Pedro is a dual qualified (Spain -Madrid and Barcelona-, England and Wales) lawyer with twenty years of specialist antitrust, trade regulation and transactional experience.  Previously equity partner leading the EU & competition practice of one of Spain’s largest corporate law firms.  Before that he created and led the EU & competition practice of a London ‘magic circle’ law firm in Spain.  Prior to that he was a member of the antitrust team of Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C. and London, and before that he trained with some of Spain’s best practitioners in Madrid and Brussels.

Law Degree Universidad Complutense and Business degree San Pablo University (Madrid).  Law graduate, University of Chicago Law School (Fulbright – Banco Santander scholar).  Master in European law, College of Europe, Bruges (sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

Pedro is a competition law specialist currently recognised by Who’s Who Legal (singled out as one of the top six lawyers in Spain and Portugal in the 2021 edition), Legal 500 (singled out as one of ten leading specialists in Spain in the 2020 edition), Chambers (singled out as one of the top specialists in band 2 of his area in the 2021 edition) and GCR Thought Leaders (singled out as one of six leaders in the 2021 edition). He was also (twice) acknowledged at that time as one of the “top 40 under 40” by Iberian Lawyer.

He reads specialist seminars in the Carlos III and San Pablo Law Schools and regularly speaks in selected academic and business venues. He is author of many specialist publications and is the Spanish correspondent of the European Competition Law Review.  

Member of the Advisory Board of the American Antitrust Institute in Washington, DC. Member of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Competition Law Association. President of the Fulbright Alumni Association of Spain and Secretary of the Board of the University of the Chicago Alumni Association of Spain.

Languages: English, Spanish, French, German and Italian.

Pedro assists national and multinational companies in all aspects of merger control; State aid and antitrust investigations and ensuing litigation; civil and damages litigation; unfair trade litigation; and regularly counsels in distribution, IP/antitrust matters and commercial agreements with a complex antitrust or regulatory component; with experience working with firms in the shipping, transportation, financial services, private equity, media, technology, publishing, telecoms, pharmaceuticals, chemicals or heavy industries such as cables or ball bearings. Pedro and his team have developed a thriving practice in the area of foreign direct investment screening (FDI) in Spain. Below, is a list of past representative experience.

