Herbert Smith Freehills hires Francisco Montiano

Montiano joins the Spanish office of Herbert Smith Freehills as a consultant to strengthen the insurance practice

International law firm Herbert Smith Freehills has hired Francisco Montiano (pictured), former head of legal at Mapfre Global Risks, as a consultant to strengthen the Spanish office firm’s insurance practice.

With a degree in law from the Universidad Autónoma de Bilbao, Montiano has spent most of his professional career in the Mapfre Group, where, among others, he has held the positions of head of legal of Mapfre´s Crédito y Caución, director of contentious legal advice at Banco Mapfre and legal director of  financial credit establishments Mapfre Finanzas, Mapfre Leasing, Mapfre Factoring and Mapfre Hipotecaria. During this time he was also a member of the Spanish Association of Financing Entities (ASNEF) and the Spanish Leasing Association (AEL).

Miguel Riaño, managing partner of Herbert Smith Freehills in Spain, explains that “from the Madrid office we have made a firm commitment in recent years to boost the insurance area, consisting in the incorporation of several of the most qualified professionals in the sector. The integration of Francisco into our firm is part of this strategy to attract the best talent”.

Paulino Fajardo, partner in charge of insurance in the Madrid office, stressed that “Francisco’s extensive experience in the Spanish and Latin American markets will allow us to strengthen our non-contentious and regulatory insurance advice in both markets”.