Madrid, London – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – Global legal services organisation, DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary (“DLA Piper”) will nearly doubled the size of its Madrid office following its appointment of 10 partners and 15 associates from Squire, Sanders & Dempsey.
The appointments, approved by the Board this month will swell DLA Piper’s lawyer numbers in Madrid to nearly 60. This will significantly strengthen the position of the office in the Spanish market, placing it among the top five international law firms in Spain.
The team transferring to DLA Piper from Squire, Sanders & Dempsey includes the managing partner of the Madrid office, Juan Picón, who is an experienced corporate finance and M&A lawyer and nine other partners specialising in energy, corporate, banking, finance, capital markets, HR, litigation, arbitration and tax. The team has a mixed client base of both local and international business.
The expansion of DLA Piper’s Spanish office marks the start of longer-term plans to invest in its development. Kenneth Bonavia, currently managing partner of DLA Piper’s office in Madrid, believes that by expanding the existing team with a high calibre team of lawyers the office will be propelled forward. Kenneth, who has been the driving force behind these appointments said: “This is a really exciting move. Juan Picón leads a very talented team and their skills will complement those of our existing practice. We have been looking to expand the Spanish office for some time but have sought to identify a high quality team which would add value to our clients. We are well matched and I am delighted that the team has decided to join us.”
DLA Piper’s Spanish office, currently has seven partners and 25 other lawyers specialising in all aspects of business law. The new appointments will enhance the full service capabilities of the office, particularly in the areas of banking and capital markets, corporate and structured finance, private equity, environment, energy, IP, arbitration and project finance where the new team is strong.
The 25-strong team from Squire, Sanders & Dempsey officially join DLA Piper in early 2006. The following management changes will also take effect on the same day: Kenneth Bonavia will take on a more international role within the office and the wider organisation, managing European and global client relationship management and Juan Picón will become the managing partner for Spain.
Kenneth added: “I am very impressed with the credentials of the new team and believe the expansion of the Spanish office will help to fuel further growth in Spain, enabling us to deliver higher quality services to our respective clients. We are committed to continuing this investment trend in Spain and I look forward to working with Juan and the rest of the team to ensure the ongoing success of the office.”
Nigel Knowles, joint CEO at DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary, said: “We have been looking for a quality team of respected Spanish lawyers for some considerable time and in this team we have found lawyers whose skills and commitment to client service matches ours. Juan and his team have excellent local and international clients and they are accustomed to working within an international framework, which will make integration that much easier. I am very confident about the future of our Spanish office and welcome the new team to DLA Piper.
