Team

Juan Antonio Sagardoy is the Honorary Chairman of Sagardoy Abogados, which he founded in 1980. He holds the Chair of Employment and Labour Law and Social Security at the Complutense University of Madrid.

In 1978 he became the first General Director of the Institute of Social Studies, which was in charge of drafting the Workers’ Statute Bill, the text that, up to the present date, has provided the legal framework to regulate employment relations in Spain.

Throughout his professional career he has always combined the practice of law and academic education, having worked as a Professor of Employment and Labour Law at different institutions, such as the University of Valladolid, the University of Alcalá de Henares and the Complutense University of Madrid, where he has taught several generations of Law students.

His extensive legal knowledge has led him to hold a wide range of relevant positions, both nationally and internationally: he has been a member of several international agencies and bodies, for instance the International Industrial Relations Association, the Executive Committee of the International Society for Labour Law and Social Security, and the Ibero-American Academy of Labour Law and Social Security, as well as Spanish institutions such as the Colegio Libre de Eméritos (Free Association of Emeritus Professors) and the Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Legislation, where he is a permanent member.

He has also held a series of executive positions, among which it is worth highlighting his role as board member of such companies and institutions as the National Institute of Hydrocarbons, Renfe, the Privatisations Advisory Council, Telefónica, Banesto and Nacional de Reaseguros. He also served as chairman of the Génova Financial Club and the Euroforum Escorial.

His prolonged professional career has earned him important accolades, such as the “Best International Labour Lawyer” award from the International Association of Labour and Social Security Law Experts in 2004, “Best Labour Lawyer” from the National Association of Employment and Labour Lawyers (ASNALA) in 2009, and Best Lawyer in the Labour and Employment Law category from the influential American publication Best Lawyers in 2012.

As regards official institutions, he was decorated with the Grand Cross of St. Raymond of Peñafort in 1996, the Gold Medal of Merit in Work in 2001, the Grand Cross of Military Merit in 2006, the Cross of Charles III the Noble by the Government of Navarre in 2010, the Medal of Honour of the Madrid Bar Association (ICAM) in 2016, and the Forbes Honour Award for Lawyers in 2018. In January 2018, he was conferred the Degree of Doctor honoris causa by the University of Alcalá de Henares.

During the course of his academic career he has produced extensive literature (essays, manuals and specialised works), as well as articles and papers pertaining to the field of Employment and Labour Law. At present, he regularly contributes articles to publications specialising in labour law matters, and also works with several institutions giving lectures at congresses and seminars. He frequently writes articles for national newspapers, a task which he combines with the publication of more personal works such as A lo largo del camino in 2019.

Juan Antonio Sagardoy, awarded as Best Lawyer of the Year in Labour & Employment Law in Spain in 2011 and 2009.