Latham & Watkins LLP

Blanca Vázquez de Castro is an associate in the Tax Department of Latham & Watkins’ Madrid office. She represents large Spanish corporates and global private equity firms in strategic cross-border tax matters related to M&A, finance, and restructuring deals. She has particular experience advising on complex transactions in the real estate, telecoms, and financial services industries.

Carlos Betoret is an associate in the Madrid office of Latham & Watkins and a member of the firm’s Global Antitrust & Competition Practice. His practice focuses on all aspects concerning EU and Spanish competition law. Mr. Betoret represents international companies before the European Commission and the Spanish Competition authority in merger control, cartel, abuse of dominance, horizontal and vertical agreements, and state aid proceedings. Prior to joining Latham, Mr. Betoret worked in a major international law firm, acting for numerous big Spanish and International corporations of different industries, such as healthcare, financial institutions, waste management, and infrastructures, among others. Mr. Betoret has also represented his clients before the Spanish courts, including, regional courts, the High Court, and the Supreme Court.

Carmen Esteban advises global private equity funds and multinational companies on their most sophisticated M&A transactions. Ms. Esteban leverages trusted relationships across the Spanish private equity market and extensive transactional experience to guide clients on: Mergers and acquisitions Asset acquisitions Joint venture investments She approaches each matter with pragmatism and a clear understanding of clients’ commercial goals. Ms. Esteban seamlessly integrates with the firm’s global platform and regularly leads on cross-border European transactions.

Fernando Colomina advises borrowers and lenders on complex financing structures in cross-border M&A and private equity transactions, particularly leveraged buyouts. Mr. Colomina helps banks and other financial institutions, sponsors, and corporate borrowers and issuers implement innovative international structures in the Spanish market. He approaches each transaction with creativity and versatility, drawing on extensive experience across the financing spectrum. Mr. Colomina unlocks the resources of Latham’s global platform to connect clients with the right tools for each financing, regardless of jurisdiction. He also frequently works with the high yield team to seamlessly execute bank/bond financings. A recognized thought leader, Mr. Colomina annually serves as an editor for Business Research’s The Acquisition & Leveraged Finance Review, as well as the author of its Spanish chapter.

Guillermo Ruiz de Salazar advises Spanish and international companies, private equity firms, and their portfolio companies on a full spectrum of employment related matters, particularly in complex M&A transactions, employment disputes, and employment restructurings. Mr. Ruiz de Salazar leverages extensive experience guiding clients through any employment issues that may arise, whether contentious or non-contentious, in the context of: M&A and restructuring, including drafting management incentive plans, share-based schemes, and top executive employment contracts Collective bargaining, including consultation periods for collective layoffs, transfer of employees, national and international relocations, union negotiations, and modification of employment conditions Employment disputes, including both individual and collective judicial proceedings before labor courts He approaches each matter with pragmatism and a comprehensive understanding of his clients’ business needs. Mr. Ruiz de Salazar skillfully coordinates multidisciplinary teams across jurisdictions to provide clients with concise, actionable advice that helps to consummate successful transactions. A recognized thought leader, he serves as an associate professor of employment law at Centro de Estudios Garrigues and Universidad Europea in Madrid. Mr. Ruiz de Salazar maintains an active pro bono practice, including advising nonprofits on employment best practices and disputes.

Ignacio Pallarés advises private equity funds and leading Spanish companies on all aspects of corporate law, with a particular emphasis on complex, cross-border M&A. Mr. Pallarés draws on a sophisticated understanding of the local market and long-standing client relationships spanning multiple industries to execute: Private equity investments in Spanish targets M&A transactions in Spain involving Spanish companies Cross-border transactions for Spanish multinational clients He approaches client relationships with an eye toward long-term growth and crafts strategic solutions that resonate across markets. Mr. Pallarés leverages his commercial pragmatism to help clients anticipate and address issues that may arise during negotiations.

Ivan Rabanillo advises clients on Spanish and international tax aspects of cutting-edge cross-border transactions. Mr. Rabanillo combines extensive transactional experience and a comprehensive understanding of multijurisdictional market practice to guide Spanish multinational groups and international investors on: M&A and joint ventures Capital markets transactions Banking and structured finance Restructuring and special situations Qualified to practice in Spain, Brazil, and New York, he approaches each transaction from a global perspective. Mr. Rabanillo devises practical and efficient solutions for clients’ time-sensitive commercial needs.

Jordi Domínguez advises Spanish and multinational clients on the full spectrum of tax issues that arise in sophisticated cross-border transactions. Mr. Domínguez leverages a comprehensive understanding of global tax laws and decades of transactional experience within the local and global market to guide private equity sponsors, financial institutions, and multinational corporations on: M&A and joint ventures Restructurings Financing structures Capital markets offerings He connects clients to resources across Latham’s platform and provides pragmatic, business-oriented advice that allows clients to make informed decisions in multijurisdictional deals. A recognized thought leader, Mr. Domínguez regularly lectures on international tax law at Centro de Estudios Garrigues and ESADE.

