MA Abogados

Managing Partners: José M. Michavila and Ángel Acebes

Number of partners: 10

Number of lawyers: 60

Languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish, Deutsch and Russian

Our story

MA Abogados was born in November 2011 as an initiative led by José María Michavila and Ángel Acebes. They both set out on their professional careers in the 1980s, founding their own law firms. After years devoted to public service, they decided to resume the legal practice, setting up a law firm together so as to pool their extensive experience while serving businesses and citizens. With the same aim, several renowned law firms from the cities of Seville, Valencia and Palma de Mallorca joined the project and, together with the Madrid office, gave life to the MA Abogados brand.

At the outset, MA Abogados had a total of nine partners, all with sound experience in different branches of law and united by the mission to build a law firm with a clear vocation for service, professional rigour and technical excellence . The Firm soon expanded, welcoming a new partner and opening new offices in Bilbao, Salamanca and Vigo to achieve the goal of implementing MA Abogados at the national level .

What we offer

MA Abogados provides top-quality, comprehensive legal advisory services in all areas of law . We advise small- and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations in the national and international arenas.

What sets us apart

Our passion for the law is reflected in a high degree of technical expertise and a moderate fee policy . Moderation in fees is possible because we optimise resources and avoid superfluous additional costs. These values, coupled with our team of excellent professionals, makes MA Abogados one of the most prestigious law firms in Spain.

We stand out for our professionalism and proximity to clients , all of whom receive personalised attention from a partner or senior lawyer backed by a large team of highly specialised professionals.

Vision

At MA Abogados , we aspire to be recognised for our long track record in the field of law and for our ability to adapt in a globalised world in constant flux . We are a law firm committed to responding swiftly and effectively to today’s numerous legal challenges while growing and expanding to provide an optimal service wherever we are needed.

Mission

Our mission is to offer legal advice of the highest quality and excellence , grounded in the experience and commitment of our partners and senior lawyers. We seek not only to resolve our clients’ legal matters, but also to accompany and support them in the challenges they face.

Our principles

• Commitment to society
• Integrity
• Excellence
• Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility

At MA Abogados , we believe that success in business is not only measured in terms of financial results, but also in our capacity to have a positive impact on society. MA Abogados is a founding trustee of the Pro Bono España Foundation, which was set up in 2018 to facilitate access to law and justice for non-profit organisations prevented from doing so by financial or other factors.

https://www.probonoespana.org/

MA Abogados also works with other non-profit entities that have social goals.

Main Areas of Practice:

Banking & Finance:

MA Abogados is supported by experts in judicial and extrajudicial procedures for resolving interbank disputes as well as corporate and project finances. The team provides personalised legal assistance to all types of organisations in terms of banking and finance: debt restructuring, advising private equity funds and collection procedures, among others.

Partners: Demetrio Madrid

Financial Services Regulation:

The firm has a tema of experts in the following:

• Corporate operations, acquisition of significant participations in listed regulated companies (OPA, acquisitions with OPA exemption), managers, venture capital, collective investment, investment services and credit institutions
• Specific regulation of companies supervised by the CNMV (listed companies, SGIIC, ESIs, IIC (SICAV and Investment Funds) and ECR (SGEIC, Companies and Venture Capital Funds)
• Authorization and registration of entities and regulated activities
• Supervision by CNMV and Banco de España to listed companies and managers: disciplinary proceedings, both in administrative and judicial phases
• Compliance with obligations before agencies and supervisory authorities of the securities market and financial entities. Processing of files of extensions of the program of activities, modification of the price brochures and answer of different requirements of the CNMV
• Evaluation and supervision by CNMV and Banco de España of suitability, honorability, knowledge, experience, conflicts of interest and incompatibilities.
• Legal management and advice on authorization procedures, inspection and sanctions, before the Bank of Spain, the National Securities Market Commission and the SEPBLAC

Partners: José María Michavila

Corporate:

The firm offers careful advice to its clients regarding the appropriate structures of management and control of the companies, the current regulation in relation to the disposition of the power relationships between shareholders, board of directors and the administration and, last, interested parties.

Partners: Ángel Acebes, Alberto Pérez-Solano

Restructuring / Insolvency:

More than 60 insolvency proceedings, where the firm lawyers have been designated as administrators in ordinary and shortened procedures, to back up the firm experience. The main objective of MA Abogados is to get the company’s viability helping all creditors and debtors who need it.

Partners: Demetrio Madrid, Sara Recatalá

M&A:

MA Abogados offers a full-service and bespoke advice in private and public M&A transactions: from design,structuring and planning to negotiation, completion, post-completion, and integration. The team is composed of senior-level lawyers and former public officials with a profound knowledge of and experience in the following sector groups: financial investors and institutions (banking, investment services, insurance, private equity, venture capital); life sciences and social-healthcare; maritime and transportation; real estate and regulated industries; and hotels, hospitality and leisure.

Contact: Miguel Gómez-Angulo

Dispute Resolution- Litigation:

The department of procedural law and arbitration gives advice in every kind of civil and business conflicts and any sort of litigation. Depending on the situation, MA Abogados set up a team led by a partner which aim is to avoid judicial or arbitral proceedings, offering expert counsel when the understanding is not possible.

Partners: Guillermo Alonso-Olarra, Carlos Salinas

Public Law:

The firm provides legal assistance and legal advice in public economic law, both to the public sector and to private companies or individuals - the team advises companies on compliance with these rules and represent them if there is a dispute with an authority. The firm is specialised in harbour law and performing public procurement contracts (public procurement, public service concessions, occupation of state property agreements, etc). The firm provides assistance (advice and litigation) to businesses which act in areas with specific regulations (telecommunications, energy etc).

Partners: Sofía Acuña

Shipping:

The firm is highly specialised in public and private shipping law. Its professionals have wide experience and training in litigation and arbitration in private maritime law (port terminals, freight forwarders, shipagents, shipowners, international sale of goods) and in public maritime law (port authorities, port concessions, port licenses, fines and sanctions from public authorities).

Partners: Carlos Salinas, Sara Recatalá

Tax:

The powerful tax team of the firm offers permanent service and suggests practical and effective solutions regarding their clients’ needs, paying special attention to changes in the tax system that may affect the current issue. The firm also assumes the defense of both administrative and contentious-administrative matters in all kind of applications.

Partners: Manuel Guardiola