New data shows the likes of Deloitte, KPMG Abogados and PwC Legal are advising on more M&A deals and suggests auditing firms are winning instructions at expense of traditional market leaders.

They say that there are structural problems in the labour market, specifically too many temporary and short-term contracts, as well as low salaries and low productivity.

For our final post on this topic of the top 100 European independent firms, our first stop is the Iberian peninsula.

With PwC Tax & Legal having been ranked the fourth most active law firm in the Spanish M&A market in 2016, Madrid-based managing partner Joaquín Latorre says the firm is benefiting from its global reach...

Smaller firms follow the major players in reporting revenue increases partly due to rise in compliance and data protection work as well as innovative pricing and greater use of project managers

With new research showing that law firms in Spain are expecting growth in profits and revenue in the coming year – while many also anticipate an increase in headcount – the mood is certainly optimistic. However, it is important that law firms' growth strategies are backed by a sound business case.

One of the most notable transactions of late was Merlin Properties Socimi's €1.79 billion purchase of Testa Inmuebles en Renta.

Though some companies in Iberia are still having to make job cuts, employment lawyers in Spain and Portugal are increasingly handling matters concerned with improving the life of employees through measures such as flexible working

While law firms in Spain that successfully navigated the crisis may be breathing a huge sigh of relief, they face a new set of challenges.

Following their successful entry into the Spanish market, the ‘Big Four' are now targeting Portugal – some Lisbon lawyers fear decreasing fees and a drain of talent to their new rivals...

Swift and effective action is needed to create new, sustainable economic models to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on the world's working population...

Banking and finance lawyers claim that, in general, the market is improving and that there are currently good opportunities for law firms.

In this context, some lawyers suggest that law firms could cease investing in their tax departments because of the potential liabilities or even go as far as to scrap them altogether.

A decrease in large M&A transactions in Iberia in 2016 means law firm M&A departments are being sustained by medium and small-sized deals, particularly in energy and real estate.

When it comes to providing opportunities for law firms, Latin America seems to offer something for everyone.

The transformative union of legal research, practice management, and cutting-edge AI marks a category shift in legal technology that converges the business and practice of law.

There are two matters that come to mind when reference is made to the effectiveness of arbitration proceedings, namely, the adoption of interim measures in arbitration proceedings and the enforcement of both international and domestic arbitration awards.

Major law firms in Madrid grew in the last year with transactional activity driving healthy increases in revenue – however fee pressure persists, while the ‘war for talent' escalates.

This emergence of a new TMT landscape in Portugal will have a dramatic impact on regulatory frameworks, say lawyers, and will therefore create many opportunities for law firms.