"Outstanding lawyer [who] deals with the full gamut of competition law work."
Chambers Europe 2024
Band 1 – Competition/European Law (Spain)
Chambers Europe 2024
"A key contact for financial institutions and private equity firms looking for representation before the competition authorities."
The Legal 500 EMEA 2024
Hall of Fame – EU & Competition
The Legal 500 EMEA 2024
"Widely recognised for his expertise handling global merger clearances and conduct investigations, as well as for his litigation prowess."
The Legal 500 EMEA 2022
"Outstanding lawyer José María Jiménez-Laiglesia deals with the full gamut of competition law work."
Chambers Europe 2022
"Always available, quick, practical and a good listener" and "without a doubt one of the best competition lawyers in Europe."
Chambers Europe 2019
Profile
José María Jiménez-Laiglesia represents Spanish and international clients before Spanish and EU competition authorities in their most sophisticated antitrust matters.
He combines more than three decades’ of experience and his reputation as one of Spain’s leading competition lawyers to precisely evaluate risk and guide international companies, financial institutions, and private equity firms on:
Regulatory challenges to mergers and foreign direct investments
Cartel investigations
Charges of abuse of a dominant position and state aid
José Maria quickly understands the nuances involved in clients’ most complicated antitrust matters, serving as an integral hub for tightly coordinated multijurisdictional teams. He successfully intervenes in matters involving jurisdictional review of competition and regulatory decisions before Spain’s National Court (Audiencia Nacional) and Supreme Court.
Experience
José Maria’s experience includes representing:
Mergers & Acquisitions
Viasat, a global satellite operator, in obtaining global antitrust and foreign investment approvals for the US$7.3 billion acquisition of Inmarsat
Grail, a healthcare company, in its planned US$8 billion acquisition by Illumina
Platinum Equity in acquiring Urbaser, a leading provider of environmental services, from China Tianying for a €3.5 billion enterprise value
Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME) in the all-cash voluntary friendly tender offer by SIX Group, the Swiss financial markets infrastructure operator, for €2.8 billion
The Carlyle Group in merger control aspects related to acquiring a US$4.8 billion minority stake in Cepsa
KKR in acquiring distressed industrial company Grupo Gallardo and its subsequent sale to Spanish holding Cristian Lay
Triton Partners in securing the European Commission’s the merger clearance to acquire Fertiberia
Genstar Capital and its portfolio company BBB Industries in acquiring a 100% stake in M&R Precision Parts, an automotive components manufacturer, from Abac Capital
Antitrust & Competition
Ferrovial, before the Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC), in a competition case concerning a potential infringement in the construction market
Repsol in several antitrust matters in Spain and the EU
Urbaser in a CNMC investigation into the waste management and transportation market
Egeda in the context of tariff setting of intellectual property rights of audiovisual producers subject to collective management
Logista, before the CNMC, in an investigation involving an exchange of information in Spain’s cigarette manufacturing and distribution market
Mastercard in competition matters before the CNMC and regulatory issues concerning payment services in Spain
Santillana (PRISA) in a CNMC investigation into Spain’s publishing industry
In the leading competition publication’s annual review of the strongest antitrust practices around the globe, the firm dominated in every category, ranking second across all specialties.
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