Baño León Abogados (Madrid - HQ)

A dedicated boutique focused on public law, competition, and regulation. The firm was founded in 1992 by Senior Partner Prof. Dr. Baño León, a respected professor of Administrative Law at the University of Valencia and Complutense University of Madrid. With offices in both Madrid and Valencia, the firm has a solid reputation for handling complex public law litigation, particularly in the Spanish Supreme Court.

Firm Details:

• Partners: José María Baño León, Enrique Llopis, Tomás Núñez de Cela, Álvaro Pascual and José María Baño Fos.
• Number of partners: 5
• Number of lawyers: 9
• Languages: Spanish, English, French and German
• Main Areas of Practice: public law, public procurement, environmental law, planning and urban development, regulated sectors & transport, EU & competition law, complex litigation
• Offices: Madrid & Valencia

Public Law:

The firm prides itself on its robust public law practice, which leverages regulatory expertise and a deep understanding of administrative proceedings and decision-making. The firm advises clients in various sectors, including payment services, transport, sports, urban planning, and concession contracts. It often represents service providers in contentious mandates related to the award or performance of concession contracts, defending successful bidders against appeals lodged by competitors, and assisting with litigation arising from early termination of concessions, price reviews, and contract extensions. The team also advises industry associations on various matters, including interactions with public authorities concerning new regulations. Clients include Aquila Acentor, Elecnor, and ASELIP, among others.

Public Procurement:

The firm handles administrative and contentious mandates related to public contracts, including disputes arising from the award of new concessions or changes to the remuneration or duration of existing contracts. Its key clients include major infrastructure and service provider companies such as FCC Aqualia and FCC Medioambiente. The firm has a high success rate in obtaining favourable judgements at the Spanish Supreme Court on public procurement matters. Recent cases at the Supreme Court involve issues such as breaches of the duty of secrecy during the bidding process and the limits of competition law in joint ventures formed by competitors in public procurement contracts.

Environmental Law:

The firm offers expertise in soil, noise, and air pollution, as well as water and waste management. The team regularly advises on environmental liability, compliance, and due diligence and handles contentious matters, including environmental litigation. The firm represents clients from the construction, transport, and waste management industries. Recent cases include successfully defending Mancomunidad del Este in over eight proceedings to annul the Recycling Facility opened in Loeches in 2022, one of the largest in the Madrid region.

Planning and Urban Development:

Mr. Baño León is considered a leading figure in planning regulation due to his solid academic background. He is frequently hired by public administrations for regulatory reforms, with recent examples including the regions of Madrid and Murcia. The practice stands out for its handling of various contentious mandates on behalf of town halls, complainant landowners, and developers in all issues relating to planning and urban development.

Regulated Sectors and Transport:

The firm regularly provides legal advice in regulated sectors, particularly in the payment sector and transport services. Clients include Bizum, Redsys, and ANTAXI. The firm is advising the taxi industry in its proceedings before the ECJ on the taxi/PHV ratio and is involved in the main authorisation cases pending before the Supreme Court.

EU & Competition Law:

The firm is well known for handling abuse of dominance mandates, cartel cases, and merger control procedures, and has further expertise in representing clients in appeals before the Spanish High Court and the Supreme Court. Recent cases include representing an international football association in the preliminary ruling before the ECJ on the Superliga case.