Henar is the head of the competition and trade practice in Madrid.
Henar has almost two decades of experience advising clients on business conduct and transactions to ensure compliance with EU and Spanish competition law.
She regularly represents clients before competition authorities and courts with a special focus on dawn-raids, cartels cases and investigations on unfair practices and other abusive behaviour and has experience in securing merger approvals and state aid matters.
Henar has worked in Brussels and was trained at the EU Commission, which has enabled her to offer a practical knowledge of the competition, legal and policy issues that clients most commonly face.
She uses her business understanding to advise leading companies predominently in the retail and consumer products sectors as well as in energy, digital markets, telecomunications, pharmaceutical, transport, banking and insurance.
Publications and Accolades
She is a regular speaker and lecturer at several universities and professional institutions in Spain. She has also written a number of specialised articles on competition law for legal publications and is co-author of the recently published book "Problemas Prácticos y de Actualidad del Derecho de la Competencia", Civitas 2014.
Over the course of her career she has been successfully involved in a large number of investigations and filings to the European Commission and the CNMC, the Spanish Competition Authority.
Henar is acknowledged as a leading competition law expert in major legal directories including Chambers and Partners and Best Lawyers and was granted the Iberian Lawyer 40 Under Forty Award in 2013.
Her clients comments about her "She is client-oriented, productive and she understands perfectly the distribution area", "Praised for her knowledge, practical focus and work ethic" "Henar González has a terrific grasp of competition; she's an expert. She's always got an answer and is always on time."
She regularly speaks at seminars and is very active writing articles, publications and chapters in collective works in the EU and competition practice area.
Background
Law degree at the Universidad of Valladolid (1991-1996) and D.E.S. (European law) at the Université Catholique de Louvain (1996-1997) in Belgium.
Prior to joining Herbert Smith Freehills as partner in April 2015, she previously worked in Brussels and Madrid at a Spanish leading law firm, where she was a member of the EU and Competition law practice group.
She speaks Spanish, English and French.
Experience & expertise
Selected matters
- Cemex in numerous transactions, including the acquisition of RMC Plc, a leading ready-mixed concrete and cement manufacturer*
- Eroski on its acquisition of more than 470 supermarkets from Caprabo (a phase II merger review in Spain closed without commitments or conditions) and the sale of 36 hypermarkets to Carrefour.
- Otis in connection with the acquisition of a number of leading regional elevator companies in Spain*
- a multinational company in the building materials sector in relation to the European Commission's investigation into alleged cartel activity involving a number of cement producers operating at worldwide level*
- a major transport group in relation to investigations initiated by the CNMC in relation to alleged cartel activities in the provision of passengers and freight maritime transport services*
- a multinational rent-a-car company in relation to a CNMC's investigation regarding the exchange of commercially sensitive information at airports*
- a telecommunications operator in Spain in relation to a number of complaints for abusive behaviour*
*Experience gained prior to joining Herbert Smith Freehills
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