About

Eschewing the traditional structure of a centralised legal team providing counsel from company headquarters, the Spanish legal team of global environmental services group Suez is known to be ‘embedded’ in each of the company’s business lines and work ‘on the frontline’, according to a nominating source. A truly global-facing team led by Alejandro Jiménez Marconi, the more than 50 lawyers that make up the Spanish team are not only responsible for domestic matters, but also give advice and support to Suez’s Latin American businesses by leading legal work on a range of issues including public auctions, M&A and technical projects. Described by nominators as having a ‘great deal of mobility’, the team is noted for its varied work across practice areas and jurisdictions whilst also working hand-in-hand with non-legal colleagues including technical specialists such as engineers and economists. The team provides advice ‘on the ground’ and are considered within the business as ‘part of the revenue generation side of activity’. The department’s lawyers are often required to travel to the sites of their various projects, sometimes for ‘several months in a row’ depending on the type of project they are working on. The team is also intricately tied to the political climate of the governance of water in Spain and the wider European Union, spending ‘substantial resources’ advising the company on public policy support in these areas. As a private water company in this context, Suez relies on the legal team’s active participation in industry organisations and bodies when new legislation is drafted. The team also contributes to the discussion by ‘publishing books and articles’ on relevant matters. Their centrality to the market is evinced via their work on the most significant transactions involving the Spanish water sector in the recent past. Team members were active in the public auction to manage Catalonia’s raw water system, the creation of the water and wastewater system infrastructure projects in Barcelona and the concession contracts for the operation of new irrigation systems in the Navarra region.