Baño León Abogados (Madrid - HQ)

Firm Overview:

Dedicated boutique focused on Public law, Competition and Regulation. Founded in 1992 by Senior Parner Pr. Dr. Baño León, Catedrático de Derecho Administrativo, the firm has offices in Madrid and Valencia and has a solid reputation in complex public law litigation, particularly at the Spanish Supreme Court.

Firm Details:

Partners: José Mª Baño León, Enrique Llopis, Tomás Núñez de Cela, Álvaro Pascual and José Mª 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 & Transports

EU & Competition Law

Complex Litigation

Public Law:

The firm praises itself of a very strong public law practice, which draws on regulatory know-how and knowledge of the intrincacies of administrative proceeding and administrative decision making. The firm advises in a range of sectors including payment services, transportation, sports, urban planning and concession contracts. The firm often advises service providers on contentious mandates linked to the award or performance of concession contracts. It defends successful bidders against appeals filed by competitors, and it assists with litigation filed as a result of the early termination of concessions, review of prices and extension of contracts. The team also acts for industry associations on varied advisory matters, including interactions with public authorities in respect of new regulations. Clients include Aquila Acentor, Elecnor and ASELIP among others.

Public Procurement:

The firm advises on administrative and contentious mandates relating to public contracts, including disputes arising in relation to the award of new concessions or changes to the remuneration or duration of existing contracts. The firm counts major infrastructure and service provider companies among its key clients, such as FCC Aqualia and FCC Medioambiente. The firm enjoys a very high success rate in obtaining favorauble judgments at the Spanish Supreme Court on public procurement matters. Recent cases at the Supreme Court include the consequences of breaching the duty of secrecy during the bidding process or 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 in water and waste management. Our team regularly advises on environmental liability, compliance and due diligences. It also handles contentious matters, including environmental litigation cases. The team represents clients from the construction, transportation and waste management industries. Recent cases include succesfully defending Mancomunidad del Este in over eight proceedings to annul the Recycling Facility opened in Loeches in 2022, one of the largest in the region of Madrid.

Planning and Urban Development:

Mr. Baño León is considered on of the leading figures in planning regulation due to his solid academic background. He is frequently appointed by Public Administrations to advise in regulatory reforms. Recent examples include the region of Madrid and the Region of Murcia. The practice stands out for his handling of varied contentious mandates on behalf of town halls, complainant landowners or developers in all issues relating to planning and urban development.

Regulated sectors and Transport:

The firm is accustomed to providing legal advice on regulated sectors particularly in the payment sector and transportation services. Clients include Bizum and Redsys, as well as ANTAXI. The firm is advising the taxi industry in its proceedings before the ECJ on the taxi/vtc ratio and is present in the main authorization cases pending before the Supreme Court.

EU & Competition law:

The firm is particularly known for its expertise in antitrust investigations (abuses of dominance and cartels) and the ensuing 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 in the Super League case.

Offices:

Madrid & Valencia