Cuatrecasas and Deusto promote reference center for study, training and dissemination of field with great weight in economy
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SubscribeCuatrecasas and the University of Deusto have signed a collaboration agreement to create the Cuatrecasas-University Chair in Public Procurement Law at Deusto Law School. This center was created with the aim of promoting research, critical reflection, and training in both national and European public procurement, and aspires to become an academic and professional benchmark. The managing partner of Cuatrecasas, Javier Fontcuberta, and the university rector, Juan José Etxeberria, signed the agreement.
The importance of this initiative is reflected in the data: in Spain, public procurement accounted for 11.55% of GDP and 24.87% of public spending in 2023, according to the Independent Office for the Regulation and Supervision of Procurement (OIReScon). Its impact is not limited to infrastructure development or the provision of services, but also affects the development of social and environmental policies with direct effects on institutions, companies and citizens.
Prominent figures from both institutions attended the signing of the agreement. Representing the University of Deusto were Juan José Etxeberria, rector; Javier Arellano, vice-rector for Research and International Relations; María José Aranguren, vice-rector for Institutional Relations of the San Sebastián campus; José Ramón Intxaurbe, dean of Deusto Law School; and professors Javier Díaz and Vega Arnáez. Representing Cuatrecasas were Rafael Fontana, senior partner, and Javier Fontcuberta, managing partner.
A plan of activities already underway
During its first year, the Chair will activate several lines of work. In the area of research and training, Cuatrecasas personnel will be able to access the joint doctoral program in Economic and Business Law, developed in collaboration with Deusto, Comillas and Ramon Llull. In addition, the Chair’s scientific committee will bring together specialists from the academic world, professors from Deusto and other universities in the Jesuit Universities of Spain (UNIJES) network, together with Cuatrecasas lawyers and experts from the business world, as well as from administrative and judicial bodies. It is also planned to create a digital publication with an ISBN that will include the results of seminars, annual conferences and specialized articles.
Regarding internships, the Cuatrecasas Experience program aims to bring the practice of law closer to undergraduate and graduate students through various activities, some of which already exist in the long-standing relationship of Cuatrecasas with the University of Deusto Law School. These include bridge programs, mentoring, participation in DeustoLawyers and master classes linked to the prestigious Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Interns will also be able to collaborate in the Deusto Legal Clinic and in the Cuatrecasas pro bono advisory initiatives.
Finally, in terms of knowledge transfer and debate, the Chair will organize biannual monographic conferences and specialized seminars, with the aim of generating applied knowledge. A program of activities that is already underway and that Deusto and Cuatrecasas consider a driver of social and economic transformation, by addressing one of the most important areas of the European economy in a critical and multidisciplinary manner.
This new Chair of Public Procurement Law will be managed by Cuatrecasas lawyers Luis Pérez de Ayala, Jorge Robles and Javier Díaz, who contribute a solid professional and academic track record in this field.
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