Mariano Santos > Bird & Bird > Madrid, Spain > Lawyer Profile

Bird & Bird offers a comprehensive service for food-sector clients in competition, antitrust, IP and data protection matters. The team is led by four partners in Madrid: Lourdes Ayala also leads the corporate and M&A department with a wide industry focus, while Antonio Cueto is the key contact for IP. Other notable figures in the leadership team include patent and trade secret litigation expert Manuel Lobato and Mariano Santos, a specialist in the processing of trade marks in Spain and the EU. Senior consultant Diana Sendagorta is a name to note for finance, capital markets and real estate work.

Supported by an international retail and consumer group network, Bird & Bird’s expertise in the retail space extends to intellectual property, trade mark, corporate, data protection and real estate advice. M&A expert Lourdes Ayala is accompanied by Antonio Cueto at the helm of the department, with the latter specialising in IP matters relevant to global fashion brands and retail clients. Also noted is Mariano Santos, who deepens the practice’s IP expertise, with particular knowledge of trade marks in a Spanish and European Union context.

Bird & Bird houses a sizeable team of IP practitioners with knowledge of the communications and life sciences sectors, acting for major software, pharmaceutical, biotech and R&D facilities in a range of issues. Such matters include infringement claims, complex litigation, the protection of rights in musical works, and collecting societies. At the forefront of these efforts are José Miguel Lissén and Mariano Santos, notable in litigation and information technology matters, respectively. Trade secrets expert Antonio Cueto is also noted alongside IP specialist Manuel Lobato and associates Maria Fernandez and Marta Arteaga, the latter of whom joined from Baylos in February 2022.

The ‘exceptional‘ IP team at Bird & Bird attracts high-profile clients including Tommy Hilfiger, Monster Energy and Procter & Gamble, which it assists in a variety of trade mark issues. Such matters include unfair competition mandates, infringement claims, counterclaims and strategies for market expansion. Experienced litigator José Miguel Lissén and the ‘extraordinary‘ Mariano Santos co-head the team, with the latter noted by a client as ‘one of the most outstanding lawyers‘ in the field. Of counsel Manuel Lobato and Antonio Cueto are additional key contacts, with the latter specialising in litigation in the retail and fashion industries. Marta Arteaga joined the team in February 2022 from Baylos, working alongside Maria Fernandez at the associate level.

With a sizeable intellectual property team spread across the globe, Bird & Bird‘s presence in the Spanish market is undeniable, as it represents leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as well as cutting edge R&D facilities in a range of matters. Apart from its focus on the life sciences sector, the team is also regularly sought by clients in tech-centric industries, acting for these in patent litigation, licensing, strategic expansions and the management of portfolios. Patent licensing specialist José Miguel Lissén and prosecution expert Mariano Santos spearhead these efforts, accompanied by Manuel Lobato and associate Maria Fernandez. Changes to the team include the departure of Teresa Mercadal in 2021, and the subsequent arrival of associate Marta Arteaga in February 2022, who joined from Baylos.