Department profile
Garrigues

Employment: Elite

Europe Guide 2026 : Spain


Garrigues

Rankings

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Employment: Elite - Spain

Band 1

Band 1


What the Team is Known For

The Spanish law firm Garrigues is renowned for its excellence in employment mandates, often catering for a diverse clientele from the banking, insurance and telecommunications sectors. The team is frequently instructed to handle large-scale collective redundancies, advising on negotiations with trade unions and local or European works councils on high-profile matters involving the closure of travel agencies, offices and manufacturing plants. Garrigues has been further involved in assisting corporates with furlough schemes. Collective bargaining agreements are often handled by the law firm, as are employee restructurings, while also supporting employers in subsequent mediation or litigation where unions seek to oppose new measures. Clients also benefit from a huge team of lawyers spread across multiple offices, which enables the law firm both to provide sufficient resources for major matters and to offer local expertise on smaller contentious mandates. With its prowess in defending high-value claims brought by top executives, Garrigues complements its excellent offering.

Work Highlights

Provided by Chambers

  • Garrigues advised Bridgestone on a collective dismissal procedure affecting 50% of its workforce.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • Garrigues knows us inside-out. They are our go-to firm for the most complex, strategic matters with the greatest economic, employment and reputational impact on the company.

    Employment: Elite respondentEurope
  • Garrigues has a technical mindset and a deep business understanding which allows us to make informed decisions, fully understanding the pros and cons of each option.

    Employment: Elite respondentEurope
  • They have a competitive, broad and prepared team, granting great efficiency and service. The lawyers are outstanding; they always work to improve, and find ways to improve the efficiency of processes.

    Employment: Elite respondentEurope
  • They have knowledgeable lawyers and very strong and reliable teams which are built well and highly involved in our issues. Their partners are renowned and spectacular.

    Employment: Elite respondentEurope
  • They always evaluate alternatives to build the best course of action. Their listening skills are exceptional and they allow for better solutions by truly trying to understand the client.

    Employment: Elite respondentEurope

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

  • Senior StatespeopleFederico Durán López
    Senior StatespeopleFederico Durán López

    Federico Durán López

    Senior practitioner Federico Durán López is highly recognised for his incredible breadth of expertise in employment matters. He is also respected for his academic career.

    • Federico has immense knowledge and a great capacity to speak to our board of directors. He makes things very understandable.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope
    • His knowledge and vision are unmatched. His innovative solutions allow him to address extremely complex problems and his dedication to service and agility is highly valuable.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope
    • Federico has a deep understanding of our business, always provides creative solutions and has extensive experience and a deep understanding of Spanish employment law.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope
    • He offers technical knowledge and strategic vision and enjoys respect and admiration.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope
  • Band 1Adriano Gómez García-Bernal
    Band 1Adriano Gómez García-Bernal

    Adriano Gómez García-Bernal

    Adriano Gómez García-Bernal is renowned for his prowess in handling complex employment mandates including corporate reorganisations and related employee transfers, with a notable specialism in employment litigation. He is also adept at handling collective bargaining agreements.

    • Adriano is a brilliant lawyer, the best litigator in the country. He defends every case with absolute mastery, making difficult matters simple and displaying unsurpassed technical rigour.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope
    • He is an excellent professional who perfectly understands what the client needs.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope
  • Band 1Rosa Zarza
    Band 1Rosa Zarza

    Rosa Zarza

    As one of Spain's leading employment law experts, Rosa Zarza regularly advises on collective bargaining agreements, labour force restructurings and the employment aspects of M&A transactions. The designing of internal employment policies also falls within her area of expertise.

    • She uses her excellent insights, as well as intuition and common sense, to understand complex situations, uncover key issues and focus on a successful course of action.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope
    • Rosa has a high capability to adapt to our needs and is ambitious in improving technological processes and leading the team.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope
  • Band 2Rafael Giménez-Arnau
    Band 2Rafael Giménez-Arnau

    Rafael Giménez-Arnau

    Rafael Giménez-Arnau is held in high esteem for his prowess in handling complex labour investigations and collective lay-off matters.
    • His ability to understand business approaches and respond confidently and immediately is highly valuable. He is able to accept the proposed strategy and integrate it without difficulty.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope
    • Rafael is a highly skilled professional in his field of practice, distinguished by his business knowledge and focus on client needs.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope
    • He's an excellent lawyer, with extensive technical knowledge and the ability to provide practical answers.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope
  • Band 4Ignacio Esteban
    Band 4Ignacio Esteban

    Ignacio Esteban

    Ignacio Esteban is well regarded for his expertise in diverse employment mandates. He is notably active advising companies on trade union matters.

    • His technical expertise and closeness have made him a key partner for us in all matters related to our employment agenda.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope
    • Ignacio is exceptional, he is adaptable and flexible in the solutions he provides.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope
    • His answers are technically perfect and practically oriented. He has the capacity to put himself in our position and defend our case as if it was his own.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope
  • Band 4José Manuel Mateo
    Band 4José Manuel Mateo

    José Manuel Mateo

    José Manuel Mateo is well-versed in handling M&A-related employment cases and employee transfers and also assists with complex dismissals of top executives.

    • He provides excellent client service with a strategic vision and deep understanding of the matter.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope
  • Band 5Ángel Olmedo
    Band 5Ángel Olmedo

    Ángel Olmedo

    Ángel Olmedo is known for advising Spanish clients on M&A-related employment cases. This notably includes assisting corporate executives and directors with all employment matters, including contentious ones.

    • He is an exceptional lawyer due to his knowledge, experience and skills. He provides excellent client service, quick and accurate responses and is incredibly skilled in litigation proceedings.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope
    • Ángel is an excellent lawyer with great technical rigour. His advice is extraordinary and he is very quick to provide solutions and assist clients in very complicated matters.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope
    • Ángel offers a very high level of service.

      Employment: Elite respondentEurope

Ranked Individuals at Garrigues (7)

Spain

Garrigues has rankings in the following guides

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