About

Run by highly-competent general counsel Ana Prado Blanco, Mercedes-Benz’s five-person Spanish legal team is part of Daimler’s global legal department comprised of circa 200 lawyers. A lawyer who values creativity, Prado has been able to instil a culture of innovation and teamwork, whereby all the members are empowered to make their own decisions, whilst adhering to the principles of higher standards, good performance, loyalty and engagement. ‘Our legal team is a merger of quite different talents, with a remarkable amount of energy and creativity, being our principle to work,’ Prado says. This innovative approach has materialised in several organisational changes that have had a positive impact on speed and efficiency, such as the contracting model recently rolled out by the team that is based on standard templates for contracts, covering both commercial and production activities of Mercedes-Benz España and all group entities in Spain. Highly praised for its ability to quickly adapt to changing circumstances, the legal department has participated actively in several important company-wide initiatives in Spain, often having to work in collaboration with other departments in order to accomplish each project successfully and on time. For instance, in 2016 the team supported Daimler’s spin-up process, a restructuring and reorganisation project aimed at strengthening the company and granting greater flexibility to increase the dedication and ability to provide a more personalised attention to customers of individual business units. Other key initiatives that the team has been involved in recently include the creation of a legal framework with Laureus Foundation in Spain and participation in an IP project in order to avoid the unauthorised use of the Mercedes-Benz trademark. The legal department has also received praise for its work on litigation, achieving good results in all proceedings ruled on in the precedent year, and in particular recently winning a complex lawsuit filed against the company regarding the termination of a long-term contractual relationship.