Candela Sotes

I am an associate in Bird & Bird's Competition & EU law department in the Madrid office.

I have extensive knowledge on a wide range of competition law issues and experience in advising national and international companies.

I have great problem-solving skills and can readily adapt to individual clients' needs. My practice covers all aspects of EU and Spanish competition law, including antitrust investigations, merger control analysis, state aids, unfair commercial practices, damages actions, compliance and regulatory affairs.

I have gained extensive expertise assisting clients in antitrust (i.e. cartel and abuse of dominance cases) and merger control proceedings before the Spanish Competition Authority (CNMC) and the European Commission. In particular, I have been involved in complex multi-jurisdictional merger control filings and I regularly advise clients on the implementation of antitrust compliance programmes.

I have provided legal advice to leading Spanish and international companies across a broad range of industries, including automotive, telecoms, retail & consumer, life sciences & healthcare.

I have contributed to several publications on competition and wider EU law matters – including 'Getting the Deal Through' and 'Tirant lo Blanch' and collaborated with prestigious universities such as Carlos III University and IE University.

Before joining Bird & Bird, I worked as an associate in the competition & EU law department of a major Spanish law firm.

I am a native Spanish speaker and fluent in English and Italian.