Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer has reappointed Eduardo Soler Tappa as managing partner of its Spanish office, where he will continue to lead the firm’s executive management for another three-year term, until May 31, 2029. The renewal comes at a key moment for the firm, which in 2025 completed its merger with the US firm Kramer Levin, creating Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, one of the world’s top 20 law firms.
Soler Tappa assumed the executive management of the Spanish office in May 2023. A former State Attorney with a career at the firm dating back to 2010, Soler Tappa combines managing the firm in Spain with practicing law in the Litigation and Arbitration department, specializing in regulated sectors, particularly energy. He has been recognized on several occasions as one of the top ten business lawyers in Spain and is listed as an Eminent Practitioner in the Litigation Elite by the prestigious Chambers Europe directory.
One of the most significant developments in recent years has been the merger with Kramer Levin. Announced in November 2024 and completed on June 1, 2025, the transaction created Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, a global legal giant with more than 2,700 lawyers in 26 offices across Europe, Asia Pacific, and the United States, and combined revenues exceeding $2 billion. The integration has strengthened the firm’s ability to advise Spanish clients on transatlantic transactions and litigation, adding a top-tier US platform to the firm’s existing British and Australian operations.
Soler Tappa’s management of the Spanish office has also allowed the firm to maintain its position among the most profitable law firms in Spain, consistently ranking in the top 3 in the sector according to the main economic and legal rankings.
Soler Tappa has also spearheaded a significant expansion of the partner team, adding professionals such as Sergio Cires (Finance), Jaime Bofill (Insurance Litigation), and, now under the HSF Kramer umbrella, Esteban de Santos Smith (Commercial Law). This expansion has also included internal promotions to partner for Alejandra Galdos, Marcos Fernández-Rico, Guillermo Uriarte, Miguel Fraga, and Miguel García-Casas, and the appointment of Iria Calviño as co-head of ESG for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. With these additions, the Madrid office now has 18 partners and over 150 professionals.
Furthermore, the Spanish team is part of the EMEA hub and has played a prominent role in several energy disputes stemming from renewable energy cuts, arbitrations under bilateral investment treaties, and proceedings with ramifications in Latin America and the Middle East. From Madrid, several EMEA-level practices are led, such as Corporate, headed by partner Alberto Frasquet, and Dispute Resolution, led by partner Paulino Fajardo. The office has established itself as a strategic node in the global network, actively collaborating on joint mandates with London, Paris, Dubai, New York, and Hong Kong.
Looking ahead to this new term, the firm remains committed to selective growth, focused on highly complex transactions and litigation, by strengthening its capabilities in well-established areas where the firm has become a leader, such as energy, corporate law, and arbitration, and by extending the advantages of the firm’s new transatlantic reach to its Spanish clients. Alongside Eduardo Soler Tappa, the management team is completed by an executive committee comprised of partners Alberto Frasquet, Armando García-Mendoza, and Iria Calviño.
