Osborne Clarke hires Madrid team
Osborne Clarke in Spain has announced that it is to establish a Madrid practice through the addition of 20 lawyers.
It has recruited five partners and 15 associates from national firm Lener. The partners are David Sequera, Ángel García, Daniel Riopérez, Luis Castro and Rafael Montejo – the latter will be Managing Partner of the Madrid office and was previously Head of Corporate and Commercial and Head of International at Lener.
Osborne Clarke has operated in Spain since 1996 when it added Barcelona firm Dagá Sauret to its Osborne Clarke Alliance. The Spanish firm remains a stand alone entity but which has only however maintained a nominal presence in the Spanish capital for marketing purposes.
Originally established in Bristol in the UK, the last decade has seen Osborne Clarke expand its international network dramatically. In the UK it numbers around 450 lawyers, including 120 partners, but has added Alliance and best friend firms in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Spain. In addition, the firm maintains an office in Palo Alto in California.
The latest hires reflect the growing ambition of Barcelona-based practices to expand into the Spanish capital, reflecting both a desire to diversify away from the regional Catalan economy and to capitalise on the rise of Madrid as the country’s corporate and legal headquarters. The latest additions bring the number of lawyers at Osborne Clark in Spain to 50, including 11 Partners.
The moves leave Lener with a team of five Partners in Madrid but where it is now looking to promote or recruit an additional three Partners, says the firm.
