The deadline for submitting nominations for the Gala Nacional del Derecho – Legal Leadership Awards 2026 is approaching. Those wishing to be considered for one of the 26 awards, distributed across five categories – institutional leadership, firm excellence, professionals, innovation and ecosystem, and the evening’s grand prizes – have until September 30th to register through the official platform.

The awards ceremony, with Harvey as lead partner, will take place at the National Law Gala on November 5, 2026 at the InterContinental Hotel in Madrid, and will bring together legal industry leaders, general counsel and partners from international firms to celebrate the achievements and transformative impact of the most outstanding professionals and organizations in Spain and Latin America.

Categories of the awards

The 2026 Legal Leadership Awards include a total of 26 categories divided into five blocks:

Block I – Institutional Leadership of Legal Advisory Directors

• Legal Director of the Year
• Transformation of the Legal Department of the Year
• Better In-House Legal Advice
• Better Internal Legal Management

Block II – Signature Excellence

• Signature of the Year
• Best Legal Boutique
• Most Attractive Firm for Talent
• Best Marketing, Communication or Business Development Strategy

Block III – Professionals

• Rainmaker Lawyer of the Year
• Best Director of Marketing, Communication or Database
• Practice Leader of the Year

Block IV – Innovation and ecosystem

• Business Model Transformation and Applied AI
• Best AI-powered Legal Startup
• Best Legal Journalist

Block V – Night’s Grand Prix

• Managing Partner of the Year
• Lifetime Achievement Award

Top-Tier Independent Jury

Gericó Associates presents the complete jury that will evaluate the applications: 60 leading professionals, including legal directors from companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, Heineken, Siemens, PepsiCo, L’Oréal, CaixaBank, Porsche or Telefónica, and legal journalists from media outlets such as El Confidencial, Expansión, Aranzadi LA LEY or Law.com International:

Agustín Born, Communications Director at Lefebvre; Álvaro Zarzalejos, Head of the Legal Confidential section; Ana Bayó Busta, South Europe Cluster Lead for Law, Patents & Compliance at Bayer; Ana de Quintana, General Counsel at Mercedes-Benz; Ana Gómez, Director, Group Corporate & Vice Secretary of the Board of Directors at Amadeus IT; Ana Isabel Montero, Iberia Legal Director at Japan Tobacco International (JTI); Ana Suárez Garnelo, Director of Legal Affairs at Intrum Spain; Andrea Viale, Global Head of Legal at Idealista; Angélica Santiago, Head of the Spanish South America Legal Team at IBM; Asier Crespo, Corporate, External and Legal Affairs (CELA) at Microsoft; Carlos Andrés Bonilla, Vice President of Legal for Colombia & Peru at Cemex; Carlos Berbell, Director of Confilegal; Carlos Menor Gómez, President of the Renault Group Spain Foundation and Legal Director and Compliance Officer at Renault Group Spain; Carlos Valenciano, Head of Legal CU Latam North & Caribbean at Ericsson; Carmen Ruiz Lorente, Head of Legal Spain at Huawei Spain; Clara Cerdán, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Famar; Cristina Álvarez, Head of Legal Europe at Cintra; Cristina del Val, Senior Director Privacy EMEA & DPO at Kenvue; Cristina López Barranco, Director of the Coordination and Control Area of the Legal Department at FCC; Edmundo Chevalier, Deputy Legal Director at Walmart Mexico and Central America; Eduardo Pérez, General Secretary, Director of Legal & Compliance, Institutional Relations and Communication at Makro; Eduardo Rodríguez, General Counsel at Grupo Cobra Mexico; Emilio Puig, Head of Legal Iberia at Uber; Erika Díaz, General Counsel & Compliance Officer LATAM at L’Oréal; Fernando Díaz Barco, Head of Litigation Office in the Legal Department at Sacyr; Fernando Ortega, General Counsel and Director of Legal Affairs at Siemens Spain; Gemma Casademunt, Head of International Branches Legal Department at CaixaBank; Heidi Maldonado, Director of Líder Legal; Ignacio Mendoza, Legal Director at Heineken; Ignacio Pereña Pinedo, General Counsel at Grupo ACS; Isabel Álvarez, Vice President Legal, General Counsel Iberia at Capgemini; Javier Ramírez, Head of Regions (Non-US) Litigation & Governmental Investigation at HP; Jesús de las Casas, journalist at Expansión; John Rigau, Vice President and General Counsel West Europe at PepsiCo; José Miguel Barjola, journalist at Aranzadi LA LEY, Cinco Días/El País; Juan Charro, Chief Legal Officer at PagoNxt; Katia Rossi, Correspondent for Law.com International; Leonor Abad, Industrial Legal Director at Repsol; Maite Aja, Managing Counsel, Business Legal Affairs at Western Union; María Aguado, Vice President – Regional Compliance Lead Europe at Mastercard; María Cermeño, Director of Legal Services at Telefónica; María Cobián, Director of Legal Counsel and Secretary of the Board of Directors of Grupo Lactalis; María José López, Legal Director of LALIGA; María Ocaña, Deputy Director of Corporate Legal Counsel at Santalucía Seguros; Mariana García, General Counsel & Compliance Officer Iberia at Accor; Mariano Pérez de Cáceres, Legal and Compliance Chief Officer of Meliá Hotels International; Matías Hercovich, Managing Director of Legal Affairs for Latin America and the Caribbean at FedEx; Miguel Soler, General Counsel, Compliance Director & Deputy Company Secretary of Prosegur; Moisés Ramírez, Legal Director for Spain, Portugal & Israel at GSK; Patricia Esteban, legal journalist; Patricia Rivas, Latin America Regional Director, Ethics and Compliance Officer at Bausch Health Companies Inc.; Rafael López, Regional Head of Legal and Compliance LATAM at Xiaomi Technology; Rodrigo Flores, General Counsel & Board Secretary of Covestro; Sonia Salmerón, legal contributor to Expansión and Forbes at Lefebvre; Susana Bravo, Senior Counsel International Legal Department of Ferrovial; Teresa Mínguez, Director Legal & Compliance and Integrity Officer – Data Protection Officer of Porsche Ibérica; Virginia Beltramini, EVP of Legal & Assurance and Secretary of the Board of Moeve; and Xavier Gil, Director of Good Governance and CSR of El Economista.

This panel of experts will evaluate each application with complete independence, guaranteeing transparency and objectivity in the selection of the winners.

About the Gala Nacional del Derecho – Legal Leadership Awards 2026

The Legal Leadership Awards emerged as a continuation of the Legal Marcom awards created in 2016, consolidating a benchmark platform in Spain and Latin America to recognize innovation, leadership, transformation and reputation in the legal sector.

Previous editions have awarded firms such as Uría Menéndez, Baker McKenzie, Iberdrola, LaLiga, Linklaters, Dentons, Ceca Magán, Philippi Prietocarrizosa Ferrero DU & Uría, A&O Shearman, Miranda & Amado, Banco Santander, Freshfields, Clifford Chance, Microsoft, Porsche Ibérica and Amadeus IT, as well as professionals who have become benchmarks in the sector.

With this new call for entries, the National Law Gala – Legal Leadership Awards 2026 will continue to identify and celebrate the leaders and teams that are transforming the legal sector and consolidating legal areas as a strategic pillar of companies.