“This year has been a landmark for the Madrid office,” explains Office Executive Partner Juanma de Remedios. “It’s seen us increase the scope of our services and practices and lay the foundations for future growth.”

Having opened in 2013, Madrid is still a relatively small office with 18 lawyers and six business services professionals, but it has ambitious plans for growth.

In 2019, it added arbitration and tax practices, while also strengthening its banking team with key lateral hires including Ignacio Madalena (Arbitration), Angel Calleja (Tax) and Fernando Navarro (Banking).

Juanma comments: “Our growth has been prudent and strategic, allowing us to provide services in new practice areas and to recruit high-calibre legal talent.

“Getting the right people, who fit perfectly with our culture, was key, and everyone has settled in brilliantly.”

The Firm’s investment in the Madrid office reflects its strategic importance to the network.

Juanma says: “Not only is Spain one of the most popular countries for overseas investment, but we work with several large Spanish corporates, such as Iberdrola, the world leader in renewable energy, telecoms giant Telefónica, and infrastructure and renewable energy company Acciona, all of whom are regularly expanding into other jurisdictions.”

Such active foreign investment is a feature of the Spanish market, with the country’s 35 largest corporations estimated to earn 75 per cent of their revenues overseas.

Juanma comments: “We’re here to support our clients when they do work in Latin America, the United States, Asia, the Middle East and anywhere in the world, as well as supporting the Firm’s clients on Spanish transactions.

“They value and need a trusted local firm that knows the Spanish market, culture and language, while also offering them access to an international network with expertise in other regions.

“Due to the Firm’s global network, this puts us in a strong position, so we’re often assisting companies in our home market, while also supporting overseas clients as they invest in Spain.”

The past 12 months have seen the Madrid team work on several significant matters, including Telefónica’s investment treaty arbitration dispute with Colombia, the €360m capital increase of Spanish telecoms company MasMovil, and the representation (alongside our Paris office) of the Spanish construction company FCC in its acquisition of French water company Services Publics et Industries Environnement.

Another highlight of 2019 came when the Madrid office hosted the White & Case World Cup, which saw around 1,000 colleagues from 42 offices take part in a weekend of sport and networking, held at the training ground of legendary soccer team Real Madrid.

Juanma explains: “I’m so proud that, with the help of the wider White & Case team, we were able to put on a highly successful event at an amazing venue. The weather was wonderful and the fact that so many teams from across the world attended was inspirational. Such dedication and camaraderie says a lot about the Firm’s culture and our people.”

Building a strong workplace culture is something Juanma is passionate about. He says: “As someone who’s worked at the Firm for several years (and I’ve been in the legal profession even longer), I know what a great place to work this is, so one of my jobs is to make sure everyone at the office is aware of that.

“We always try to provide people with the best possible opportunity to grow. It is a friendly, welcoming place to work and, as part of our value proposition and because we believe that our learning experience needs to go beyond legal training, we offer everyone who joins the office free membership to the Prado Museum and Madrid Opera House for their first year.

“We also encourage people to take an active interest in their colleagues and the environment, so we appoint a ‘happy and green leader’ every two weeks. They’re responsible for letting everyone know about colleagues’ birthdays and achievements and they come up with ideas that can make us more environmentally sustainable.”

Juanma is also proud of the office’s total commitment to pro bono work. He explains: “Last year saw us awarded the Firm’s Pro Bono Grand Prize for being the office with the highest percentage of lawyers who spent 20 or more hours on pro bono work during the year.

“That’s testimony to the character of our people. We’re passionate about giving something back to the community and championing good causes.”

Looking to the future, the Madrid office will continue to target gradual strategic growth.

Juanma says: “I’m very proud of the first-class team we have in Madrid. We’re already making a strong contribution to the Firm’s strategic vision with the volume of cross-border work we do, and I can only see that increasing as the office continues to grow.”