Miquel Montañá > Clifford Chance > Barcelona, Spain > Lawyer Profile

The healthcare and life sciences department at Clifford Chance remains a ‘go-to’ firm in this space, fielding a team ‘made up of very experienced lawyers in the sector’ benefiting from extensive knowledge ‘about the problems of the industry’. In particular, clients seek the team for its ‘excellent quality of work’, with key areas of expertise including IP, patent litigation, regulatory work and M&A transactions. The group is led by a four-partner team in Barcelona; ‘benchmark‘ partner Miquel Montañá and Josep Montefusco head the dispute resolution offering, Guillermo Guardia spearheads corporate matters, while Carme Briera showcases a strong specialism on the regulatory front. Associate Adrián Crespo combines IP and dispute resolution experience to support the team on IP and unfair competition proceedings.

With an international network of offices to rely on for additional expertise, the renowned Clifford Chance‘s IP team offers comprehensive advice on licensing, market strategy, infringement and litigation in relation to copyright issues. Sought by clients operating in a wide variety of sectors, the firm is retained by national and multinational consumer goods, retail, biotechnology, media, pharmaceutical, telecoms and industrial companies. Seasoned IP expert Miquel Montañá leads the Barcelona-based practice, with extensive experience in IP dispute resolution. Josep Montefusco, co-head of the firm’s tech practice, supports the team in litigation, unfair competition and advertising law, with senior associate Juan Cuerva de Cañas also noted.

The intellectual property team at Clifford Chance is recognised for its extensive cross-border patent litigation expertise, offering ‘real depth‘ when protecting a range of clients’ assets. With a notable focus on the life sciences and healthcare sector, the firm’s client portfolio features a mix of domestic and international clients from the consumer goods, retail, biotechnology, media, pharmaceutical and telecoms industries. As a ‘star player‘ in the market, Miquel Montañá leads the team’s efforts in Barcelona, working alongside the ‘extremely knowledgeable‘ Josep Montefusco, who acts as the co-head of the firm’s tech practice, and associate Adrián Crespo, noted for his ‘great analytical mind‘.

With a unified global network to provide support, Clifford Chance‘s intellectual property team is often sought by clients with a presence in the healthcare and life sciences companies, banks, TMT companies, funds, and consumer goods manufacturers. Led by renowned IP dispute specialist Miquel Montañá in Barcelona, the team’s multidisciplinary approach covers advisory and litigation services, with infringement and nullity actions, trade mark license agreements and opposition proceedings taking centre stage. Other key contacts include dispute resolution expert Josep Montefusco, co-head of the firm’s tech offering, and senior associate Sonia Sebé.

Clifford Chance has a well-established reputation in Spain, and its ‘very sophisticated‘ litigation and arbitration department is no exception. Blue-chip companies, investment funds and venture capital firms regularly seek the team’s assistance in complex disputes, including those with €1bn+ at stake. Given the international firm’s broad geographic presence, it is no surprise to see it handling litigation with multi-jurisdictional aspects, and its Madrid office is an integral part of the firm’s cross-office Latin America practice, acting for Spanish and global clients with operations in that region. Ignacio Diaz has an active role in the LatAm initiative. The firm also fields a dispute resolution team in Barcelona, which is particularly focused on IP litigation; Miquel Montañá and Josep Montefusco are key contacts in that office. International arbitration is another core area of focus for the department as a whole. Practice head Fernando Irurzun ‘combines a great technical rigor with a great knowledge of human psychology, which makes him unique for the resolution of legal disputes‘. Fernando Giménez-Alvear, who was promoted to counsel in May 2022, and associate Adrián Crespo are also singled out for praise.