier López Gutiérrez heads the five-partner practice and has particular experience in electronic fraud. The firm advises Reale Seguros on all major conflicts regarding data protection and the defence of fundamental rights.

Antonio Bravo and Kiko Carrión co-head the disputes department at Eversheds Lupicinio. Clients include GlaxoSmithKline, Unilever, Caja Madrid and ING Real Estate.

‘Litigation guru’ Ignacio Díez-Picazo heads Herbert Smith LLP’s recently formed Spanish practice, working with a team that ‘complements him seamlessly’. It has been particularly active in energy and natural resources.

Rivero & Gustafson Abogados’ managing partner John Gustafson and Sebastián Rivero Galán are ‘quality advisers’ who provide ‘an excellent service’ in ‘a highly professional manner’.

At Simmons & Simmons LLP, Andés Mochales leads a team of experts focusing on arbitration and dispute resolution, insolvencies and white-collar crime.

Ventura Garcés & López-Ibor, Abogados’ practice includes Ana Ribo, ‘an expert who is very commercially minded’, and Alfonso López-Ibor, who is ‘very practical with a wide knowledge of commercial and financial law’.