The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is a second tier firm,

Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira’s ten-partner practice continues to be a prominent player. It advised La Caixa on financing granted to Gas Natural to partially refinance the debt derived from its acquisition of Unión Fenosa. It also advised Unicaja Banco on finance regulations, and advised Caja Castilla La Mancha on integrating its retail banking business into the Cajastur group. Eduardo Ramírez and Rafael Mínguez head the practice.

Within Capital markets, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is a second tier firm,

Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira’s sizeable practice includes Fernando Torrente and Juan Aguayo on the equity side, and Rafael Mínguez on the debt side. Recent highlights include advising Enel Green Power on its Spanish IPO; Junta de Andalucía on the renewal of its EMTN programme; and Inaer Group on a high-yield bond issuance.

Within Corporate and M&A, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is a first tier firm,

Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira’s practice is led by Barcelona-based Víctor Xercavins and Madrid-based Fernando Torrente, and Javier Villasante in Madrid is also recommended. The team advised Telefónica on buying a 50% stake in Brasilcel from Portugal Telecom, and advised Zurich on acquiring 51% of Banco Santander’s bancassurance business in Latin America and the formation of the corresponding joint venture. Other highlights included advising Ferrovial on selling Swissport to PAI Partners.

Within Dispute resolution , Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is a first tier firm,

With Jorge Badía and Álvaro Mendiola leading a large team of experts, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira has a market-leading position in Spain and the capability to operate on an international basis. Indra, Barclays, Credit Suisse and Caja Madrid are among its key clients. Recent highlights include successfully defending the managing director of Isofoton against corporate liability actions, and acting for the board of directors of FC Barcelona in relation to a complaint filed by ex-directors. It is advising Aena in a dispute dating back to the occupation of runways by 400 of its employees at Barcelona El Prat Airport in 2006.

Within EU and competition, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is a second tier firm,

Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is advising Madrid’s regional government in a failure to act case brought by the European Commission before the European Court of Justice regarding construction of the M-501 highway. It is advising Grupo Alfonso Gallardo on competition aspects of selling three iron-and-steel works and a cement plant, and is representing the EC in an infringement procedure against the Kingdom of Spain for breach of Article 43 TCE relating to retail commerce. Practice head Cani Fernández is hugely well respected, and Andrew Ward and Irene Moreno-Tapia are also recommended.

Within Employment, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is a first tier firm,

Jordi Puigbó heads the 20-partner team at Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira, which advised La Caixa regarding the spin-off of its banking business; and Caixa de Pensions in judicial proceedings brought by 150 employees. It is advising Spanair on restructuring, including negotiating two redundancy schemes involving over 1,000 jobs. Unidad Editorial and Ferrovial are also clients.

Within Environment, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is a second tier firm,

At Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira, Yolanda Guerra and Covadonga del Pozo lead a team that recently acted for Cytec to challenge the decision to deny authorisation for its chemicals plant, having acted for the client on the municipal report that led to the denial. Castellbisbal’s town council instructed the firm to defend the legality of its landscape ordinance. Other clients include Hidrodata, FMC Foret, and Barcelona Regional Council.

Within Insurance, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is a second tier firm,

Eduardo Ramírez leads Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira’s team, which advises on insurance regulations and disputes. It advised Swiss Life on drafting the conditions for an individual life insurance policy. On the contentious side, it advised Liberty in international arbitration over the acquisition of an insurer in Istanbul.

Within Intellectual property, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is a second tier firm,

Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira represents blue-chip clients in Spain and abroad. It represented Caviar Petrossian in litigation over the trade mark ‘chatka’; Havana Club in trade mark litigation against Bacardi; and Levi Strauss in civil and criminal proceedings defending its trade marks in Spain. Other expertise includes unfair competition and data protection. Barcelona-based Jorge Llevat heads the practice.

Within Legal market overview,

The ‘Big Three’ Spanish firms – Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira; Garrigues; and Uría Menéndez – maintain their reputation for excellence. Gómez-Acebo & Pombo Abogados is also a strong player. Other notable Spanish firms include Perez-Llorca and CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo.

Within Projects and energy, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is a second tier firm,

Project finance is a strength for Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira, which advised a syndicate of banks on the financing of three toll highways in Gipuzkoa, and advised Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Corporation on the financing of a 50MW solar thermoelectric power plant. Other clients include Enel Green Power and Endesa. Rafael Mínguez and Fernando Bernad are key members of this practice, along with energy expert Luis Pérez de Ayala.

Within Real estate, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is a second tier firm,

Gerard Hernández is the key contact at Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira, which recently advised H&M on its Spanish stores and regularly advises ING Real Estate. It advised Metrovacesa on dividing up the Torre de Madrid and drafting corresponding condominium by-laws. The team is also adept at real estate finance, and advised Yudaya on financing the €63m extension of a shopping centre in Gran Canaria.

Within Restructuring and insolvency, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is a first tier firm,

Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is familiar with high-profile proceedings, including advising the shareholders on Martinsa-Fadesa’s insolvency and advising ING Real Estate Finance on restructuring of a syndicated credit facility and certain bilateral facilities granted to Inmobiliaria Colonial. It advised Habitat on corporate recovery, and Grupo Sando on its €2.1bn global debt restructuring. Javier Castrodeza heads the practice.

Within TMT, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is a second tier firm,

Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira advised Google on search engine issues, and is acting for Microsoft on the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive. Jorge Llevat is recommended for IT, Luis Murillo for media and Paul Hitchings for telecoms.

Within Tax, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is a first tier firm,

Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira has one of the largest and best-known tax teams in Spain. The scope of its service includes tax planning and litigation, as well as transactional tax issues. It advised Vueling on tax-efficient expansion, Endesa on selling gas assets to Goldman Sachs Infrastructures, and Banco Popular on a joint venture with Allianz to merge Eurovida, Europensiones and Popular Gestión into a holding company. Alejandro Escoda heads the practice.

Within Transport, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is a third tier firm,

Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira has broad knowledge of the logistics and transport sector, and recently advised Aena on developing a new airport management system. Other clients include Bombardier and Ferrovial. Albert Garrofé is a key figure in the practice.