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Esade Alumni Aptissimi award winners: Cándido Paz-Ares (Uría Menéndez), ILUNION, Laboratorios Ordesa and the Association of Corporate Counsel

These awards – benchmarks in Spain’s business law profession – were presented during a ceremony attended by some 400 professionals
Aptíssimi 2024

Photo of winners: José Luis Barceló, ILUNION; Eva Argilés, ACC; and Cándido Paz-Ares and Silvia Aguilar, Laboratorios Ordesa

Esade Alumni presented their prestigious Business Law Aptissimi Awards to Cándido Paz-Ares, partner emeritus at Uría Menéndez; ILUNION; the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC); and Laboratorios Ordesa. The ceremony held at the Real Fábrica de Tapices in Madrid, brought together some 400 outstanding members of the legal profession, consolidating these awards as a benchmark in Spain’s business law sector.

Aptíssimi

 

The Aptissimi Awards are organized each year by the Esade Alumni Law Club in recognition of excellence in four key categories: professional career, corporate counsel, contribution to the sector and society, and a new category this year: the best innovative legal project. With these awards, Esade Alumni reaffirm their commitment to professional and academic excellence, and foster a law community dedicated to promoting social responsibility and ethical leadership in business law.

Awards in each category

The winner of the Professional Career Award was Cándido Paz-Ares, chair in Mercantile Law and partner emeritus at Uría Menéndez, in recognition of his exemplary track record of academic excellence combined with legal practice. The judges underlined “his skillful contribution to Spanish mercantile law with an innovative, intellectual mindset and a robust commitment to professional ethics. His influence in the sector has proven essential for adapting mercantile practices to the new demands of the business world”.

The winner of the Best Corporate Counsel Award was ILUNION, in recognition of the significant tech transformation implemented in their legal department. The judges were impressed by “the incorporation of cutting-edge technology which has optimized efficiency and accessibility, particularly in an inclusive landscape in which these solutions are accessible to people with visual disabilities”, and also cited the value of their in-house, autonomous approach to developing these solutions and catering for the complexity of their different business areas, whilst bolstering their position as a strategic partner in decision making.

The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) received the Award for Contribution to the Sector and Society in recognition of its worldwide commitment to corporate law and its on-going support for in-house legal departments. The judges praised “its work in boosting the skills of corporate counsels around the globe through training initiatives, mentoring programs, and championing the profession. The ACC has raised the standards of quality and ethics in the sector, fostering a community of law professionals equipped to undertake strategic roles in dealing with complex business challenges. With its dedication to training and its commitment to innovation in the legal profession, the ACC has garnered considerable influence in the realm of corporate law.”

This year’s Aptissimi Awards also featured a new category: Best Innovative Legal Project. The winner was Laboratorios Ordesa for its Eleva Project in recognition of “its commitment to digitizing and optimizing the internal processes of its legal department, implementing solutions to promote efficiency and enhance alignment with the business. Despite its limited team and resources, Laboratorios Ordesa stood out thanks to a venture that sets a new standard for the digital transformation of corporate counsels, all of which reflects its leadership capabilities and strategic outlook in the sector.”

The award ceremony ended with a dinner, an opportunity for members of the legal profession to interact and create new ideas and synergies that benefit society as a whole.

Aptíssimi 2024