Latham & Watkins is pleased to announce that Juan Picón, Ignacio Gómez-Sancha, and José Antonio Sánchez-Dafos will join the Madrid office as partners in the Corporate Department. All three are widely recognized as leaders, with vast experience advising clients on a range of sophisticated domestic and cross-border matters.
Arrival of Juan Picón, Ignacio Gómez-Sancha, and José Antonio Sánchez-Dafos will mark major milestone in development of the firm’s Spanish practice.
Team has strong track record advising leading Spanish, Latin American and other global companies, financial institutions, and private equity sponsors
Deep expertise in M&A, private equity, capital markets, restructuring and special situations, and general company representation complements Spanish practice
Juan Picón will assume the role of Office Managing Partner in Spain following the retirement of José Luis Blanco
The team’s experience encompasses a wide range of practices, including M&A, private equity, joint ventures, capital markets, restructuring and special situations, financial regulatory, and general company representation. They represent major Spanish, Latin American and other global companies, financial institutions, and private equity sponsors. The partners have advised on some of the most high-profile deals in the Spanish market, ranging from a number of landmark acquisitions and dispositions to complex consortium acquisitions involving multiple global private equity firms to IPOs and major restructuring mandates.
“We are delighted to welcome Juan, Ignacio, and José to the firm,” said Bill Voge, Chair and Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins. “We have a top-notch team in Spain, and the arrival of this group will be a perfect complement to our existing practice. The team’s market knowledge and industry contacts are second to none. Spain is a key market with exciting opportunities in our global platform.”
The team has worked closely together for several years.
Picón’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions and private equity, MBOs, and other corporate matters. Over the years, he has also advised on some of the most important capital market transactions in Spain. He has deep experience in a number of sectors, in particular health, chemicals, telecommunications, banking, food, and energy.
Gómez-Sancha’s practice focuses on capital markets and general company law, including IPOs, takeovers, venture capital transactions, mergers and acquisitions, special situations, and distressed investments.
Sánchez-Dafos’s practice focuses on cross border mergers and acquisitions, private equity/MBOs, fund formation and incentive plans, joint ventures, and corporate restructuring. He has significant expertise across a range of sectors, including technology, media, sports, telecom, healthcare, NPLs, food and beverages, real estate, and manufacturing.
Marc Jaffe, Global Chair of Latham & Watkins’ Corporate Department, said: “We are thrilled to add the talents of Juan, Ignacio, and José to our team in Spain. They will be a great addition to our practice and their market knowledge will be a great asset for our clients. Spain’s largest banks, private equity sponsors, and public companies are global industry leaders. Spain also continues to be an important investment platform for Latin America. We see meaningful cross-border opportunities to leverage our expertise in M&A, finance, infrastructure projects, and oil and gas, among other areas in Latin America.”
Rich Trobman, Vice Chair of Latham & Watkins, added: “The team will build upon the marquee practice developed by our Spanish partners over the last decade. Our expanded practice is well placed to deliver sophisticated services for Spanish and global private equity funds, investment banks, and companies doing business in Spain and around the world.”
Picón, Gómez-Sancha, and Sánchez-Dafos will join Latham & Watkins from the Madrid office of DLA Piper. Picón received his degree in law and economics from the ICADE Business School at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas in 1987, and an LLM in European Community Law from the Universite Libre de Bruxelles in 1989. He joined DLA Piper in 2006 and became Global Co-Chair and Senior Partner in 2016. Gómez-Sancha graduated from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in 1993 and worked in a number of senior private practice and in-house roles before joining DLA Piper in 2011. Sánchez-Dafos graduated from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in 1993. He joined DLA Piper in 2011.
Picón will also assume the role of Office Managing Partner in Spain following the retirement of José Luis Blanco at the end of the year. Blanco is a founding partner of the Spanish practice and has served as the Office Managing Partner since 2007.
“When we launched in Spain, we were focused on building one of the preeminent corporate practices in the market. We thank José Luis for his dedication and hard work over the years to accomplish this goal. We wish him well in his retirement and in the next exciting chapter of his career. Juan is everything you could want in a leader: an effective practice builder, problem-solver, strategic, thoughtful, and driven. His track record as one of the country’s top corporate advisors is a testament to his many skills and strong leadership, and he will be instrumental in helping further establish our practice in the region and globally,” commented Voge.
Blanco said: “We are proud of our many accomplishments over the years. Through teamwork and determination, we have built one of the elite practices in Spain. Juan, Ignacio, and José are at the very top of the market, and they will add significantly to the practice going forward. Latham is a unique and special firm, and I retire from the practice of law immensely gratified and humbled by what we have achieved in 10 years.”
