The Legal 500

Bird & Bird’s expert TMT team recently successfully challenged the Spanish Data Protection Act on behalf of the Spanish Digital Economy Federation (FECEMD), which is now known as Adigital. It provides Gilead Sciences with day-to-day advice on protection of clinical trial data and data flow. Other clients include Everis and Ausa Productos Especiales. Javier Fernández-Samaniego is very highly regarded.

Ecija Abogados’ Hugo Écija has ‘natural talent’ and is ‘a wizard when it comes to solving problems’. Emilio Prieto is ‘a brilliant lawyer’, who is noted for his ‘perseverance, support and professionalism’. IT specialist Alejandro Touriño is recommended for his ‘comprehension and immediate effectiveness’. This ‘enthusiastic’ team has been advising LaSexta on its takeover by Antena 3, and also acts for Airbus, Orange and Yahoo!.

Uría Menéndez’s ‘fantastic practice’ advised Microsoft on its joint venture with Prisa to incorporate the latter’s online publications as channels in MSN.es, and also advises the client on general matters such as data protection. Other clients include Getronics, Jazztel and Telecinco. Practice head Pablo González-Espejo García and Teresa Paz-Ares Rodríguez are recommended.

Baker & McKenzie successfully represented Alliance Films in challenging competition restrictions imposed by the Spanish Competition Authorities, and acted for NBC in a case concerning alleged infringement of alcohol and gambling advertising rules. The team regularly advises Telefónica on regulatory issues, and other clients include Atos and Hewlett-Packard. Maite Diez, José María Méndez and Raúl Rubio are the names to note.

Clifford Chance is acting for Cableuropa in various administrative appeals relating to matters such as interconnection issues, universal service payment obligations, and payments under RTVE financing law. It has also been advising Antena 3 on its acquisition of LaSexta, and representing Samsung in its infringement dispute with Apple. Abertis Telecom is another key client. Juan José Lavilla is ‘one of the best regulatory lawyers in Spain’.

Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira represents Google before the Spanish Data Protection Agency when required to defend its search engine activity. It is also advising Miscrosoft’s Iberian business on entering into software contracts in Spain. Other clients include Mediaset and Lebara. Jorge Llevat, Luis Murillo, Paul Hitchings, and Javier Aparicio are recommended.

DLA Piper LLP’s practice is led by Diego Ramos and includes Juan Picón who ‘sets a standard that others struggle to meet’ because he is always ‘committed to a deal 24/7’. The team also includes Albert Agustinoy, who joined from Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira. Recent instructions came from Pokerstars and William Hill Online.

Gómez-Acebo & Pombo Abogados’ ‘approach, understanding of clients’ businesses, easy communication and technical knowledge is worth paying for’. Almudena Arpón de Mendívil is ‘a great combination of business knowledge and legal expertise’. Clients include Lycamobile, IPC, Warner, and Telefónica.

Abril Abogados, SL is ‘excellent’, ‘very responsive’, and provides ‘proactive advice and recommendations’. It is representing authors’ collecting society Cedro in a long-running claim for royalties from Spanish universities for the use of printed works without a licence. Ignacio Temiño is recommended.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advised LaSexta on its merger with Antena 3. Other clients include Hewlett-Packard and Abertis. Francisco Cantos is the key contact for competition-related work, and corporate partner Antoni Valverde is also recommended.

Garrigues is ‘well worth the fee’, owing to its ‘knowledgeable and strong advocates’, such as IT specialist José Ramón Morales and telecoms and media expert Javier Marzo. The group advised CaixaBank on a deal with IBM to manage IT infrastructure services, and other instructions came from Vodafone and Orange.

Hogan Lovells International LLP is advising Google on data protection matters concerning its activities in Spain, including the relaunch of its StreetView service in Spain. YouTube is also a client. Gonzalo Gállego is recommended.

Paloma Bru leads Jones Day’s practice, which represented Jazztel in its conflict with Vodafone regarding network access for the provision of MVNO services, and acted for Colt Telecom in a claim against Matrix Technologies concerning premium services.

Linklaters’ José Giménez is recommended for regulatory TMT advice, where clients include Telefónica. It recently assisted Carlyle with its acquisition of an 85% stake in Telecable, and it regularly advises companies such as Abertis, Jazz Telecom and Prisa on transactions and antitrust law.

Olswang’s ‘small but growing’ team gives ‘good-quality advice’. Practice head Blanca Escribano is ‘practical and hands on’. KPN, Yuilop and Visa Europe are clients.

Pedro Alemán Abogados, which was founded by Pedro Alemán Laín, specialises in entertainment, the arts and technology. It has significant experience in copyright law, and also advises its entertainment and technology clients on contentious and non-contentious corporate and commercial matters.