A&O Shearman

Managing Partners: Antonio Vázquez-Guillén and Ignacio Ruiz-Cámara

Number of Partners: 18

Number of Lawyers: +100

Languages: Spanish, English, French and German

Firm Overview:

A&O Shearman was formed in 2024 via the merger of two historic firms, Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling. Our clients benefit from the collective experience of teams who work with many of the world’s most influential organizations and have a history of precedent-setting innovations.

A&O Shearman in Spain is one of the country’s leading legal practices. Its lawyers have both international experience and an in-depth knowledge of the local market. The firm can leverage the resources and skills of a highly integrated worldwide network. Its office is led by 18 top-tier partners, each of whom has an exceptional track record of success and achievements across a range of industry sectors, supported by a dedicated team of experienced lawyers.

Main Areas of Practice:

Arbitration & Dispute Resolution:

The firm's Spanish litigation and arbitration practice advises local and international clients before Spanish courts and the leading arbitral institutions in Spain and Europe. The firm's key areas of expertise are arbitration, commercial litigation, financial litigation and special situations (including insolvencies and enforcement of securities). Further, within its corporate litigation practice, the firm advises on M&A transactions, complex contractual litigation, shareholder or JV disputes, corporate controversies, damage claims arising from competition law infringements, lawsuits related to agency and distributorship agreements, contracts with public entities governed by civil law, and contractual disputes in insolvency scenarios.

Banking & Finance:

A&O Shearman’s finance practice has drawn on wide-ranging product expertise, regularly working alongside the firm's regulatory, litigation, tax, restructuring and other specialists to develop innovative solutions for clients in relation to alternative finance systems, often incorporating complex financing techniques. With such a deep team and global reach, international and industry-leading ‘first-of-a-kind’ transactions are the firm's hallmark. Allen & Overy has been instrumental in nearly all the major developments in the modern financial markets.

Capital Markets (Debt and Equity):

The firm's capital markets practice in Iberia comprises a group of experienced lawyers capable of advising on the full spectrum of debt and equity related capital markets work under English law and provides local law advice, either in-house or with leading local law firms. The Spain-based team advises underwriters, arrangers, selling shareholders, issuers and rating agencies.

Competition & European Law:

A&O Shearman's competition and European law team has extensive knowledge and experience in dealing with the most complex antitrust issues. This antitrust team represents clients globally and locally in matters involving compliance and counselling, government investigations and litigation, private actions, merger control, public procurement and competitive tendering, and state aid.

Corporate & M&A:

The Corporate and M&A team in Spain covers all phases of a transaction, whether private or public. In addition, the firm offers a full complement for all the specialist areas necessary for a complex M&A transaction, such as antitrust, employment and tax. A&O Shearman has significant experience in acting on high value, cross-border work as well as a range of domestic transactions, and the firm is well experienced in the different industry sectors, including energy and infrastructure, among others.

Employment:

A&O Shearman’s employment practice has wide experience and knowledge of employment law, benefits and incentives, providing and developing individualised and creative solutions to any employment issue, both from an individual and collective perspective: top executive employment contracts, negotiation and modification of working conditions, separations, restructurings, HR policies, compliance and investigation procedures, and complex litigation, among others.

Energy:

A&O Shearman's energy and natural resources practice advises across all aspects of energy (oil and gas); power, including renewables (wind, solar, hydro and waste-to-energy), thermal power, nuclear power, regulated network assets and water, in the face of some of the most uncertain market conditions on record.

Financial Services Regulatory:

The firm's financial regulation lawyers have drawn on wide-ranging product expertise, regularly working alongside our banking, litigation, tax, restructuring and other specialists to develop innovative solutions for clients in relation to investment, banking, insurance and payment services.

Private Equity:

The firm's Spanish private equity team advises on all forms of private equity transactions, including buyouts, exits, portfolio restructurings and secondaries. The team combines specialists across the different practice areas and has the expertise to advice across all aspects of a capital structure. The firm is able to tap a deep reservoir of transaction experience to provide high quality, efficient and pragmatic advice on complex transactions.

Project Finance:

A&O Shearman's practice combines the expertise and local knowledge of an extremely active market and the global footprint to address the needs for international players. Its lawyers advise on joint ventures, project structures (BOT, BOOT, DBFO, DBFM, PPP, PFI and others), conducting legal due diligence, risk allocation and reviewing the 'bankability' of project agreements, financing arrangements (bank and bond) and relevant security packages and considerations across the globe.

Public Law:

The firm's Spanish public law practice offers expertise and advice on the full range of administrative and regulatory issues. In recent years, the firm has further developed its expertise in key sectors such as infrastructure, utilities (including energy and water), telecommunications, financial markets and transport.

Real Estate:

A&O Shearman's office has a highly regarded and well-established real estate practice with extensive experience throughout Spain and beyond. By fielding a knowledgeable and enterprising team who can advise on real estate, development and planning, projects and construction, tax, finance, structuring and joint ventures, the firm supports its clients in their most important commercial and legal projects.

Restructuring & Insolvency:

The firm's restructuring and insolvency team in Spain advises on the largest and most complex restructurings and insolvency proceedings, providing pioneering solutions as well as delivering real commercial results. It is specialised in both complex local and cross-border restructurings and insolvencies, utilising in the latter the full range of international options including U.S. Chapter 11 reorganisations, UK schemes of arrangement, Spanish Schemes, pre-packaged sales and debt-for- equity swaps.

Tax:

We advise our clients across the business cycle, helping them design tax strategies; manage the tax implications of a range of financing, capital markets, and corporate transactions; handle financial restructurings and insolvencies; and deal with tax investigations and disputes.