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One of the most high-profile recent transactions in the Iberian banking sector was the purchase of the Portuguese retail branch of Barclays by Madrid-headquartered Bankinter, in a deal that was worth approximately €100m. Described by a nominator as having to ‘put in place legal solutions featuring high levels of complexity’, Teresa Mota, then of Barclays and now of Bankinter, received particular praise in getting the transaction over the line. The Bankinter team was also an integral part of the successful transaction and subsequent integration. The team will have to look ahead to the implementation of a legal network in all of the countries with Bankinter presence, including Eleonora Zampini in Luxembourg to compliment heads of legal based in in Spain and Portugal. In addition to the closing of the Barclays Portuguese branch, the lawyers working for Bankinter, who total 13 and are present across Spain, Portugal and Luxembourg, have dealt with changing market circumstances to best serve their business and the bank’s customers. Antonio Murillo Gayo, director of legal business affairs at the bank, explains how recent judge resolutions to mortgage loans clauses require the team to ‘defend the banks interest but also be fair to our clients’, displaying a tricky balancing act. To mitigate this tightrope the team cooperate and discuss activities with the senior management team on a ‘daily basis’, displaying the closeness and high-regard the team is held in internally as a business partner. This is a legal team that is ‘always constructive, always excellent’ according to Murillo, and its forward-thinking nature is evident in its involvement in the first Portuguese branch opening of Bankinter’s credit consumer company using the legal formula of “delegated passport” – an ongoing process for the company that will be the first of its kind in the Iberian region upon completion.