Transactional experience

  • Advising Atresmedia in the phase 2 merger control proceedings regarding the acquisition of DTS (largest digital TV platform in Spain) by telecommunications incumbent Telefonica
  • Representing an interested party in the phase 2 merger control investigation concerning the acquisition of online advertising platform Mil Anuncios by Schibsted and subsequent judicial review proceedings
  • A Hollywood Major on its acquisition of the Spanish DVD distribution business of another Hollywood major
  • Zebra Technologies on the Spanish merger control aspects of its US$ 4.5 billion acquisition of Motorola assets
  • The sellers in the EUR 207 million acquisition of JaJah, a VoIP company, by Telefonica/O2
  • News Group on the acquisition by Newscorp company NDS of the middleware business of Media Highway
  • Advising interested third parties in the Telecinco/Cuatro transaction merger control proceedings
  • Advising interested third parties in the Antena 3/La Sexta transaction merger control proceedings
  • Advising an interested third party in the merger review proceedings for the acquisition of Cinebox by Abacocine (movie theatres)
  • Sage on the EUR 80 million acquisition of the company software business of SP
  • B.Braun as interested party appearing in the merger control review of the acquisition of hospital group Quiron by Fresenius (Helios)
  • CapVest in connection with the Spanish merger control approvals required for the acquisitions of the IBAM and Mallinckrodt radiopharmaceuticals businesses
  • Taminco, on the acquisition of a methylamines business
  • Inverness Medical Innovations on its US$200 million acquisition of in vitro diagnostics firm Acon Laboratories
  • Cerberus in connection with the merger control proceedings related to the acquisition of the Spanish company Renovalia, active in the generation of electricity through renewable sources
  • EQT before the European Commission regarding the merger control proceedings related to the setting up of a joint venture with Mutua Madrileña in the parking facilities market
  • EQT on the multimillion acquisition of the Atos Medical business 
  • EQT on the acquisition of the Cinterion business
  • EQT on its acquisition of in vitro diagnostics firm Dako
  • 3G Capital on the US$ 3.3 billion acquisition of Burger King 
  • 3i on the Spanish aspects of the EUR 325 million acquisition of VNU Business Media Europe 
  • CVC Capital Partners on the EUR 577 million acquisition of the transmission grid of Iberdrola
  • Advising Corpfin Capital on the merger control and aviation regulatory aspects of its acquisition of airline Futura
  • CVC Capital Partners on its acquisition of El Arbol
  • CVC Capital Partners on the EUR 500 million acquisition of Mivisa
  • Soros on its EUR 235 million acquisition of the chemical business of Polymerlatex
  • Investment Corporation of Dubai, on its unsuccessful takeover offer for Colonial 
  • AGBAR on its successful takeover offer launched for Aguas de Sabadell in the Barcelona Stock Exchange (also advising AGBAR in relation to the same prior 2011, unsuccessful, public offer)
  • Banco Sabadell on its EUR 732 million public takeover offer for Banco Guipuzcoano
  • Iberdrola on its £11.6 billion acquisition of Scottish Power 
  • Advising on the regulatory and merger control aspects of Spanair’s acquisition
  • Advising Spanair’s shareholders on the merger control, State aid and regulatory aspects of the failed partial sale of the airline to foreign investors
  • Abertis, on the competition aspects related to the EUR 430 milion acquisition of the motorway infrastructure of Tunel del Cadíz
  • Abertis on its acquisition of Avasa (highway concession company)
  • Abertis in connection with its projected EUR 24 billion takeover offer for Autostrade and ensuing European litigation related to the merger control aspects of the transaction and the application of Art. 21 ECMR to the case
  • Solutia, the US conglomerate, on the EUR 240 million acquisition of Etimex, a maker of solar power equipment
  • Spectris plc on the acquisition of measurements technology company Lochard
  • Faurecia on the acquisition of Plastal Spain 
  • Faurecia on the acquisition of Incalplas
  • Various hedge funds and financial institutions (as minority shareholders) in connection with the regulatory proceedings related with the takeover offer for Union Fenosa by Gas Natural 
Contentious experience
  • Advising various cartel members in connection with antitrust damages claims stemming from cartels declared ilegal by the European Commission in food packaging and chemicals. Successful outcome reached in the Amsterdam courts in one case and various satisfactory settlements reached in the other case
  • Advising a multinational ball bearings manufacturer concerning a ball bearings cartel investigation by the Spanish Competition Authority and ensuing litigation
  • Advising a multibrand car dearlership on three separate investigations by the Spanish Competition Authority into possible anticompetitive agreements
  • Advising a paper and cardboard recycling JV concerning an investigation by the Spanish Competition Authority into possible anticompetitive agreements
  • Advising a paper recycling company concerning an investigation by the Spanish Competition Authority into possible anticompetitive agreements (distinct investigation from the previous one)
  • Advising a large cables manufacturer in Spain’s anticartel investigation in the cable manufacturing
  • Advising a first division football club concerning antitrust investigation into the football broadcasting rights market and related litigation before the High Court 
  • Advising the Shipping Agents Association concerning an investigation into anticompetitive agreements related to the Barcelona harbor.  No fine was imposed on our client, as opposed to multimillion fines upon other parties of the cartel
  • Advising construction company Forcimsa group on a bid rigging case relating to road works before the Spanish Competition Authority, with only a symbolic fine upon our client
  • Advising regional television operator TVC concerning antitrust investigation into the football broadcasting rights market and subsequent litigation against the administrative decision before the High Court.  Only a symbolic fine was imposed upon our client
  • Advising Hollywood major in connection with sanctioning proceedings concerning film distribution in Spain and ensuing litigation. No fine has been paid to date
  • Advising the Ice Cream Producers Association concerning an investigation by the Spanish Competition Authority into possible anticompetitive agreements. Only a symbolic fine was imposed on our client
  • Assistance and representation of various major consumer product and food companies (Colomer, Reckitt Benckiser) in connection with dawn raids in Spain and subsequent anti-cartel laws infringement proceedings
  • Acting for Alter Mutua on a unilateral practices case before the Spanish Competition Authority regarding an abuse of dominance case in the professional insurance market.  Successfully closed with commitments
  • Acting for several professional guilds (patent registration agents, architects and technical architects) concerning separate investigations into possible anticompetitive agreements, which all were successfully settled with the relevant Authority
  • Assisting freight forwarder ABX in connection with its leniency application before the Spanish Competition Authority in the freight forwarding sector.  No fine was imposed on our client. This was the second leniency application ever filed in Spain
  • Advising financial services company Equifax on EU antitrust proceedings
  • Advising Spanair on State aid proceedings before the European Commission
  • Advising the Shipping Agents Association on the judicial review of the Decision by the Spanish Competition Authority regarding alleged anticompetitive agreements related to the Valencia Port
  • Advising a Freight Carriers Association on the judicial review of the Decision by the Spanish Competition Authority regarding alleged anticompetitive agreements related to the Valencia Port
  • Fluid pumps manufacturer ESPA 2025 on the judicial review of a sanctioning Decision by the Spanish Competition Authority (Supreme Court litigation)
  • The Catalan Television on the judicial review of the Decision by the Spanish Competition Authority regarding licensing of football broadcasting rights
  • Acting for a Hollywood major before the Spanish Competition Authority and, later, the courts, in various landmark antitrust cases in Spain (e.g., output deals related litigation; cartel case concerning film exhibition in Spain; antitrust case related to the marketing of DVDs; abuse of dominance litigation related to distribution issues, etc.)
  • Advising Abertis, one of Spain’s largest infrastructure companies, on antitrust proceedings before the European Commission and later the European Court of Justice
  • The largest cable operator in Spain, in major damages litigation case against the company dominating the exploitation of football rights – multimillion award successfully reached
Other representative matters
  • The Catalan Government on State aid granted to air carrier Spanair
  • Cable operator ONO as interested third party in the European Commission proceedings related to the City of Amsterdam State aid scheme of last generation broadband networks
  • Telefonica on State aid litigation related to aid received by R Cable for the rollout of broadband networks in a remote area
  • Assist Cinepremier on all of their activities in Spain, from inception and negotiation of their satellite communications and content acquisition agreements to their bankruptcy proceedings and negotiating exit from existing content agreements
  • Assisting Onmobile, an Indian telecoms company providing value-added services to Telefonica worldwide, on their commercial agreements with other telecoms operators
  • We have advised a number of exciting technology and Internet companies such as Miniweb technologies (streaming), Privalia (e-commerce) and Telenium (IPTV solutions), to name but a few
  • Advising Dominion Enterprises on its acquisition of vertical online sales platform Cosas de Barcos 
  • Acting for Nasdaq company Clearone on the acquisition of Spontania videoconferencing software
  • Advising mobile advertising technology company Amobee on its US$ 321 million acquistion of Neomobile
  • Assisting Change.org regarding its acquisition of Actuable in Spain