Javier López Antón, partner at Jones Day, says that his firm will soon open an office in Colombia as it looks to capitalise on opportunities offered by the economies of the Pacific Alliance

Pablo González Espejo, partner at Uría Menéndez, says the firm is aiming to expand to Peru and Mexico as Spanish investors are switching their attention "from the Atlantic to the Pacific".

Paula Gomes Freire, partner at VdA, says stricter capital requirements and low interest rates are among the major challenges faced by Portuguese banks.

Iberian Lawyer TV: Portugal's Real Estate Banking & Insurance Sectors Attracting Investors

Debt recovery and insolvency cases decreasing in Portugal.

PLMJ partner Nuno da Cunha Barnabé says lawyers in Portugal are becoming more exposed to international transactions due to growing interest in the country from investors around the world.

Pedro Siza Vieira, Linklaters' managing partner in Portugal, says general counsel are becoming more involved in choosing external law firms and are consequently more demanding when it comes to issues of price and transparency

Outdated bureaucratic institutions in a considerable number of African countries can make doing business a frustrating experience for many clients, according to Pedro Guimaraes, a partner at F. Castelo Branco & Associados.

Linklaters partner Alejandro Ortiz says the explosion of M&A activity in Spain - and the "huge flow of money" coming into the country - means it has been a year of recovery for the economy

Antoni Valverde, head of Allen & Overy's Barcelona office, says volatility in the prices of assets means mid-sized companies in Barcelona - who may not normally succeed in auctions - now have an opportunity to conclude deals.

Increase In M&A Related Work For Employment Lawyers

Pérez-Llorca partner Adriana de Buerba says companies are anxious to ensure that their compliance procedures are compatible with the reformed Spanish Criminal Code, which comes into force on 1 July 2015.

Ángel Pérez López, partner at Uría Menéndez, says the last year saw a large number of corporate finance deals in Spain as well as lot of transactions related to the acquisition of real estate assets.

Iberian Lawyer TV: Uncertainty Surrounds Labour Reform In Spain

Bird & Bird counsel José Luis Lorente says internet banks and other online financial services platforms face compliance challenges relating to regulation, IT and anti-money laundering, for example.

As clients grow more sophisticated then so do their expectations in terms of what they want from their legal advisers, says Sharon Izaguirre, corporate and M&A partner at Deloitte in Madrid.

Iberian Lawyer TV: Clients can help increase the use of ADR

Iberian Lawyer TV: Data Protection Rules And Cloud Computing Creating New Risks

Rafael Fuster, partner at Uría Menéndez, says new international tax initiatives, such as BEPs and EU legislation limiting tax planning, will change the landscape for clients and advisers alike forcing them to increase risk awareness and develop risk mitigation strategies

According to Clifford Hendel, partner at Araoz & Rueda in Madrid, there has been a growth in international arbitration cases relating to shareholder disputes and joint ventures.