European Firm Cuatrecasas Opens Second China Office
Cuatrecasas, a 100-year-old law firm based in Spain and Portugal, has opened an office in Beijing its second in China. It opened an office in Shanghai in 2007.
Mergers and acquisitions partner Pablo Cubel has relocated from Valencia to lead the four-member office in Beijing.
Rafael Fontana, Cuatrecasas Barcelona-based senior partner, said opening in Beijing is part of the firm s efforts to meet its strategic objectives of becoming a benchmark Ibero-American business law firm.
Cuatrecasas move comes at a time when China has been investing heavily in Europe, with almost 30 percent of that investment in 2015 targeting Southern Europe. In Spain alone, China invested over $2 billion between 2010 and 2015, according to Mergermarket s annual M&A report.
In addition to 16 offices in Spain and Portugal, Cuatrecasas has an office in Mexico City, which it opened last year. It also formed an alliance with the firm Posse Herrera Ruiz in Colombia. Cuatrecasas also has offices in Angola, Brazil, Morocco and Mozambique, as well as in Brussels, London and New York.
Cuatrecasas has advised inbound and outbound deals related to China. Last year, it represented Chinese developer Dalian Wanda Group on the $306 million sale of Edificio Espana, a historical high-rise building in Madrid. In 2015, it acted for shareholders of Spanish football club RCD Espanyol on the sale of shares to Chinese buyer Rastar Group.
Cuatrecasas first Chinese office in Shanghai is led by projects and arbitration partner Omar Puertas.
The Madrid-based firm Garrigues also has offices in Shanghai and Beijing. Another Iberian law firm, Ur a Men ndez, operates in Beijing.