José Antonio Sánchez-Dafos advises clients on cross-border M&A and private equity transactions, particularly involving the technology sector. Mr. Sánchez-Dafos combines deep local experience with a sophisticated understanding of global transactions to guide major international and Spanish private equity funds and companies on: Mergers, acquisitions, and disposals Leveraged buyouts Add-on acquisitions Joint ventures Advising management SPAC-related transactions He anticipates potential transactional hurdles and creates efficiencies that close deals. Drawing on his international education and extensive global transactional experience, Mr. Sánchez-Dafos serves as a trusted advisor who understands clients’ strategic needs on a global scale. Mr. Sánchez-Dafos represents venture capital funds as emerging companies navigate the corporate life cycle, from raising venture capital to exit or listing. A recognized leader at the firm, he serves as Chair of the Global Technology Committee. He previously served as Local Chair of the Corporate Department in Madrid, as well as on the Associates Committee. Outside the firm, he teaches postgraduate M&A courses at IE Law School and Carlos III University. He maintains an active pro bono practice, including helping charitable organizations incorporate in Spain.

Partner

Luis Sánchez Mendez represents domestic and international clients in a range of complex finance transactions, including private equity acquisition financings, leveraged buyouts, and restructurings. Drawing on his sophisticated knowledge of the needs of both sides of financing transactions, Mr. Sánchez delivers broad-based counsel to creditors, companies, and investors. He brings particular experience in domestic and cross-border debt restructurings, as well as investments by specialized investment funds in distressed assets. Mr. Sánchez’s practice includes: Acquisition and leveraged finance Alternative financing and direct lending Banking Corporate lending, take-over bid financing, and loan markets Distressed investing and debt trading Real estate financing Restructuring, insolvency, and workouts Structured finance Mr. Sánchez regularly writes about banking and restructuring topics for prominent publications, including Revista de Derecho Concursal y Paraconcursal, Revista de Derecho Bancario y Bursatil, Cinco Días, and El Economista.

Luis Lozano counsels Spanish and international clients on sophisticated M&A and private equity transactions, with a special focus on the banking industry, infrastructure assets, and distressed transactions. Mr. Lozano draws on his extensive experience and commercial mindset to guide industrial clients, listed companies, financial institutions, credit funds, and private equity funds on: M&A and private equity transactions Sales and disposals of debt portfolios Joint ventures Strategic alliances He advises companies across a broad range of industries and has a proven track record in corporate, securities, and commercial problem-solving.

María José Descalzo is a partner in Latham & Watkins’ Madrid office and a member of the firm's Corporate Department. Ms. Descalzo has extensive experience representing domestic and international companies, investors, and private equity firms on a variety of energy-related M&A, joint ventures, IPOs, and project finance matters.

Naiara Rodríguez-Escudero leads the Benefits, Compensation & Employment Practice in Madrid and also serves as Regional Chair of Latham & Watkins' Tax Department in Europe. She advises global private equity funds and major employers in Spain on a variety of complex employment matters. Ms. Rodríguez-Escudero draws on deep experience and a sophisticated understanding of Spanish and European employment law to counsel and represent major employers in their most sensitive and business-critical matters, including: Compensation plans Employment litigation Industrial disputes Negotiating with trade unions Relocation Senior executive contract negotiations Social security Stock and cash-based incentive programs Downsizing and redundancy plans Mergers and acquisitions Outsourcing Restructurings Whistleblower and internal investigations Ms. Rodríguez-Escudero regularly speaks at employment law seminars and publishes articles in the field.

Óscar Franco is a partner in Latham & Watkins’ Madrid office and a member of the Litigation & Trial Department. Mr. Franco has extensive experience advising clients on complex, high-profile disputes, including commercial litigation and international arbitration proceedings, as well as restructuring and insolvency matters.

Mr. de Rojas leverages his deep knowledge of the restructuring process and a sophisticated understanding of an evolving insolvency landscape to guide multinationals, investors, and financial institutions on: Designing restructuring solutions, including converting debt into equity or equity-like instruments Implementing restructuring plans using the most efficient legal regimes Liaising with stakeholders across the capital structure He approaches complex transactions with a strategic, commercial mindset and unlocks Latham’s global platform to devise bespoke client solutions. A recognized thought leader, Mr. de Rojas regularly speaks on insolvency topics at industry events, including for INSOL. He is also a visiting professor at Instituto de Empresa (IE) and Universidad Cardenal Cisneros. Before joining Latham, Mr. de Rojas spent 20 years working as a banking and restructuring lawyer at the Spanish office of a Magic Circle law firm.

Rafael Molina represents Spanish and international clients in their most sophisticated transactions at the intersection of corporate, finance, and real estate law. Leveraging more than two decades of experience, Mr. Molina guides international investors, developers, financial institutions, and promoters on negotiating a wide range of real estate transactions and corporate matters, involving: Real estate M&A across asset classes, including hotels, data centers, retail and leisure centers, office buildings, logistics and industrial, and residential Structured finance and securitizations Single names, loan-to-own, and workouts and restructurings Servicers Performing loan (PL), re-performing loan (RPL), and non-performing loan (NPL) portfolios He approaches negotiations with confidence and a sophisticated understanding of his clients’ interests, ready to devise complex structures that facilitate deal execution. Mr. Molina also regularly advises global private equity houses and investment funds on real estate as an asset class and related large-scale financing work. Mr. Molina serves on the board of the University of Navarra.

Lawyer

Veronika Miskovichova advises large clients on private equity transactions with a real estate component, joint ventures, acquisitions of different types of real estate assets, and financing and refinancing of real estate acquisitions and structured finance, with or without a real estate component. Ms. Miskovichova has broad experience in commercial law. She regularly advises on a variety of real estate transactions, including: Real estate M&A deals Real estate joint ventures Real estate finance Structured Finance transactions, with or without real estate component