Squire Patton Boggs has strengthened its Banking and Financial Services practice in Spain with the addition of Luis Belart as partner and head of the practice in Spain, along with Fermín Garbayo as of counsel and Ignacio Fernández Echeverría as legal director. All three join from Dentons and are based in the Madrid office.
The arrival of the team is part of Squire Patton Boggs’ growth strategy in Spain and strengthens its capabilities in areas of specialization such as private credit and structured finance, as well as advising on national and cross-border financial transactions.
“We continue to focus on strengthening our specialized, cross-border capabilities in strategic markets, particularly in areas such as private credit and structured finance. Spain is a key market for developing a robust and diversified finance practice. Luis has an exceptional track record and strong relationships with international banks, private credit and debt funds, and investors. His experience perfectly complements the capabilities of our global team,” said Jim Barresi, Global Head of Financial Services at Squire Patton Boggs.
Teresa Zueco, managing partner of Squire Patton Boggs in Spain, highlighted that “the addition of Luis, Fermín, and Ignacio represents a significant boost for our Banking and Financial Services practice in Spain. With Luis leading the area, we are incorporating a team with extensive experience in structured finance and complex transactions, which will allow us to expand the service we provide to our clients and generate new opportunities for collaboration with other practices within the firm, especially with our Private Equity team. It is also an important step in our growth and consolidation strategy in the Spanish market.”
Regarding his joining the firm, Luis Belart, partner and head of the Banking and Finance practice at Squire Patton Boggs in Spain, stated, “I am particularly drawn to the scale and depth of Squire Patton Boggs’ Financial Services practice and its presence in major international financial centers. Joining a global platform of this nature offers us an extraordinary opportunity to continue growing, work in an integrated manner with teams from different jurisdictions, and support our clients in increasingly sophisticated and cross-border transactions.”
More from Luis Belart
He has extensive experience advising financial institutions, private credit and debt funds, investors, and companies on complex financing transactions, both domestic and cross-border. His practice focuses particularly on structured finance, acquisition and leveraged finance, real estate finance, restructurings, debt acquisitions, and project finance related to infrastructure and assets linked to the energy transition.
Before joining Squire Patton Boggs, Belart was a partner and head of the Banking and Finance department at Dentons in Spain, a practice he helped to create, and co-founder and head of the firm’s Latin America Hub. Previously, he spent his career at Clifford Chance in Madrid and London, where he became head of its Global Financial Markets department in London.
Joining Belart are Fermín Garbayo, as of counsel, and Ignacio Fernández Echeverría, as legal director, completing a team that expands the capabilities of the Madrid office to advise on highly complex financing operations with a strong international component.
With these additions, Squire Patton Boggs continues to advance its growth strategy in Spain and strengthen the connection between the Madrid office and the firm’s international Financial Services practice.
