Drawing on its strong international presence and the support of lawyers from across its corporate, public law and litigation departments, the EU and competition team at Ashurst LLP is well equipped to advise on a wide spread of competition matters, including cartels, abuse of dominance cases, damages claims and regulatory issues. Rafael Baena is sought after for his deep expertise in merger control, abuse of dominance and cartel investigations. He oversees the practice where Javier Torrecilla is a name to note for state aid matters and proceedings before the competition authorities in Spain and abroad.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The Ashurst competition team has an unusual commitment to the client. They know the economic sector in which the company operates, provide business value and are always proactive. They are up to date with the latest developments and tell us the positive and negative implications for our company and how to mitigate the negative effects and reinforce the positive ones. The partner who makes the difference is Rafael Baena.’

  • ‘It is a niche practice that requires not only exceptional technical knowledge of the standard but also a practical and pragmatic application that the Ashusrt team manages to convey very well to its clients. Accessibility and collaboration in the search for solutions that work are two of its strong pillars.’

  • ‘I would highlight accessibility, understanding of the business, knowledge of best practices in the sector, current and future trends, news and application to the business.’

  • ‘I would highlight Rafael Baena as a partner for his closeness and great communication skills, standing out in providing training to the company.’

  • ‘This firm's knowledge of competition matters is exceptional. What makes it unique is its great knowledge of public institutions. It has created a prestigious name in the public sector.’

  • ‘The are innovative, extremely knowledgeable, always available and easy-going.’

  • ‘Rafael Baena, Javier Torrecilla and their team are excellent lawyers who stand out for their ability to leverage on their deep knowledge to come up with creative solutions and are excellent people to work with.’

Key clients

  • UEFA
  • Cerberus Capital Management
  • Babcock
  • Deutsche Bank
  • Avincis
  • Altadis (Imperial Tobacco)
  • Albia Gestión de Servicios
  • Elsamex
  • Santa Lucía
  • Hewlett-Packard
  • Teka
  • NH Hoteles
  • IFA Retail

Work highlights

  • Represented UEFA in connection with all the litigation around the Superleague project, initially supported by 12 of the most prominent football teams in Europe.
  • Acting for Cerberus Capital Management in the sale by Haya Holdco 2 Plc of 100% of the share capital of Haya Real Estate S.A.U. to Swedish competitor Intrum Holding Spain, S.A.U. and 100% of the outstanding shareholder loan interests to Intrum AB (listed on the Swedish Stock Exchange).
  • Advised Babcock International Group plc on the sale of its aerial emergency services operations in Italy, Portugal, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Mozambique to Ancala Partners.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Rafael Baena

Other key lawyers

Javier Torrecilla, Teresa Prado