Clifford Chance

After eight years in the Clifford Chance Madrid office, or her ‘casa’ as she calls it, Maria moved into the fast-growing renewable energy sector.

Maria joined Clifford Chance’s Madrid office in 2011 as an associate in the Banking & Finance practice. Right from the start she enjoyed being “part of a team in which everyone working on a transaction has the same purpose and everyone plays their part,” adding that she valued all the support she received, whether in the office or over a drink after work.

The people who inspired her the most were those who were able to combine their pressured work lives with family responsibilities staying calm, focused, and helpful at work. This perhaps reflects her own experience of getting married and having two children while with the firm. “The rhythm of work and the degree of family responsibility increases with the years, so everyone who manages to have balance and be a normal person is an inspiration,” Maria says.

Looking back at her time with the firm, she is most proud of supporting the young lawyers who joined the firm during her tenure, many of whom still work in the Madrid office and stay in touch.

The motivation for moving to an in-house role began in 2018 when she advised on the financing of a large-scale wind-powered renewable energy project under construction. It’s the type of deal that typically takes more than a year to close and as a result she had the chance to learn more about the project itself and the huge potential of green energy.

So, when EDP Renewables (EDPR) – the world’s fourth largest wind energy producer with a presence in 17 markets – was looking for a Legal Lead Associate, she saw it as a great opportunity to further develop her interest in the sector.

She works in EDPR’s corporate legal department, which supervises the legal work across all the countries where it operates, as well as overseeing the opening of new markets. Maria sits in the business development team, which covers all aspects of commercial activity except M&A.

“It’s very dynamic, you are involved in several matters at the same time and are able to see how different solutions are implemented,” she explains, adding that the size of her legal team has grown from five to 18 in the two years she has been there, reflecting the increasing global demand for renewable energy projects. Because she is working closely with teams right across the business, she gets to see the progress of the deal all the way from start to finish. She also enjoys having the scope to organise her own schedule and set priorities.

As well as forging new skills, she benefits from those developed earlier in her career at Clifford Chance. “When you move to a corporate you realise how disciplined you had become in the firm, able to manage multiple projects or matters and quickly see what needs to be actioned,” Maria adds, putting this down to the project management expertise acquired at Clifford Chance.

Her advice to lawyers starting their career would be to broaden their knowledge base wherever possible, looking beyond the current task to see its part in the bigger picture. “Try to work with all the partners and senior associates from your area, hear what they have to say on your deal and read other departments' memos or due diligence sections,” she says.

Maria is still closely connected to the firm or ‘my casa’ as she warmly refers to it, which created personal bonds that have endured. She also values Clifford Chance’s advice, explaining that the firm’s global network and energy expertise makes it a natural partner for EDPR’s operations across the world.

With EDPR set to grow and expand further into new technologies like green hydrogen, the future looks bright, supported by the ambitious sustainability targets being set by governments and businesses across the world. And it looks like Maria’s career will also be powering ahead.

*Maria was Legal Lead Associate at EDP Renewables at the time of this interview.