DLA Piper senior partner and global co-chair Juan Picón is exiting the firm for Latham & Watkins to spend more time in his native Spain. The move, after less than two years in the role, has shocked the legal marketplace as Mr Picón, one of the firm's highest billers, becomes Latham's managing partner in Spain taking over from José Luis Blanco who has retired. Two other DLA partners, Ignacio Gómez-Sancha and José Antonio Sánchez-Dafos, will join him at Lathams. International disputes resolution Janet Legrand will take over his duties at DLA Piper until an election is held to elect a new senior partner. 'We are delighted to welcome Juan, Ignacio, and José to the firm,' said Bill Voge, chair and managing partner of Latham & Watkins. 'We have a top-notch team in Spain, and the arrival of this group will be a perfect complement to our existing practice. The team’s market knowledge and industry contacts are second to none. Spain is a key market with exciting opportunities in our global platform.'