José María Gil-Robles

Partner
About

José María Gil-Robles is the Location Head of the Corporate department in DLA Piper Spain. He has been advising private equity investors and hedge funds for more than 25 years and from the start of the global financial crisis he has been very active in the special situations and the restructuring space.

As part of the private equity team, he advises on tax and legal structuring of investments and divestments in domestic and foreign companies, due diligence processes and the drafting and negotiation of typical transaction agreements (investment, sale and purchase, shareholders’ agreements, financing agreements, agreements with the management team, etc.) -be they leveraged buyouts, sales to other sponsors, recapitalizations or the disposal of businesses undergoing insolvency proceedings or reorganizations of corporate groups- typically advising the investors, but also the divesting shareholders or the management team.

He is also been very active in the distress M&A space, advising investors in portfolio primary and secondary deals (performing and non-performing unsecured loans, mortgages and repossessed real estate assets or REOs), corporate debt, loan-to-own transactions, acquisitions of business of insolvent companies or other distressed sellers, receivables of pharmaceutical and construction companies with public entities. He has also assists clients in direct lending transactions and has been involved in out-of-court and formal debt restructurings, normally representing investors in debt instruments.

José María has also participated as conference speaker in numerous Spanish and international forums on private equity and distress M&A.

Professional QualificationsAbogado registered with Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Madrid

EXPERIENCE

  • Assistance to a Malaysian investor on the sale of its loan servicing platform in Spain, as well as the largest unsecured non-performing loan ("NPL") portfolio transaction in Spain to date to a UK based financial investor.
  • Assisted to a UK based financial investor on its acquisition of several portfolios of mortgages and real estate assets ("REOs") owned by Irish and Spanish vehicles owned by different funds managed by a US financial investor.
  • Assistance to a US financial investor on the acquisition of the participation of a Norwegian investor in (i) a mortgages portfolio jointly purchased to a Spanish bank, (ii) the Spanish company through which they both acquire the REOs from the same portfolio and (iii) the revolving credit facility arranged by both parties to finance the activities of said Spanish company, as well as in the replacement of the servicer of the portfolio and various service providers.
  • Assistance to a UK financial investor on the acquisition of a portfolio of secured and unsecured credit rights in the first sale of NPLs by a Spanish mutual guarantee company.
  • Assistance to a US financial investor on two sales, by means of a subpart structure, of credit rights under a mixed portfolio composed of unsecured and secured NPLs and REOs derived from enforcement proceedings to a UK investor.
  • Assistance to a US financial investor on several acquisitions from a Spanish bank and certain of its subsidiaries of NPL and real estate asset portfolios.
  • Advice to UK financial investor on the sale, by means of a subpart structure, of credit rights under NPL portfolios to another UK investor.
  • Legal advice on an on-going basis in the trade of debt of several Spanish listed companies to US and UK based hedge funds and other financial investors.
  • Assistance to a UK based distress investor on the acquisition to a French group of a Spain-based retailer of footwear and accessories.
  • Legal advice to a Spanish mezzanine fund on its co-investment with a Madrid based private equity investor in a Spanish designer and marketer of plastic kitchenware for home and for the hospitality industry and equipment for large commercial areas.
Languages
  • Spanish
  • English
Education
  • Law Degree, Universidad Pontificia de Comillas, ICAI-ICADE, majoring in Business law

Awards

He has been ranked by Chambers Europe in the Private Equity, the Corporate and M&A and the Investment Funds practice areas, and is also ranked by Chambers Global. Clients interviewed by Chambers describe him as "commercial, seasoned and generally very likeable", report that "he's very clued up on the details but also has a very commercial perspective; he's constructive in his approach and interprets the law in a way we can understand" and praise his particular expertise in distressed transactions and his work on behalf of international hedge funds.

He has also been recognized as a Restructuring & Insolvency expert by Who's Who Legal.

Publications

  • Author of the chapter “Distressed Investments” in the collective work “Company crisis and insolvency: legal commentary” (Aranzadi, 2010)
  • Co-author of the chapter “Distressed Investments” in the collective work "(Thomson Reuters-Aranzadi 2017)
  • "Investing in Distress Debt in Spain", published in Corporate Debt 4/2009 (The Bureau of National Affairs)
  • "Spain: Hurdles when Acquiring or Managing NPLs or REOs Portfolios" in Global Restructuring Review
  • Spain: Insolvency Litigation Funding

Prior Experience

  • 02/2019 - Today: DLA Piper Spain. Head of Corporate practice
  • 2010 - 2018: Corporate/Commercial partner of a Spanish reputed Law firm
  • 2007 - 2009: Partner in London at the Spanish reputed Law firm
  • 1990: Financial Tax Department, and later on as part of the Corporate/Commercial Department of a Spanish reputed Law firm
  • 1989 - 1990: Auditor in the energy team at Arthur Andersen
  • 1987 - 1989: Financial analyst and portfolio manager at Inversiones y Estudios Financieros, S.A. (SAFEI)

Memberships And Affiliations

  • INCARI
  • ACG

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