Spain's Ramón & Cajal bulks up to align with alliance partner MBRM

Spanish firm Ramón & Cajal Abogados has boosted its corporate, litigation and labour law practices to help service its new alliance with Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw (MBRM).

MBRM entered a strategic alliance with Ramón in February this year. The US firm also has an alliance with Rome-based Tonucci & Partners.

Ramón has lured Jose Maria Ayala from the Spanish government on a full-time basis to head its 12-lawyer litigation practice.It has also hired corporate lawyers Ignacio Parellada and Antonio Sanchez Montero from KPMG and financial services company Vetusta Group respectively. In addition the firm has hired senior associate Carla Martìn from Gómez-Acebo & Pombo to head its employment law practice.

Diego Lozano, co-head of the firm's corporate and commercial practice, said: "We've tried to hire lawyers able to work on multi-jurisdictional projects. We've tried to cover some of the practices needed to service Mayer Brown's international clients."

Lozano said the alliance with MBRM has helped in the hiring process. "I think that [the alliance] adds value to the firm for new lawyers. Young lawyers with an international profile want to work with other international lawyers," he said.