José Antonio de la Calle
Biography
Chambers Europe 2024
“José Antonio de la Calle follows the cases closely and is available anytime. He provides feedback continuously in a way that we feel our company is being taken care of without any concern from our side.”
Chambers Europe 2024
“José Antonio de la Calle is always the most creative, demonstrates integrity and is a true gentleman. We have been very secure and comfortable working with him.”
Chambers Europe 2024
Overview
José Antonio heads the White & Case Antitrust and Competition practice in Spain. He has over 25 years of expertise advising companies, trade associations, and government agencies in a wide range of industries on all aspects of EU trade and antitrust/ competition law, focusing on regulated sectors.
With extensive experience in the full scope of EU and antitrust/ competition work, particularly in cases with a cross-border link, José Antonio specializes in merger control assignments, cartel investigations and antitrust litigation. He has been involved in some of the most high-profile Spanish cases in recent years, and regularly represents clients before the national competition and markets authority (Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia), the national appeals court (Audiencia Nacional) and the highest court of the realm, the Spanish supreme court (Tribunal Supremo).
José Antonio was the co-founder and managing partner of a leading antitrust law firm in Spain before joining White & Case. He established and successfully developed his own practice for more than a decade after working for 15 years at the Madrid and London offices of a prominent United States law firm, where he became partner in 2009. In 2011, he was awarded the Iberian Lawyer 40 Under Forty Award and has since been recognized as a Global Leader in the field of antitrust/ competition law by Global Competition Review (GCR).
José Antonio is a recognized expert in EU and national antitrust law in Spain. He is ranked as a leading lawyer in this field by several publications, including Chambers Europe, The Legal 500, and GCR. He is a prolific author and frequent contributor to prestigious law journals, as well as a sought-after speaker at conferences and seminars on antitrust/ competition law.
Davis and Berkeley, USA
Belgium
Spain
Experience
Examples of his experience in M&A deals subject to merger control include advising:
- Hailo before the Spanish competition authority in the merger-control clearance following its projected merger with mytaxi, a Daimler group subsidiary and its direct competitor in the taxi apps market. The parties received international authorization to close their deal while the closing in Spain remained suspended until the final clearance was received, marking a first-of-its-kind decision in Spain*.
- American Express Global Business Travel before the Spanish competition authority in the merger-control clearance following its projected acquisition of Barceló’s minority shareholding in their Spanish joint venture*.
- Genzyme Corporation (Sanofi group) before the Spanish competition authority in the merger-control clearance following its projected acquisition of AstraZeneca’s proprietary product marketed as Caprelsa®*.
- Eurowag before the Spanish competition authority in the merger-control clearance following its projected acquisition of a group of companies active in the retail business of selling motor fuels in Spain*.
Examples of his experience in cartel investigations and Court litigation include advising:
- Snap-on Incorporated's wholly owned Spanish subsidiary SBS before the Spanish competition authority in Case No. S/0482/13, Car Manufacturers, and thereafter challenged the validity of the antitrust fine before the National Appeal Court and eventually, the Spanish Supreme Court*.
- The leading winery González Byass before the Spanish competition authority in Case No. S/0091/08, Sherry Wines, and thereafter challenged the validity of the antitrust fine before the National High Court and eventually, the Spanish Supreme Court*.
- Munters group before the Spanish competition authority in Case No. S/0423/12, Munters, and thereafter challenged the validity of the antitrust fine before the National High Court and eventually, the Spanish Supreme Court*.
Examples of his experience in other antitrust assignments include advising:
- A major international airline in a private antitrust arbitration before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Court of Arbitration in Paris, France*.
- The Council of Spanish Bar Associations (Consejo General de la Abogacía Española, or CGAE) in preparing an independent expert report in relation to the compatibility with national and EU competition rules of CGAE’s recommendations to provide legal aid services in Spain*.
- Electrolux in designing a fully tailored, first-class EU competition law programme, and subsequently delivered training sessions to more than one hundred executives and employees through a series of successful virtual video conferences*.
* Experience prior to joining White & Case
