Uría Menéndez remains top brand in Spain , while MLGTS leads in Portugal
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Uría Menéndez remains top brand in Spain , while MLGTS leads in Portugal
Survey of in-house lawyers at leading Iberian companies also shows that Cuatrecasas has strengthened its brand in both Spain and Portugal
Uría Menéndez has retained its position as the leading law firm brand in Spain , while MLGTS has taken over from PLMJ as the top brand in Portugal , according to Iberian Lawyer ´ s annual brand survey .
In-house lawyers at leading companies in Spain and Portugal were surveyed to find out which were the best law firm brands in both countries . The power of the brand is calculated using a methodology commonly employed by legal researchers and consultants worldwide . Survey participants are asked three questions : Which five law firms first come to mind ? Which three law firms do you think most highly of ? And , which three law firms are you likely to consider for major deals / litigation ?
Uría Menéndez was the highest scoring firm in Spain in all three areas , meaning that not only is it ‘ front of mind ’ with a significant
Spain ' s top law firm brands
number of in-house lawyers – meaning the name is easily recalled – but it is also held in high esteem and considered to be the best firm for the biggest deals and major litigation . Participants in the study praised Uría Menéndez for having the “ best-trained ” lawyers .
Similarly , MLGTS was the leading Portuguese firm in all three categories . While it was the leading firm by a relatively narrow margin in terms of being ‘ front of mind ’ with in-house lawyers , it was the top firm by a long way in terms of the esteem in which it is held and its suitability for major deals and bigticket litigation . In particular , study participants highlighted MLGTS ’ ability to provide a “ quality and fast response ” as well as its “ dynamic and friendly professionals who are always on hand to assist with any emergency ”.
The most significant change in the rankings for Spain in the last year saw Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira taking over from Garrigues as the second-placed firm . Though Garrigues outscored Cuatrecasas
2016 Rank 2015 Rank Firm
1 |
1 |
Uría Menéndez |
2 |
3 |
Cuatrecasas |
3 |
2 |
Garrigues |
4 |
4 |
Clifford Chance |
5 |
7 |
Linklaters |
6 |
11 |
DLA Piper |
7 |
5 |
Baker & McKenzie |
8 |
6 |
Pérez-Llorca |
9 |
10 |
Freshfields |
10 |
8 |
Gómez-Acebo & Pombo |
11 |
15 = |
Allen & Overy |
12 |
15 = |
Herbert Smith Freehills |
13 |
– |
Jones Day |
14 |
9 |
CMS Albiñana |
15 |
19 |
GMQ Abogados |
16 |
– |
Bird & Bird |
17 |
– |
DAC |
18 |
18 |
Ashurst |
19 |
12 |
Hogan Lovells |
20 |
– |
Clyde & Co |
Methodology : General counsel at 60 leading companies in Spain and Portugal – who were members of the Iberian Lawyer In-house & Compliance Club – were asked the following three questions : 1 ) Which five law firms first come to mind ? 2 ) Which three law firms do you think most highly of ? 3 ) Which three law firms are you likely to consider for major deals / litigation ? The first firm mentioned in question one is awarded five points , the second four points , the third three points and so on . With regard to questions two and three , the first firm mentioned in response to each question is given three points , the second two points and the third one point . The points awarded to each firm are added together and then firms are given a ranking according to the points they receive – the more points a firm has , the higher its ranking .
among in-house lawyers when it came to its reputation for handling big deals and major litigation , Cuatrecasas triumphed by a fairly large margin with regard to being ‘ front of mind ’ with inhouse lawyers . Cuatrecasas also narrowly outscored Garrigues when participants in the study were asked which firm they thought more highly of ; in particular , participants noted the high quality of Cuatrecasas ’ litigation partners . In addition to climbing the rankings in Spain , Cuatrecasas ’ brand in Portugal has also been enhanced and is now ranked fourth , up from fifth last year . Its improvement was largely due to its strong reputation among in-house lawyers for handling big deals and high-profile litigation .
Clifford Chance – which was acclaimed by study participants for its international reach – maintained its place as the fourth-ranked law firm in Spain , just ahead of Linklaters , which climbed two places to fifth . The strengthening of Linklaters ’ brand was largely attributable to its record on bigticket work , though the fact that the firm is held in high esteem by in-house lawyers was also a factor – the firm was praised for its multijurisdictional capability as well as for its highly qualified teams “ who are easy to work with ”.
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• IBERIAN LAWYER • November / December 2016 www . iberianlawyer . com