Spain 2025
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Secretary general and global head of legal | Grupo Secuoya
Legal advisory corporate director | Grupo Azvi
General counsel, Spain and Portugal | Samsung Electronics
General legal and compliance counsel para España y Latinoamérica | Inetum
General counsel, compliance officer and company secretary | Holcim
General counsel, legal and compliance, Iberia and Africa | Otis Elevator
Legal director | LaLiga (Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional)
General counsel for Iberia, Italy and LATAM | Securitas Direct
Corporate and legal director | Lantania
Maria Elena Ruiz Paños is a distinguished legal expert with over two decades of experience in international legal affairs, and business negotiations, with a strong focus on the renewable and...
Global general counsel | ACCIONA and Nordex Green hydrogen
Head of legal, risk and insurance and secretary of the board | Transfesa Logistics
Julia is a highly experienced Legal & Risk Director with over 25 years of expertise in corporate and regulatory affairs, having worked across multinational companies in sectors including technology, real...
General secretary of the board of directors | Tubacex
General counsel, compliance director and deputy company secretary | Prosegur
General counsel and secretary of the board | Elecnor
General counsel | Diamond Foundry
Rebeca Brandys has more than two decades of global, broad-ranging transactional and corporate governance experience, including general counsel and legal director roles in public and private technology companies and in...
Global general counsel and vice-secretary of the board of director | Cellnex
After years in the making, we are thrilled to introduce the inaugural edition of the Legal 500’s GC Powerlist: Spain. Following the success of our Iberia and Spain: Latin America Specialists editions, this publication marks a natural and long-anticipated milestone for our team.
Over the past few months, we have had the privilege of engaging with Spain’s most exceptional in-house lawyers, exploring their remarkable achievements, gaining insights into their vast expertise, and celebrating their invaluable contributions to the business and legal landscape. This edition stands as a tribute to their leadership, strategic vision, and unwavering commitment to excellence.
Within these pages, you will find in-depth profiles and exclusive interviews with some of the most influential and highly regarded general counsel across diverse industries. These professionals have consistently demonstrated their ability to navigate complex legal challenges, mitigate risks, and drive business success through their strategic guidance. Their stories serve as an inspiration to the wider legal community, underscoring the pivotal role that in-house lawyers play in shaping their organisations’ growth and resilience.
This first-ever GC Powerlist: Spain also features exclusive discussions on key legal trends and challenges, offering a comprehensive perspective on the evolving role of in-house counsel. We invite you to explore this edition and discover the extraordinary individuals shaping the future of legal leadership in Spain.
On behalf of the Legal 500, I extend my sincere gratitude to all the in-house lawyers featured in this publication for sharing their insights and experiences. It is an honour to present this distinguished list of Spain’s most outstanding and influential legal professionals.
Francisco Faria e Castro | Research Editor | GC Powerlist Series
The recent news that elite US firm Sullivan & Cromwell had apologised to a judge over AI hallucinations in a court filing prompted a collective wince from the legal profession.
But while some lawyers remain wary of AI, others are striking a more open-minded note, and at the LexisNexis AI Forum hosted this Wednesday (20 May) by Legal 500 and Legal Business, panelists argued that the risks are far outweighed by the opportunities.
Barbara Zapisetskaya, principal technology counsel at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, made the case that hallucinations and other potential pitfalls can be overcome with a shift in mindset.
‘What makes a difference,’ she said, ‘is empowering your lawyers to take responsibility for AI output – helping them become active AI operators, not just passive AI users. You have agency to decide whether you agree with the output or not.’
Zapisetskaya was among a line-up of leading in-house figures speaking on two panels, which covered everything from practical steps for AI implementation to the key decisions GCs need to be making in the coming months.
Financial Times general counsel Dan Guilford began by stressing the importance of building the right culture for AI adoption. In addition to proactively upskilling himself, Guilford talked about how he had implemented a voluntary weekly ‘show and tell’ meeting for team members to share successful use cases – or an exercise that became a gratifying measure of progress.
Other panelists discussed how increased in-house productivity is altering the dynamic with their external counsel.
While some see the use of AI by law firms as a precursor for reduced fees, Russell Davies, head of global operations for legal and compliance at Dentsu, said that faster results – however they are delivered – are something to be valued.
GSK assistant general counsel Anthony Kenny agreed, saying that while there was an expectation that external counsel would be utilising AI, the focus should be on the value of the output, rather than an overemphasis on identifying AI use as a justification to reduce fees.
Speaking on the second panel, MUFG EMEA general counsel James Morgan stressed the critical importance of education, noting that educating the C-suite on the advantages and risks of AI is just as important as enabling large in-house teams to use these tools.
Shanthini Satyendra, vice-chair of the AI Committee, Society for Computers & Law, CEO and founder of Manisain, offered a reminder of the importance of making the connection between tasks and the purpose behind them, extolling the virtues of identifying use cases for AI that can solve a meaningful problem.
Zapisetskaya concurred, adding that one of the most important tasks for GCs across the next six to twelve months is to create AI playbooks and templates, noting that ‘it is easy for lawyers to see problems – much harder for lawyers to see opportunities.’
There was also broad agreement among panellists that GCs should focus on upskilling their junior lawyers on AI, rather than – as some may expect – cutting back their workforce. As Satyendra summarised: ‘Some people are replacing human capital with AI without thinking about what’s required to make AI work. Retain your people and train them up.’
The panels were moderated by Emma Millington, head of the UK Lexis+ Finance Group, and LexisNexis director of segment management Stuart Greenhill.
