Prominent Corporate Practitioner Sebastián Albella Joins Latham & Watkins in Spain
Latham & Watkins is pleased to announce that Sebastián Albella has joined the Madrid office as Of Counsel. Albella is one of Spain’s leading corporate lawyers and, until last December, served as Chair of the Spanish Securities Commission.
“We are excited to welcome Sebastián to the firm. He brings vast experience to the practice on a variety of complex M&A transactions and other corporate regulatory matters. His stature in the business and financial community in Spain and Europe is testament to his many talents, excellent commercial judgment, and track record of success,” said Ignacio Gómez-Sancha, Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins in Madrid. “His arrival will add significant expertise to our preeminent practice in Spain, and he will play a major role in the growth of our practice.”
Albella began his career as an Abogado del Estado (State Attorney) and worked in the Spanish Treasury Department, where he played an important role in drafting the Spanish Securities Markets Act. He was the first Secretary to the Board and General Counsel of the CNMV and twice a member of its Advisory Committee.
Albella then spent more than two decades in private practice, where he focused on advising companies and private equity firms on a variety of complex domestic and international private and public M&A transactions and general corporate and financial regulatory matters, before rejoining the CNMV as Chair in 2016, a position he held until December 2020. During his time in private practice he also served as legal advisor to the Spanish Banking Association (AEB), and as a member of the Legal Committee of the European Banking Federation.
“Sebastián has extensive industry knowledge and a deep understanding of the dynamics facing private and public companies, financial institutions, and private equity firms, domestically and across Europe,” added Oliver Felsenstein, partner and member of the firm’s Executive Committee. “Few practitioners have Sebastián’s unique combination of experience, knowledge, and business smarts and he will provide senior counsel on a vast array of corporate matters to clients in Spain and around the world.”
“Sebastián’s boardroom experience and years of practice at the vanguard of the market are highly complementary to our global platform and will support our growth strategy in Spain and Europe,” said Charles Ruck, Global Chair of Latham’s Corporate Department. “His arrival is a perfect strategic fit with our preeminent transactional capabilities and our Latin America Practice.”
During his time with the CNMV, Albella also served as a member of the Management Board and the Board of Supervisors of European Securities Markets Authority (ESMA), and as a member of the Board of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and the Standing Committee on Standards Implementation of the Financial Stability Board (FSB). Most recently, he chaired the ESMA Investor Protection and Intermediaries Standing Committee.
Albella graduated with a degree in Law from the University of Navarra. Before rejoining the CNMV in 2016, he developed his career as a corporate and capital markets lawyer at Spanish firm Ramón y Cajal Abogados, where he was one of the founding partners, and at Linklaters.
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Latham & Watkins delivers innovative solutions to complex legal and business challenges around the world. From a global platform, our lawyers advise clients on market-shaping transactions, high-stakes litigation and trials, and sophisticated regulatory matters. Latham is one of the world’s largest providers of pro bono services, steadfastly supports initiatives designed to advance diversity within the firm and the legal profession, and is committed to exploring and promoting environmental sustainability.
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