Carlos Rueda Ortín
I was born and raised in Zaragoza, surrounded by a family that instilled key values in me during my development, such as effort, humility and generosity. My life experiences have shaped me into someone who hopes to build a successful professional career in the world of law and business, as well as a full personal life.
"My life experiences have shaped me into someone who hopes to build a successful professional career in the world of law and business, as well as a full personal life."
Global roots for impact in the global capital markets
Carlos Rueda studied his bachelor’s degree in law at the University of Zaragoza, an achievement he considers essential for his personal growth. During his time there, he also traveled internationally for an academic stay at the University of Bergen in Norway. After an internship in a bank consultancy, Carlos discovered that his passion for law was focused on two main areas: commercial law and financial law. However, his current fascination lies in capital markets law.
He maintains that, given the trends in today’s landscape, "It is foreseeable that disruptive phenomena in the legal and business worlds will be more frequent. Therefore, I have always believed that my academic and professional development should be much more international, technological and interconnected between different disciplines.” For these reasons, Carlos knew that his legal training should continue in Madrid, a city that brings together most of the major institutions specializing in these branches of law. So, in 2021, he made the move to pursue the Doble Máster Universitario en Abogacía y Procura + Asesoría Jurídica de Empresas (LL.M.) at IE Law School.
For Carlos, two things stand out as the highlight of his experience at IE Law School: "The human quality of my fellow students and the technical quality of all the professors.” The Legal Challenge was another notable moment organized by IE Law School in collaboration with leading multinational law firm Baker McKenzie. It is also one of the two final projects of the program and confronts students with a real case focused on the financing and acquisition of different assets by various companies. As part of the winning team, Carlos considers his final presentation—delivered before a tribunal comprising partners from several top law firms—the most memorable part of the experience.
Carlos chose to specialize his career in financial law and capital markets law after graduation. As he sees it, these areas are about to experience rapid, exponential growth in the coming years as the corporate financing paradigm in Spain and the European Union moves toward funding via the stock market. Although he believes that these specialization areas are much more influenced by the laws of Anglo-Saxon countries, Carlos has decided to develop his career in Spain for now.
His decision was made, in part, because of the wealth of opportunities available in Madrid and his alma mater. One of these was the chance to participate in an international internship on his way to professional success. Stirred by the possibilities, Carlos applied to the international exchange program that gives students a chance to spend five months at one of over 200 partner universities in 50 countries around the world.
Most destinations seemed enriching for his development, but Carlos knew that the US was the best option for his semester abroad due to its importance in Spanish stock market law. After submitting all the required documentation, he was selected to attend the Semester Exchange Program at William & Mary Law School and started just a few weeks later.
There, he is just another student in the Master of Laws (LL.M.) class and can focus on deepening his knowledge in areas such as securities law, business associations and international business transactions, among others. While he initially found the new setting very different from his experiences in Spain, now Carlos sees many synergies with the training he received at IE Law School.
For students interested in their own academic adventure abroad, Carlos’ advice is to prepare all the necessary documentation in advance to avoid unnecessary stress or delays. It also helps to get involved with the International Mobility team, which oversees the exchange program and can offer valuable guidance throughout the process.
Carlos believes that when he looks back in a few years, this time abroad will have had a pivotal impact on his professional career as a lawyer. He encourages other students to take advantage of the opportunities IE Law School makes available to support their growth, both personally and professionally.
