Former Spanish PM Aznar tipped to join Picon at Latham after quitting DLA Piper adviser role
Aznar to step down from DLA Piper adviser role at the end of February
January 10, 2018 at 06:02 AM
2 minute read
Former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar has stepped down from his role as an adviser to DLA Piper's global board, with local partners tipping him to follow outgoing senior partner and global co-chair Juan Picon to Latham & Watkins.
Aznar, who was prime minister of Spain between 1996 and 2004, has been an adviser to DLA Piper since 2013 and played a key role in its recent Latin American expansion.
His departure from the transatlantic firm, expected to come at the end of February, comes as partners in Spain suggest he may rejoin Picon at Latham.
Picon shocked the legal market in November by resigning from DLA to join the US firm's Madrid office, though has yet to confirm his start date.
A DLA Piper spokesperson said: "DLA Piper and Jose Maria Aznar have mutually agreed that he will step down as a senior adviser to the firm's global board. We are grateful for all of his efforts and look forward to continuing to maintain our friendship. We wish him all the best."
Picon and US co-chair Roger Meltzer jointly led the firm's Latin American expansion, which saw the firm launch in Puerto Rico in 2016 and strike cooperation agreements with firms in Colombia, Mexico and Chile in 2016, and Peru in 2017.
Speaking to the Latin Lawyer, which broke news of Aznar's exit, Meltzer said: "President Aznar assisted us in building relationships and gaining a better understanding of the region. We now have a solid foundation on which to continue to build and grow in Latin America."
Picon's resignation has triggered an election to replace him as the international firm's senior partner, with developing markets managing director Andrew Darwin, Amsterdam tech partner Joris Willems, China energy head Carolyn Dong, London corporate partner Jon Hayes and Brussels competition partner Bertold Baer-Bouyssiere all understood to be interested in the role.
Latham declined to comment.
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