Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher has continued its recent European expansion with the hire of a heavyweight corporate partner from Freshfields to launch a Madrid office for the firm.
Armando Albarrán, who heads up Freshfields corporate/M&A and capital markets groups in Spain, has spent nearly 30 years at the firm.
His practice has a focus on the energy, infrastructure, real estate and telecoms sectors, acting for clients including global private equity firms Cinven and KKR, as well as Spanish corporates such as Amadeus, Naturgy and MasMovil.
‘Armando has advised on many of the most significant Spanish and cross-border transactions,’ said Federico Fruhbeck, co-head of Gibson Dunn’s PE group in Europe. ‘His arrival positions us to advise clients on their most sophisticated Spanish matters, while also working with our London and continental European teams to deliver integrated, cross-border advice.’
The Spain launch tracks with steady growth and considerable investment across Europe for Gibson Dunn. In London, the firm has more than doubled its headcount over the last five years, from 84 lawyers in 2020 to 218 today.
The Madrid office, which is set to open later this year, will be the firm’s first in Spain and seventh in Europe, following last year’s launch in Zurich. It will join longstanding offices in Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich, Paris and London.
Chair and managing partner Barbara Becker described Madrid as a ‘vital European hub for private equity and cross-border M&A, particularly for sponsors and multinationals executing high-value transactions between Europe and the Americas.’
The move is the latest in a series of senior exits for Freshfields across Europe, following the news that four corporate partners – including global co-head of M&A Wessel Heukamp – were joining Latham & Watkins in Germany in December.
Earlier this week, Skadden also announced the hire of former co-global managing partner and senior competition partner Rafique Bachour in Brussels.
Bachour, who has spent over 25 years at Freshfields, recently stepped down from his role as one of three global managing partners at the firm.
