Cuatrecasas

Chairman: Rafael Fontana

Managing Partner: Javier Fontcuberta

Number of partners: 255

Number of lawyers: 1,350

Languages: Spanish, English, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian

Firm Overview

Cuatrecasas is a well-established international law firm operating in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. With highly specialized legal teams possessing extensive knowledge and experience, the firm advises on all areas of business law, offering a sectoral approach and focusing on all types of businesses. It assists clients with the most demanding matters, regardless of their location.

The Financial Times has recognized Cuatrecasas year after year in various categories for its innovative role in the legal sector, naming it the Most Innovative Firm in Continental Europe in 2023, 2019, and 2018. In 2024, the firm was also awarded as “Highly Commended Firm” in Iberia by The Lawyer.

Main Practice Areas and Industries

• Antitrust & Competition
• Arbitration
• Automotive
• Capital Markets
• Corporate and M&A
• Corporate Governance & Compliance
• Energy and Infrastructure
• ESG and Sustainability
• Finance
• Funds
• Hotels and tourism
• Insurance
• Intellectual Property and Data Protection
• Labor and employment
• Life Sciences and Healthcare
• Litigation
• Private Client & Wealth Management
• Private Equity
• Public law
• Real Estate
• Restructuring, Insolvency and Special Situations
• Retail
• Sports and Entertainment
• Tax
• TMT
• Town Planning
• Venture Capital
• White Collar Crime & Investigations

Clients and experience

Cuatrecasas has a solid track record of working with leading companies, advising them on their day-to-day activities as well as on major transactions and notable litigation proceedings. Recent highlights include advising global coordinators on the admission to listing of Puig Brands’ class B shares (€3 billion), Patria on the sale of Odata (USD 1.8 billion), and HI Partners on the sale of a 35% stake in HIP (€1.4 billion). The firm also advised a group of creditors in the Celsa Group restructuring (€2.6 billion), Seat Volkswagen Audi on the joint venture agreement for the strategic project for economic recovery and transformation (PERTE) of Vehículo Eléctrico Conectado (VEC), Sociedad Concesionaria Metro de Lima on its victory against the Republic of Peru in an ICSID international arbitration, and Daimler on its legal victory before the Court of Justice of the European Union in the truck cartel follow-on damages litigation.

Responsible business

The firm incorporates environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria in its service provision and internal management, with integrity and transparency being core values. EcoVadis awarded Cuatrecasas the Gold Medal rating for 2023, and Merco Spain placed the firm in the Top 100 most responsible companies in terms of ESG in 2024.

Cuatrecasas promotes flexible working, efficiency and a work-family balance. Through training, pilot programs, and policies, the firm has implemented measures aimed at removing obstacles to the promotion of female talent and leadership. Its Pro Bono Program contributes to the rule of law and access to justice.

Knowledge and innovation

Cuatrecasas promotes an innovation culture applied to the legal activity, which combines training, procedures and technological resources to enhance efficiency. Together with the founders of Harvey AI—the software based on OpenAI and GPT-4—the firm has launched Cuatrecasas Legal Expert AI (CELIA), a tool that will help them with the drafting of legal documents and legal information searches.

Also, Cuatrecasas was the first law firm to create a startup accelerator in Europe and Latin America, Cuatrecasas Acelera, and to set up an investment vehicle specializing in legaltech startups.

Global capabilities

Spain and Portugal 

Cuatrecasas is a leading law firm in the Iberian market. A 900-strong team of lawyers in 13 cities in Spain and over 220 in the two major cities in Portugal advise large multinationals, financial institutions and international funds present on the Iberian Peninsula on an ongoing basis and have extensive experience in all types of investment transactions.

Latin America 

The firm presence in the region is structured and coordinated from the Bogotá, Mexico City, Lima and Santiago offices, where we have over 300 professionals. Thanks to over 20 years of experience in Latin America, it can also provide the coverage needed for all interregional or cross-border transactions, as well as for matters that require efficient coordination among various jurisdictions.

Asia 

The firm advises on investments in China and other countries in the region through its office in Shanghai and its Asian Desk, which comprises a multidisciplinary team of lawyers with extensive knowledge of the culture and business environment in China and other major Asian markets.

London, Brussels and New York 

Through a team of lawyers in London, Cuatrecasas advises multinationals, financial institutions, investors and a wide range of funds on their transactions in Spain, Portugal and Latin America. The firm is also based in Brussels, where it advises on matters regarding the European Union.

The New York office acts as a bridge to Latin America and maintains a close relationship with local teams. This ensures global coverage in North America and Latin America, enabling Cuatrecasas to play a key role in advising international investors in the region.

European network 

In continental Europe, Cuatrecasas built a strong non-exclusive network with leading law firms in their domestic markets (Chiomenti in Italy, Gide in France and Gleiss Lutz in Germany) that enables it to provide clients with a fully integrated service in complex cross-border transactions, international projects and litigation.

Africa 

Cuatrecasas has two local teams in Africa: Casablanca (Morocco) and Luanda (Angola). In Morocco, it collaborates with the French law firm Gide, and in Angola, it collaborates with a leading local law firm. Cuatrecasas has accumulated experience over the many years being active in Africa, particularly in the Portuguese-speaking countries and the countries of North Africa.