The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Uría Menéndez is a first tier firm,

Uría Menéndez’s corporate department enjoys a solid reputation for banking and finance work. Carlos de Cárdenas Smith heads the practice, and other key individuals include González Ruiz and Sebastián Sáenz de Santa María. Jaime de San Román joined in October 2009 from Clifford Chance where he headed its Spanish banking team. Recent highlights include advising a group of lenders led by La Caixa, Banco Santander and BBVA on Eroski’s €2bn debt refinancing.

Within Capital markets, Uría Menéndez is a first tier firm,

Uría Menéndez’s ‘top-notch’ practice has ‘excellent knowledge of Spanish law and good relations with regulators’. Practice head Rafael Sebastián and Javier Redonet are ‘highly responsive, knowledgeable and easygoing’, and Jaime Pereda is also recommended. The firm advised Visteon on restructuring its pan-European securitisation programme.

Within Corporate and M&A, Uría Menéndez is a first tier firm,

Uría Menéndez’s team is ‘very highly valued’ by clients. Recent mandates include advising British Airways on its planned merger with Iberia and advising Iberdrola Renewables on a strategic agreement with Gamesa Energía and Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica regarding a merger for the joint promotion and development of wind farms in Spain and across Europe. Practice head Juan Francisco Falcón has ‘knowledge, experience, endurance and tactical skill’.

Within Dispute resolution , Uría Menéndez is a first tier firm,

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’.

Within EU and competition, Uría Menéndez is a first tier firm,

Jaime Folguera heads Uría Menéndez’s team of ‘excellent professionals’ and receives excellent feedback for its ‘timely responses’ and ‘ample knowledge of competition law’. Recent work includes acting for Iberdrola, Colomer and Munich Re on Spanish antitrust proceedings, advising Gestevisión Telecinco and Caja Murcia on EU merger control, and advising Roca on EU litigation. The 13-strong team is commended for its ‘appropriate advice, excellent teamwork and in-depth analysis’. Alfonso Gutiérrez is singled out for praise.

Within Employment, Uría Menéndez is a first tier firm,

Uría Menéndez’s four-partner practice is well regarded and led by Ignacio García-Perrote. The team had a busy year advising multinational companies on collective dismissals. It advised Air Comet, which employed some 700 staff, on lay-offs and suspensions of employment before the company filed for bankruptcy. It also advised BNP Paribas on its integration with Fortis Bank, and Burberry on the closure of its premises in Barcelona, which affected more than 300 employees.

Within Environment, Uría Menéndez is a first tier firm,

Uría Menéndez’s environment practice has an excellent reputation, with recent instructions involving climate change, oil spills and other contamination. Highlights included advising an international airline on the European emissions trading scheme, and advising a client on the compulsory purchase of a polluted plot affected by the implementation of railway infrastructure. Carlos de Miguel Perales heads the Madrid team, while Juan Antonio Loste is the key contact in Barcelona.

Within Insurance, Uría Menéndez is a first tier firm,

Uría Menéndez enjoys an excellent reputation for national and cross-border matters, and has a significant focus on transactional work. It advised on selling FCC Global Insurance General Services to Aon Group and advised Cajasol on its joint venture with Caser for non-life business bancassurance. José María Segovia and Guillermo San Pedro are the key contacts.

Within Intellectual property, Uría Menéndez is a first tier firm,

Uría Menéndez is ‘one of the top law firms for the pharmaceutical sector’, and its IP team is highly respected. The group recently gave pre-litigation advice to the Belgian and Spanish subsidiaries of a US company regarding the patent for a medicine and is also acting for a large Spanish ship manufacturer regarding a breach of contract due to alleged use of patented technology. The firm is defending a leading infrastructure and utilities company against a trade mark infringement action. José Massaguer, Agustín González García and Montiano Monteagudo are recommended.

Within Legal market overview,

Spain is dominated by the historical ‘Big Three’ domestic firms – Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira, Garrigues and Uría Menéndez. The UK firms of Clifford Chance, Linklaters SL and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer follow closely, particularly when competing for top-end transactions, and newcomer Herbert Smith LLP has made a good first impression in the market.

Within Projects and energy, Uría Menéndez is a first tier firm,

Uría Menéndez has recently been advising Banco de Sabadell and Banco Santander on financing a new gas pipeline. It has also been advising Morgan Stanley Infrastructure on the €800m acquisition of natural gas distribution assets in Madrid. Juan González Ruiz is recommended for energy matters, while Carlos de Cárdenas Smith is the resident expert for other projects. In 2009, the firm recruited Jaime de San Román, formerly a senior partner at Clifford Chance.

Within Real estate, Uría Menéndez is a first tier firm,

Uría Menéndez ‘knows the market well and is involved in large and complex deals’, such as advising a syndicate of banks on restructuring Reyal Urbis’ debt. The team also acted for SA Continental Property Investment on the financing for the acquisition of two hotels and an office building in Madrid. Ignacio Albiñana and Fernando Azofra head the practice, while up-and-coming senior associates Rafael Jiménez Mateo and Jorge Beltrán are also recommended. Valencia-based Yasser-Harbi Mustafá made partner in 2010.

Within Restructuring and insolvency, Uría Menéndez is a first tier firm,

Uría Menéndez’s restructuring and insolvency practice advised Hábitat on its insolvency filing and the €3bn creditors’ agreement. The group also advised Cemex on a $15bn multijurisdictional refinancing and Morgan Stanley on Martinsa-Fadesa’s insolvency. Alberto Núñez-Lagos Burguera and Carlos de Cárdenas Smith are recommended.

Within TMT, Uría Menéndez is a first tier firm,

Pablo González-Espejo leads the ‘very good team’ at Uría Menéndez, which also includes Teresa Paz-Ares Rodríguez. The firm has been advising Jazz Telecom on matters including agency agreements and contributions for the financing of a state-owned TV broadcaster. It also acted for Gestevisión Telecinco on the merger of its TV channels Telecinco and Cuatro with Prisa. The firm advised Citibank España on the international personal data transfers of all its centralised databases worldwide, and also represents Microsoft and Unidad Editorial.

Within Tax, Uría Menéndez is a first tier firm,

Uría Menéndez is highly respected for its ‘quality, high-end tax work’. The practice recently advised Morgan Stanley Infrastructure on purchasing assets of Gas Natural’s distribution businesses in Madrid. It also advised British Airways on tax aspects of its proposed merger with Iberia, and advised on the integration of Cuatro into Telecinco, the first merger within the Spanish free-to-air TV sector. Rafael Fuster leads the nine-partner team.

Within Transport, Uría Menéndez is a first tier firm,

Carlos López-Quiroga leads the ‘exceptionally professional’ team at Uría Menéndez, which recently acted for the Steamship Mutual Underwriting Association in settling legal proceedings against the owners of the M/V Wadi Sudr. Other recent highlights include advising RBS on a dispute over the breach of a shipbuilding contract. Julio López Quiroga has ‘deep industry knowledge’. Barcelona-based Tomás Fernández-Quirós is also recommended.