Every move matters
IBERIAN LAWYER
The main digital monthly magazine providing information on the legal and business sectors in Spain and Portugal.
by Ilaria Iaquinta
In chess, each move responds to the one before, in a continuous flow where no piece moves in isolation. Every move is considered the best possible answer to what just happened—or at least, so we hope—yet it roots itself in moves already made. The same is true in the competitive legal world: each strategic choice shapes itself around market dynamics, balancing reaction with planning. Does a new client need arise? A fresh service proposal arrives. A team of lawyers moves firms? A parallel game begins to find someone to fill the gap left behind. It's a delicate balance, almost a synchronised dance, where each step adjusts to the last.
This is my take on a market in constant motion in 2024, as we bring you this issue of Iberian Lawyer.
It’s been a year of great dynamism for law firms, immersed in the redefinition of their identity. Partner moves in Spain and Portugal, as you’ll read about in the following pages, are the clearest proof: it’s not just about changing names on office plaques, but a reflection of profound evolution in progress. The legal market is experiencing an accelerated transformation. Competition no longer stops at local borders; firms are looking to expand, diversify, and adapt to an increasingly globalised and digitalised world. This dynamism is visible in recent appointments and departures of key professionals who bring fresh perspectives and skills to their teams. It’s a time full of opportunities, though not without challenges, pushing us to rethink strategies and approaches.
On future strategies and visions, Íñigo Erlaiz, managing partner of GA_P, assesses the past year and outlines the direction the firm plans to take in coming years, with a focus on sustainability, international expansion, and the continuous challenge of attracting top talent. Similarly, the boutique firm Melo Alves is redesigning its identity: once a family-run firm, it is now opening itself to the Portuguese legal market, ready to compete with larger firms. Its boutique essence remains, yet it projects towards a new phase where tradition and ambition intersect.
These changes, however, must be viewed within the context of the broader challenges facing the legal community today. Technology, while providing us with powerful tools, also presents risks we cannot overlook. Cybersquatting, for instance, emerges as a silent yet tangible threat. This is not only a matter of digital ownership but a wake-up call about how technology can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it offers us efficiency and reach; on the other, it opens new doors to vulnerability. It’s essential that we stay ahead in protecting rights in the digital realm, developing regulations and tools that safeguard both individuals and companies. In this context, deepfakes represent another battleground. The ability to manipulate images and sounds with unsettling precision threatens the integrity of information and public trust. We face new frontiers of digital identity, where virtual representations of people intertwine with intellectual property, posing unprecedented legal challenges. Pioneering agreements between technology companies and international celebrities to create hyper-realistic digital avatars illustrate how digital identity can evolve in a commercial and technological world. These avatars replicate not only physical appearance but also voice, behaviour, and gestures, thanks to advanced techniques like photogrammetry and artificial neural networks. However, this innovation raises ethical and legal issues about commercial exploitation and the protection of individual identity. It’s crucial to strike a balance between technology and individual rights, ensuring that the legal framework protects people’s integrity and reputation in an increasingly complex digital environment. As lawyers, we have a responsibility to help create regulations that govern these advances, ensuring that technological innovation goes hand in hand with the protection of fundamental rights.
Space exploration, once a distant dream, is now a concrete reality, and Spain is taking its first steps in this field. This is how space law emerges, an up-and-coming discipline that demands legal attention: it’s not just about satellites and rockets, but also matters of sovereignty, resource exploitation, and international liability. It’s vital that the legal community is involved in building a robust regulatory framework to support these technological advancements.
While we look to the stars, however, we cannot ignore the issues emerging on our own ground. The problem of renting remains an open wound in Spain, worsened by the shortage of affordable housing. Internationally, the European Union has initiated legal action against Spain and Portugal for failing to implement the global minimum tax for multinationals. This conflict highlights the difficulties in harmonising tax policies in a globalised context, and beyond the economic implications, it reflects tensions between national sovereignty and community obligations. As lawyers, we must stay vigilant about how these processes impact our jurisdictions and advise our clients appropriately in an increasingly complex landscape.
But it’s not all challenges and obstacles: the legal community also knows how to show its more humane and supportive side. Events like Rock ‘n Law are examples of how it can unite for charitable causes, using its influence to make a positive impact on society. These initiatives remind us that the law is not just a profession, but also a vocation in service of others. In the business sector, we spoke with the general counsel of Cupra and the VW Group in Spain, who shared how the brand is integrating sustainability and innovation into its legal and corporate strategy. Likewise, Miguel Riaño of Carbonia Investment offers a perspective on trends in investments and their impact on the legal and financial sectors.
We must be proactive, anticipate changes, and, above all, act as agents of positive transformation. Legality and justice are fundamental pillars in any democratic society, and maintaining them in times of uncertainty depends on the ability to adapt and respond to new realities, without losing sight of essential values.
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