CMS to launch in Barcelona after hiring partner from Ernst & Young

The firm, which already has offices in Madrid and Seville, is due to launch in Spain’s second largest city by the end of the year.

Rojí spent 16 years working on business, contractual, M&A and trade union issues at Ernst & Young’s Barcelona office and had been an equity partner at the firm since 2007.

The news comes as both local and international law firms in Spain have been cutting down their offerings in Barcelona as the eurozone crisis has continued to take its toll on the economy there.

Commenting on the decision to open an office in the city, CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo managing partner Rafael Suárez de Lezo said: “For us the office launch in Barcelona will be a strategic step in our expansion and will enable us to better cater for the needs of our clients in Catalonia, as well as expanding our services both on a national and European level.

“The opening of the office is a very important milestone for us and the opportunity to continue to provide value to the CMS alliance network.”

CMS has had a presence in Spain since 2005, when it joined forces with Spanish corporate and finance specialists Albiñana Suárez de Lezo and subsequently adopted the CMS brand into the firm’s name (2 November 2004).

Last month CMS launched an office in Dubai to take advantage of the growing energy market in the region (17 September 2012).

Although few foreign firms have launched offices in Spain in recent years (5 March 2012), earlier this year Nabarro added Spanish firm Roca Junyent to its international alliance (23 January 2012) and Osborne Clarke opened an office in Madrid through its alliance member Osborne Clarke Spain, which had previously only had a presence in Barcelona (21 February 2012).