José María Fernández de la Mela Nuñez

José María is an international arbitration and litigation practitioner.

He combines his legal practice with a business career in real estate as CEO & founder of Opera Manent. 

He was Head of Legal at the Spain Chamber of Commerce and the Spanish Court of Arbitration until 2021. He also acted as first Secretary General of the Spanish Centre of Mediation. 

Previously, he was a senior associate in the Madrid office of Uría Menéndez, specializing in dispute resolution. He joined the firm in 2004 and developed his international experience and profile by spending time in the Miami office of Holland & Knight in 2008 and in the New York office of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP between 2014 and 2015.

Corporate Experience

• Sole practitioner, 2021-Present

• Opera Manent, CEO & founder, 2021 - Present

• Spain Chamber of Commerce, Head of Legal, 2016 - 2021

• Uría Menéndez, Madrid, Senior Associate, 2004 - 2016

• Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Nueva York, International Associate, 2014 - 2015

• Holland & Knight, Miami, International Associate, 2008

Academic Experience

• Adjunct Professor of International Arbitration, IE University, 2013 - Present

• Adjunct Professor of Introduction to Private Law, IE University, 2017 - 2019

Academic Background

• Real Estate Economics and Finance Certificate, London School of Economics, Londres, Reino Unido, 2020

• Master of Laws (LL.M), Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C., 2008 

• Foundations of American Law and Legal Education, Washington, D.C., 2007

• Degree in Business Administration, Universidad Pontificia Comillas – ICADE E-3, Madrid, 2005

• Degree in Law, Universidad Pontificia Comillas – ICADE E-3, Madrid, 2004