Hammonds has hired former Garrigues vice chairman Antonio Ortega. Ortega, who is secretary of the Venture Capital Association in Spain, will join the firm's Madrid office to focus on expanding its M&A, private equity and tax work. He was previously a partner on Andersen's European executive committee and led the firm's merger with Garrigues, which created the biggest tax law firm in Spain. He went on to become vice chair of the merged firm but left in 2001.