About Us

He has extensive professional experience in commercial and corporate law, with special dedication to corporate counselling for national and international groups. He has held the position of Secretary of the Board of Directors or Legal Advisor within various companies.

After developing his career at Uria Menéndez and Ernst & Young, Mario was the principal of the legal department at Deloitte Law in the Basque Country and Navarre (2006-2010). After a period spent as a Partner at Laffer Law (2011-2012), in January 2013 he joined CIALT Asesores to open and manage the Bilbao office. After 18 years of professional experience, Mario Fernández launched his own firm, FERNANDEZ & ELEJALDE ABOGADOS, S.L.P. (2016).

He has a wealth of experience in worldwide restructuring operations, M&A, due diligence, joint ventures and contracting, having regularly been involved in drafting, preparing and monitoring Family Protocols, and in negotiation and signature of Shareholders agreements. Likewise, Mario has experience in litigation, and has been involved in operations including venture capital, debt refinancing and insolvency proceedings, as well as in the field of new technologies (Organic Law on Data Protection). Additionally, he advises on the implementation of Compliance Programs. He is certified in Compliance by the Asociación de Profesionales de Cumplimiento Normativo (Professional Regulatory Compliance Association), and is a member of the World Compliance Association (WCA) and the Spanish Compliance Association (ASCOM). He collaborates with ASCOM and the Basque Government of Bizkaia in the development of a programme to implement Compliance systems.

He is also teacher on the Access to Law Master’s Degree (University of Deusto and Bizkaia Bar Association), and on a master’s degree in the internationalisation of business.

He has participated in multiple courses as a teacher organised by, amongst others, APD, ADEGI, CEBEK, Confederación de Empresarios de Navarra (the Navarre Business Confederation), the Bizkaia Chamber of Commerce, the Navarre Chamber of Commerce, the Marketing Club of Navarre, Caixanova, BBVA, the Colombian-Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Bilbao Kirolak, ASLE, Credit Agricole, Albia Capital Partners and the University of Deusto. Furthermore, he has published numerous articles in specialised media.

A licensed lawyer since 1992, her specialism is procedural law, and her work has mainly focused on litigation, both in the field of arbitration and in the civil courts, although she has also participated in contentious administrative, criminal and labour jurisdiction.

Within the field of real estate law, she regularly advises companies dedicated to property development and construction, both related to public and private projects. Likewise, the scope of her experience extends to different companies in the industrial sector; she participates both in contracting and in judicial procedures initiated in the different jurisdictional divisions in which the companies she advises are involved.

Since 2014, she has featured in the prestigious publication Best Lawyers’ report in the field of litigation, arbitration and contentious administrative law. This is one of the highest recognitions a lawyer can receive from clients and other professionals in the sector.

Olatz specialises in company law, an area in which she has provided legal counsel to various companies, including performing the duties of Secretary of the Board of Directors or Legal Advisor. Her legal practice includes the field of litigation, with interventions before all types of bodies (judicial and arbitral) in commercial matters. She frequently advises public bodies and a large number of important businesses in the Basque Country. She also works on mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring and due diligence processes.

Olatz has been part of the Uría Menéndez Corporate Law Department for 20 years, in the Bilbao office. She joined in January 2000, after previously working at the law firm of Mario Fernández (1994-1997) and the law firm of Bayano, Caramés, Estefanía and Saras (1997-2000).

She frequently participates in seminars and conferences relating to her area of practice, and she teaches on the Access to Law Master’s Degree at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), and on the Access to Law Master’s Degree at ICASV.

Guillermo has focused his professional activity on corporate and commercial consultancy for companies and national and international groups of companies. For this reason, his speciality focuses on the duties of General Secretary (councils and boards), commercial contracts (services, agency, distribution, financing, etc.) and participates in processes of acquisition and restructuring business groups. Furthermore, he is specialised in litigation, both in the judicial and arbitral fields.

Guillermo was part of the Commercial Law Department at Laffer Law, in the Bilbao office, until he joined Fernández & Elejalde Law.

He has participated in seminars and conferences related to his specialist areas, and has collaborated on the publication of various articles in specialist legal journals.

He joined Fernández & Elejalde Law in 2017, after completing his studies in the Master’s in Access to Law at the University of Deusto.

His career has mainly focused on advice and assistance in all types of judicial and arbitral procedures, as well as in corporate and M&A transactions, regularly participating in drafting, preparing and monitoring all kinds of business documentation, negotiating and signing agreements between members, M&A operations and resolving conflicts between partners.

He participates in implementing criminal compliance programs, as well as in the application of data protection regulations.

She also studied a Master’s in Access to Law at the University of Deusto (2016).

A licensed lawyer since 2018, her specialism is procedural law, and her work has mainly centred around litigation, in the field of civil, contentious administrative and criminal jurisdiction.