Olswang has launched an employment practice in Madrid with the hire of Bird & Bird employment partner Daniel Cifuentes.

Cifuentes joined Olswang's Madrid arm at the end of December to establish and head Olswang's Spanish employment practice. Bird & Bird associate Maria Eugenia has also joined Olswang alongside Cifuentes to help launch the employment team.

Cifuentes joined Bird & Bird's Madrid office in 2007 to set up the local employment group and was made up to partner in 2008. He was previously a senior associate with Uria Menendez.

Cifuentes commented: "The opportunity to launch an employment practice for Olswang was a new and exciting challenge and I decided that it was the right move for me at this time.

"The firm is currently really investing in its international expansion and I felt I wanted to be a part of this venture. Our aim is to grow the employment practice in Spain over the coming months."

Olswang opened its Madrid office in September 2010 with the hire of Bird & Bird's Spanish corporate head, Javier Vasserot.

Cifuentes' hire takes the total number of partners in the office to four, with the practice already offering M&A, banking and finance, litigation, media, communications and technology advice.

The Spanish arm is Olswang's third overseas office alongside Brussels and Berlin.