Baker & McKenzie has bolstered its Spanish practice with the hire of former Garrigues managing partner Jose Maria Alonso Puig, reports The Am Law Daily.

Senior arbitrator Alonso, who spent nine years as managing partner of the 2,000-lawyer Spanish giant before standing down in 2009 to head the firm's arbitration practice, will join Bakers' Madrid office on 1 March.

Alonso's practice focuses on civil and commercial law disputes, covering a range of areas from financial and insurance litigation to insolvencies. He also has niche expertise in sports law, advising on disputes related to image rights, sponsorship agreements, employment contracts and player transfers.

During his career, he has represented clients in more than 2,000 cases before Spanish courts and has acted in more than 100 arbitration proceedings, both as arbitrator and chairman of the arbitral tribunal.

Grant Hanessian, the co-chair of Baker's international arbitration practice, said Alonso's addition was a "great coup" for the firm. Fellow co-chair Guenter Pickrahn added that Alonso is "one of the world's leading arbitration figures."

Litigation has boomed in Spain as a result of the global recession, with the downturn leading to a surge in ancillary litigation surrounding intellectual property rights, tax claims and layoffs, as well as disputes arising from collapsed deals and the inability of many companies to meet refinancing obligations.

Bakers recently successfully defended Ericsson Espana in a collective suit before Spain's national high court, which was brought by approximately 2,000 employees who claimed they had been deprived their right to an annual bonus.

Alonso is not the first veteran partner to join Bakers in Spain. The firm brought in Manuel Pizarro, who previously served as chairman of both Spanish electric utility leader Endesa and the Madrid Stock Exchange, in late 2010. Bakers now has about 200 lawyers spread between its Spanish offices in Madrid and Barcelona.

The Am Law Daily is a US affiliate title of Legal Week.