In the early part of 2017, it was all going so well for M&A lawyers, with international investors competing to snap up the best assets in Iberia; but then came the crisis in Catalonia,
International investors from around the world are targeting the Spanish energy, tourism, engineering and healthcare sectors, says Sharon Izaguirre, partner at Deloitte Legal.
Investors from Spain, the UK, the US and China also targeting assets in the health and insurance sectors, while lawyers face challenge of using technology to become more efficient
Following a period in which there was a greater perception of political and economic uncertainty in Portugal, investors are now more positive in their outlook for the country, with those from China, Brazil and France,
Dealflow increasing in the real estate and renewable energy sectors – with UK, US, Canadian and German investors targeting Spanish assets – but uncertainty in Catalonia is jeopardising future prospects
New types of legal sector careers will emerge, with increased focus on project management, as wider use of artificial intelligence reduces the number of lawyers
While there has been a good flow of M&A work for lawyers in Spain, there are potential geopolitical risks that could jeopardise such activity, says Álvaro Marco, corporate & M&A director
With companies in significant debt, an increase in the trend for private equity companies to acquire stakes in businesses would help to ease the problem
M&A transactions in the real estate and energy sector will continue in the coming year, while there could also be an increase in deals in the banking, insurance and technology, media and telecommunications (
