Private equity

Clifford Chance

Variously praised for their ‘strong analytical skills, attention to detail’ and ‘ability to understand the commercial interests of their clients’, Clifford Chance‘s private equity specialists in Spain act for global PE firms, infrastructure and pension funds along the entire spectrum of matters, from high-end M&A to leveraged finance and fund structuring. The practice has been particularly busy handling sell-side mandates, but is also well placed to assist bidders in big-ticket transactions across a multitude of sectors, including telecoms, healthcare, sports, business services, infrastructure and energy. A renowned figure in the Spanish PE market, Javier Amantegui is at the forefront of the firm’s financial investors’ strategy in Europe. ’Hands-on leader‘ Samir Azzouzi continues to play a key role in major deals (both domestic and cross-border) in this space. Ildefonso Alier, who joined from King & Wood Mallesons in May 2022, is the go-to adviser for fundraisings, secondary deals and fund formation issues. Recently promoted counsel Javier Hermosilla and associate Patricia Puertas are other key members of the practice.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘Fantastic team of trained and independent professionals that intimately know our private equity house across its offices, so can provide significant added-value with limited review and involvement on the client side. Demonstrated commitment to excellence, with an outcome-oriented approach that translates into their ability to prioritise on key value items and be pragmatic as needed.’
‘Samir Azzouzi: I have rarely seen such an outstanding, hands-on leader within the practice. He demonstrates a great ability to simplify complex matters into more digestible items of negotiation.'
'Second to none commitment to the client. Extensive experience and legal know-how.'
‘Solid support for contract negotiation. Very strong team technically and with great attention to detail.'
‘Samir Azzouzi has done a fantastic job with us. Very elaborate preparation of documents, and a lot of help in review and negotiation with the counterparty. ’
‘The Clifford Chance private equity team is excellent and stands out due to the following: high availability and level of involvement of the partners in the transactions; team management, so that all members are adequate and focused on the project.'
‘What differentiates them from other firms is that in addition to being top experts in their areas, they always have high availability and put themselves in the client's shoes.'
‘Strong analytical skills, attention to detail, good ability to understand the commercial interests of their clients, and correctly reflect them in legal documentation.’

Key clients

Allianz Capital Partners (ACP)
Altamar Capital Partners / AltamarCAM Partners
Ardian
Arjun Infrastructure
Artá Capital
Asterion
AXA IM
Blackstone
Brookfield
Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec (CDPQ)
Centerbridge
Cinven
Corporación Financiera Alba
Elliott Advisors
EQT
Key Capital Partners
KKR
Mubadala
Partners Group
Rivean Capital
Sixth Street
Stirling Square Capital Partners
Swiss Life
Trilantic Capital Partners
Värde Partners

Work highlights

Advised Cinven on the acquisition of a majority stake in Amara NZero from ProA Capital.
Advising Ardian on an agreement to sell ASR Wind to Naturgy.
Advised sovereign wealth fund Norges Bank on the acquisition of a 49% interest in a 1.3 GW portfolio of solar plants and onshore wind farms in Spain from Iberdrola.

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