Case of study in the Real Estate legal sector
This year JAP is authoring the Overview for Chambers Europe Guide 2023 for Real Estate in Spain. In 2022, Jap advised on the acquisition of 1,250,000 m2 of land for the logistics projects development, the construction of 500,000 m2 of logistics warehouses (both to developers and builders) and the lease or extension of 950,000 m2 of logistics warehouses (to owners or users). In this law firm profile article for Legal Dealmaker, we learn more about JAP, a boutique law firm that only advises in real estate development and investment projects and asset management.
Not all that glitters is gold, and not everything that does not glitter or is not promoted loudly ceases to be gold. JAP is a firm defined as a bet for a different way of working. This boutique law firm advises on real estate development and investment projects and asset management and invests in its team and in technology, which allows it to work better yet spending less time.
In 2022, JAP advised on the acquisition of 1,250,000 m2 of land for the development of logistics projects, the construction of 500,000 m2 of warehouses and logistics platforms, and also participated in the leasing and/or renewal of 950,000 m2 of land for logistics use.
JAP is Legaltech, but from the beginning
Nowadays, everyone is using digital platforms, but JAP championed already in 2014 the deal-rooms of Workshare Transact as collaborative environments where lawyers, notaries, clients and opponents see the same “closing checklist” and can upload the closing documents that each party is responsible for and even have signatories approve them and sign them. Jap has been persistent – “sometimes it was difficult to convince the client“, they say – because the opposite meant spending time on non-value-added procedures or depending on multiple exchanges of meaningless emails. Even Workshare dedicated a case study to it, Litera an interview and recently, Legatics has just published a monograph on Jap. Just like Luminance, a SaaS that brings artificial intelligence to document review, “everything that can be automated has to be so that you can devote your head to what you really need to devote it to,” the firm stresses.
A team, internal or external
JAP is committed to a team, sometimes internal and sometimes external. Nowadays, the firm has Meritxell Cremades, who heads the investment and development projects in Jap, and Ramón Chasco, who battles with or against asset and property management in the law firm. On the other hand, the firm relies on its long-standing partners for expert support in specialities where you want the good expert on your side: “Our team goes way beyond our doors.”
JAP offers a different way of working: a results-oriented analysis that does not translate into paralysis. The same lack of fear of complexity and voracity that we tend to associate with new developments and innovation or, as they call it, creativity with method.
JAP offers a different way of working: a results-oriented analysis that does not translate into paralysis. The same lack of fear of complexity and voracity that we tend to associate with new developments and innovation or, as they call it, creativity with method.
The curious thing is that JAP was born almost by discard in Barcelona in 2014: given the chance to return to professional practice and the private sector, José Antonio Pérez Breva, who had practised at Mullerat (1996-1998) and Garrigues (1999-2012) and had been regional counsel at Revlon (1998-1999) and head of legal department at Hospital Clínic (2012-2014) preferred not to join other firms and do things his own way, no matter how it ended turning out… (whoever knows him probably smiled).
JAP is there
JAP is a small firm with the intent to remain small: “With growth, you often lose supervising skills and blur your own identity, and this becomes a pain point in service level “, they explain. “If we want to work the same or better, the first thing is to make your team grow.”
From the law firm, they state that: “JAP does not communicate the matters in which they work” they explain since they are committed to discretion, but Legal Dealmaker knows that their clients include important players in the real estate sector.
JAP is a boutique law firm specialising in Real Estate Law that is particularly sensitive to business needs and to the markets where it practices. It is also present in the events industry, hotel & leisure and healthcare and is known for its versatility and ability to attack complex projects requiring organization and control but creativity and hard work in narrow time spans. JAP is a technology-driven firm with firm commitment to innovation.