Biography

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José María Michavila, founding partner of MA Abogados, brings over thirty years of experience as a lawyer and law professor.

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In 1984, he founded his own firm specializing in financial, banking, and securities law, while simultaneously serving as a tenured professor of Administrative Law at the Complutense University of Madrid.

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In 1988, he joined the Council of State, where he served as Counsel for the Economic and Finance Commission.

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In 1991, he was appointed Secretary General of the Complutense University. In 1992, he co-founded the Institute of Stock Market Studies (IEB) with other prominent professionals in the Spanish financial sector, serving as its first Secretary. From 1993 onwards, he dedicated his life to politics, stepping away from the firm he had founded to focus on his role as a deputy for the People's Party. He served in the Spanish Government throughout the eight years of José María Aznar's presidency, first as Secretary of State for Relations with the Cortes, attached to the Prime Minister's Office, and later as Minister of Justice.

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After leaving active politics, he returned to his legal practice and, in November 2009, founded MA Abogados, which Ángel Acebes later joined. In 2012, he was appointed an Elective Councilor of the Council of State, a position for which he was reappointed by the new government in 2018.

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A lawyer recognized for his expertise and technical proficiency in the international legal directory "Best Lawyers".

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Education

He graduated with honors in Law from the Complutense University, where he also earned a degree in Contemporary History.

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He was awarded a British Council scholarship in 1986. In 1989, he received a study grant from the Japanese government for the best academic records in the European Union. The governments of France (1993) and the United States (1994) also awarded him study grants.

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In 1987, he received the Extraordinary Doctorate Award in Administrative Law for his thesis on the Bank of Spain's oversight of the establishment of financial institutions.

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In 1988, he sat for the competitive examinations for State Counsel, entering the Council of State as the top-ranked candidate in his class and joining the Economy and Finance section. He pursued further studies at Harvard University and the London School of Economics.

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Member of the Advisory Board for the Executive Program at Harvard University. He teaches annually in an executive program at the same university.

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Associations

Member of the Madrid Bar Association (ICAM).

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Member of the Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Legislation.

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Member of the following foundations: Pablo Horstmann, Asociación Contemplare, and Fundación Mencía. International Trustee of the Friends of the Prado Museum Foundation.

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Member of the Advisory Board for the Executive Program at Harvard.

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Publications

He has authored numerous publications in various administrative law journals, such as the Revista Española de Derecho Administrativo (REDA) and the Spanish Journal of Banking and Stock Market Law.

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In 1992, he co-authored a banking law handbook with other experts. He regularly writes articles on economic analysis for national newspapers.

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Teaching Experience

Tenured Professor of Administrative Law at the Complutense University of Madrid.

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In 1990, he was elected Secretary General of the Complutense University of Madrid. He is a professor for the Master’s in Humanities program at Francisco de Vitoria University, teaching Contemporary History.

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Speaker at the annual Executive Program held at Harvard.