Act Legal doubles down on defence from Seville
The law firm responds to growing demand driven by geopolitics, public investment and technological convergence, says managing partner Cristina de Santiago
by glória paiva
In a context marked by the intensification of geopolitical tensions and their direct impact on legal practice, Act Legal is reinforcing its commitment to Spain with the opening of a new office in Seville (read more), from which it aims to consolidate its position as a reference firm in the defence sector. Conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, global trade tensions or risks at strategic points such as the Strait of Hormuz are no longer theoretical scenarios, but factors that affect contracts, supply chains and the triggering of force majeure clauses, explains Cristina de Santiago, managing partner of the firm in Spain. “In the past, war was an almost academic hypothesis in contracts; today it is regulated in a very different way”, she notes, underlining how the pandemic accelerated a shift in mindset towards risk anticipation. “It is an area I have been working in since 2019, when it was not fashionable. Today the context is completely different”.
In this scenario, the defence sector requires a specific legal approach: “You need to understand the defence culture, who your counterparts are, how projects work, the operational risks and the real timelines”, she summarises. Ultimately, it is about understanding the business in order to regulate it properly: “you cannot draft a contract well if you do not understand the context”.
In a sector where the State remains the main investor and contractor, this prominence makes public procurement a central element of legal advice in defence. Increased investment is also opening up space for M&A transactions, in a highly regulated market with very specific characteristics. “Defence always has its own regulations”, recalls the managing partner, pointing to recent examples involving large groups such as Indra and Hyperion, which are using acquisitions as a way to strengthen technological capabilities and strategic positioning. Added to this is a third, increasingly relevant dimension: advising civilian companies with technologies that may have military applications — so-called dual use — an area that is expanding rapidly and subject to specific European regulation.
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