Garrigues is one of the top Spanish firms for EU competition. "They have a good sense for interweaving politics and law....
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Garrigues is one of the top Spanish firms for EU competition. "They have a good sense for interweaving politics and law. They are aware of how it works across the Eurozone [and] we get their full attention," says one client, while another adds: "They were very good at identifying what was important and when problems arose they explained and discussed in a non-technical way."
The firm scores well on responsiveness and client care. One client who has engaged a number of the top firms says: "I believe we are more inspired [by] and get more meat on the bone from Garrigues." The firm's US office is also given the thumbs up by a client: "The quality of the team was excellent, [with] expertise in dealing with regulatory and accounting issues."
In one major deal, José Luis Buendía Sierra, who is recommended for providing "strategic legal advice" and being "very well informed and clever", advised the Bank of Spain on state aid rules in the context of public support to Spanish savings banks and filed notifications for a number of mergers in the sector.
Also in the troubled Spanish banking sector, Buendía was engaged by Banco Santander and BBVA among others in an appeal against the Commission's stance on tax cuts for certain banking acquisitions. Another state aid case saw the firm advise the Basque government before the Commission on financial support to develop a digital TV service through the region.
On the other side of the table the firm advised the Commission's legal team in four cases in the prestressed steel cartel investigation.
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