Spanish eyes are smiling at UK firms' aggressive ambition

Ashurst Morris Crisp is extending its European network of five offices to Madrid, as Linklaters & Alliance boosts its office with five new lawyers.

Corporate partner Duncan Stiles will manage Ashursts' one-partner office.

Senior partner Geoffrey Green, who hopes to build up numbers 'very quickly', said: 'Our European offices are focused around the core work we do, being corporate and finance.' Linklaters has hired two partners from Arthur Andersen's Spanish firm Garrigues Andersen, and three senior associates; the office has grown from three to 27 lawyers this year.Madrid office head Miles Curley said: 'I don't think anyone doubts the seriousness of our ambitions in the Spanish market.''English law firms have been quite aggressive in Spain,' commented Eduardo Ustaren, a dual Spanish and UK qualified lawyer at Paisner & Co.

Clifford Chance, Freshfields, Allen & Overy, Simmons & Simmons and SJ Berwin all have Spanish offices.Anne Mizzi