The Top 3 barometer
Uría Menéndez, Garrigues and Cuatrecasas: a 2024 snapshot of the leading names in the Spanish legal market
by ilaria iaquinta
Where is the business model of Spain’s top law firms heading? What are their current priorities, structures and strategic areas? What do they have in common and where do they differ? The answers lie in the most recent sustainability reports published between April and July 2025 by the three biggest law firms in the Spanish legal sector — Cuatrecasas, Garrigues and Uría Menéndez — with figures updated as of the end of the 2024 financial year.
Despite differences in scale, turnover or international reach, a shared narrative emerges across these law firms that defines today’s market and signals tomorrow’s: a growing commitment to diversity, a firm investment in artificial intelligence, increasingly refined talent policies and a strategic vision of the role of law in broader social and business transformation.
PRESENCE, TURNOVER AND WORFORCE
From a numerical standpoint, Garrigues leads the Spanish legal landscape in turnover, workforce size and global presence. In 2024 the law firm posted revenues of €481.85 million, up 6.1% year-on-year, with a team of 2,211 individuals — 1,703 of whom deliver legal services — spread across 30 offices in 12 countries. Cuatrecasas followed, reaching €436.1 million in turnover, a 12.2% increase on the previous year. This marked the highest growth rate among the trio for a second year running and also its most significant rise in the past five-year period, during which cumulative turnover rose by 38.3%. The firm’s workforce totals 2,068 professionals — including 1,400 lawyers — across 26 offices in 12 countries.
Uría Menéndez, instead, closed 2024 with revenues of €275,87 million, a 1.49% increase against a difficult macroeconomic backdrop. Its team numbers 1,107 people, including 702 lawyers and 134 partners, across 11 offices in seven countries, with a strategic alliance in Latin America through PPU (Philippi Prietocarrizosa Ferrero DU & Uría).
Talking about the composition of workforces requires nuance. At Uría Menéndez, all reported workforce data — including percentages by age and gender — is based on a sample of 965 individuals: all employees in its offices, including Lisbon and Oporto, excluding partners and emeritus partners. In contrast, Cuatrecasas and Garrigues report their figures based on their entire workforce. That said, the generational structure is as follows: in Uría Menéndez, 37.5% of the team are under 30, 45.3% are between 30 and 49, and 17.2% are over 50. At Cuatrecasas, the corresponding percentages are 32.2%, 48.9% and 18.9%. At Garrigues, the distribution is 29.4% in the youngest group, 51.1% in the middle bracket, and 19.5% above that age.
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