Ontier strengthens Tax practice with Carlos Rodríguez Barrigüete

Ontier has reinforced its Tax department with the strategic hire of Carlos Rodríguez Barrigüete as partner, bringing on board one of the leading experts in tax law in Spain. The appointment marks a significant step in the firm’s strategy to expand its capabilities in a practice area that is increasingly central to clients’ strategic decision-making, both domestically and internationally.

Rodríguez joins from DLA Piper, where he spent most of his career and led the Tax practice in Spain for nearly two decades. He previously worked at Squire Sanders and EY. With over 25 years of experience, he is recognised as a benchmark in the taxation of mergers and acquisitions, international taxation, project finance and corporate restructurings.

Throughout his career, Rodríguez has advised multinationals, investment funds and large corporate groups on high-profile transactions. His expertise spans cross-border investment structuring, private equity taxation, as well as litigation and tax audit defence across diverse sectors including energy, pharmaceuticals and agribusiness.

In addition to his professional practice, Rodríguez lectures at leading academic institutions such as IE Business School and Esade, where he teaches on international taxation and private equity.

Cristina Camarero, managing partner of Ontier Spain, highlighted the strategic relevance of the hire: “Strengthening our Tax practice with renowned partners is fundamental to supporting our clients in an area that has become increasingly decisive in their strategic planning.”

Rodríguez added: “Tax is undergoing a moment of transformation, driven by digitalisation, transparency and an increasingly demanding regulatory environment.”

The hire comes amid a period of strong growth for Ontier, which has recently launched a Middle East Desk, integrated litigation and corporate/M&A teams in Italy led by Simone Grassi and Stefano Zappalà, and doubled the size of its Chile office through the integration of Matthei Abogados. The firm has also appointed Manuel Mingot as Banking and Finance partner, Rafael Alonso as counsel in Corporate and M&A, Javier Muñoz Martínez as International Director, and Michael O. Mena as Managing Partner of the Miami office.