The restructuring and insolvency group at Uría Menéndez is well-regarded for assisting debtors, sponsors, creditors and directors on a wide range of issues, namely judicial and out-of-court restructuring and insolvency proceedings, refinancings, and distressed M&A transactions. The team is jointly led by Javier Yáñez, who focuses on insolvency-related litigation, and Ángel Pérez López, who specialises in financing transactions. Additional key practitioners include Carlos de Cárdenas Smith, a key figure in the insolvency and restructuring space; Sebastián Sáenz de Santa María, whose areas of expertise cover corporate and project finance, and debt restructuring; and José María Blanco, who focuses on dispute resolution.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘Extensive knowledge of the new regulatory framework and ability to coordinate diverse interests.’
- ‘Competitive fees and the ability to provide practical solutions.'
- ‘Knowledge of the new regulations on restructurings, despite their recent development, combined with extensive practical experience of the Spanish judicial system, allows the UM team to offer alternatives that not only apply the law most appropriately to the client's situation but are also practically feasible. This has included the innovative use of the regulations with an unprecedented judicial ruling in our case.’
- ‘UM's lawyers demonstrate a depth of understanding of regulatory principles that is hard to find, coupled with a close connection to their practical application.'
- 'José María Blanco, as counsel on the litigation team, with his previous experience as a judge, is a good example of regulatory knowledge and its practical application in the courts, allowing him to propose innovative mechanisms based on the spirit of the law when the letter of the law has not yet addressed them.'
Key clients
- Banco Santander
- CaixaBank
- Unicaja Banco
- Banco Sabadell
- Cale Street Partners
- Nazca Capital
- Telefónica de España
- Grupo SM
- Vodafone España
Work highlights
Advised Grupo SM on the restructuring of its financial indebtedness, with an affected debt of approximately $122m.
Advising on the restructuring of CELSA Group's working capital debt to adapt its financial structure to the company's current liquidity needs.
Advised a pool of financial entities as dissenting creditors on successfully challenging the judicial approval of the restructuring plan of the companies Icube Tuna Fisheries, N.V. and Nicra 7, S.L.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
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Leading partners
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Practice head
Javier Yáñez; Ángel Pérez López
Other key lawyers
Carlos de Cárdenas Smith; Sebastián Sáenz de Santa María; José María Blanco