The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo is a third tier firm,

CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo advises borrowers and lenders including representing Deutsche Bank, Banco Santander and Banesto. Gracia Sainz heads the three-partner department, which recently advised a syndicate of leading banks on the €23m loan granted to Grupo Urbina to refinance its existing debt, as well as part financing to acquire an additional 15% stake in Infoglobal.

Within Capital markets, CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo is a second tier firm,

CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo’s team ‘understands highly complex transactions’ and takes a ‘proactive and creative approach’. It advised Natixis on the issuance of bonds and covered bonds by Spanish institutions and acted for Banco Espirito Santo on issuing promissory notes. Javier Torre de Silva and José Miguel Martín Zamorano are recommended for their ‘commercial approach and negotiating skills’, and for ‘thinking outside of the box’.

Within Corporate and M&A, CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo is a second tier firm,

Corporate law is one of the core areas of CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo, and it provides ‘high-performance advice on specialised matters’. It is particularly valued for its advice to large companies, especially those in regulated sectors. Clients include Iberdrola, Acciona, Hertz de España and Citi Group. Recent instructions include advising Telefónica on aquiring control of social networking site Tuenti. Managing partners César Albiñana and Rafael Suárez de Lezo are praised for ‘their personal commitment and contribution’.

Within Dispute resolution , CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo is a third tier firm,

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.

Within EU and competition, CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo is a third tier firm,

CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo’s ‘business-oriented and efficient team’ recently acted for Sara Lee in a leniency proceeding for alleged restrictive practices. Other clients include Heineken, Iberdrola, Endesa and Telefónica. Practice head Jesús Alfaro is an ‘accurate adviser’ and Diego Crespo ‘has a professional manner and expert knowledge of competition law’. Senior associate Patricia Liñán is also recommended.

Within Intellectual property Other recommended firms

Within Projects and energy, CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo is a third tier firm,

CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo has ‘a high level of industry knowledge’ and regularly advises on energy, utilities and infrastructure issues including cross-border work. Recent work includes advising Iberdrola Renewables on challenging the Galician wind farm tariff. Javier Torre de Silva and Félix Plasencia – who is ‘very good at litigation and public law’ – head the practice.

Within Real estate Other recommended firms

Within Restructuring and insolvency, CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo is a third tier firm,

CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo’s practice is headed by Juan Ignacio Fernández. Recent highlights include advising BNP Paribas on Seacrest’s insolvency. Other clients include Banco Espirito Santo, Caja Madrid and Elyo Suez.

Within TMT Other recommended firms

Within Tax, CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo is a third tier firm,

CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo recruited Felipe Alonso and a team of lawyers from Baker & McKenzie in 2009. Recent instructions include advising on a tax inspection involving €90m, acting for a bank on a tax claim, and advising a listed company on a claim for payment of taxes amounting to €137m. Santiago Díez is recommended.