We actively support tech startups from Madrid and Cambridge (Europe's 'Silicon Fen')
Pilar De La Cal is the managing partner of CERES TMT. She is based in Cambridge, UK, and leads the firm’s focus on telecommunications and technology legal and commercial advice. Before joining CERES, Pilar worked for BT plc as In-House Competition & Institutional Relations Lawyer at BT's London headquarters. Subsequently, she was the Legal and Regulatory Director for the Spanish subsidiary of Télédiffusion de France in Madrid. She began her legal career at the American law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP as Senior Associate Lawyer in the Telecommunications Division of its Brussels office during the European telecommunications industry liberalisation.
Throughout her career, Pilar De La Cal has won landmark competition and regulatory cases before the Spanish telecommunications NRA and the EU Commission. Some examples of Decisions by Regulatory and Competition authorities resulting from Pilar's advocacy are:
- A landmark Decision reached by the Spanish Telecommunications Regulator granting for the very first time the granting of interim measures whereby a regional terrestrial network operator was granted temporary access to all sites of the incumbent DTT operator's network. The granting of those interim measures set the precedent for any regional DTT operator to bid for contracts with major national broadcasters during the Spanish DTT market switchover through their temporary access to the national incumbent operator´s network.
- The Spanish Competition Tribunal's Decision to a Euro 750M fine upon the incumbent telecoms operator in the CUG services provision market following Pilar filing a complaint for abuse of dominant position of the incumbent in that market. The fine was the highest imposed by that Tribunal on that operator for abuse of dominant position to that date.
- The EU Commission (DG COMP) Decision to qualify an incumbent's internet access service as anti-competitive and abusive, ultimately resulting in the service provision suspension before being discontinued.
- The successful negotiation of several interconnection agreements between regional terrestrial network operators and the national incumbent network operator in the Spanish DTT market, as well as the denounce, where required, of abusive clauses of those agreements before the Spanish Telecoms NRA.
- The EU Commission decision not to recover State aids from Spain in two landmark State aid cases - the supply of a broadband communications network and DTT coverage extension in low-density rural population areas. Pilar represented a Spanish regional Government in both State aid cases.
Pilar's passion for innovation has always flowed out of her work, connecting startup ecosystems with potential investors, and helping startups soft land in new international markets. Specialised regulatory and public and private funding advice to tech startups in the digital market is also an essential part of the work undertaken by the CERES TMT team, and its Advisory Board. As proof of her commitment to digitalisation and innovation, Pilar is co-founder and partner of TEQ12, a commercial and regulatory mentoring platform for tech startups and scale-ups.
After obtaining an LL.B Honours in Law, and and an MA in Economics, Piluca studied an LL.M in Antitrust and IPRs at New York University (NYU) School of Law and an LL.M in EU Law & Public Administration at the College of Europe in Belgium. Her LL.Ms at NYU and the College of Europe focused predominantly on the implementation of EU laws and regulations and the liberalisation of monopolistic markets such as the telecommunications market at the time. Pilar is a member of the Madrid and Brussels (B List) Bar Associations. She is a native Spanish speaker, has bilingual proficiency in English and French, and professional proficiency in Italian.
In 2020, Pilar completed one year as corporate counsel in the Internet of Things (IoT) Division of the high-tech unicorn, Arm Ltd, in Cambridge. The learning resulting from this experience at Arm Ltd on data privacy, data security, negotiation of high-value commercial agreements, and IoT connectivity is embodied in CERES TMT and in its continued growth in the IoT sector.
Education:
New York University (NYU) School of Law, New York City
LL.M., Trade Regulation: Antitrust and IPRs
College of Europe, Bruges
LL.M., EU Law & Public Administration
Universidad Pontificia Comillas (ICADE E-3), Madrid
LL.B. Law
MA Economics
