Maria José Martinez

Biography

She embarked on her professional career in the field of HR, a period that culminated in her becoming head of this department at Dupont Powder Coatings Ibérica.

Subsequently, in 2004, she began her professional practice as a lawyer, managing her own law firm, and in 2014 she became a partner in the Employment Department of the law firm Garcés & López-Ibor.

In October 2020, together with Tirso Gracia, she created Galibier Legal, a boutique specialising in labour law.

Maria José has extensive experience in providing day-to-day advice to large national and international companies. She is used to dealing with collective bargaining processes, individual and collective dismissals, changes in working conditions and global restructuring.

Specialised in defending in court, and in defining global strategies, she works together with the HR department to achieve the right orientation adapted to the idiosyncrasies of each company with which she collaborates. Her goal is to offer a personalised service worthy of a boutique legal experience.

She has given tailor-made in-house trainings for executives and middle management, related to various aspects of HR and labour law.

In the training field, apart from being a lawyer, she has a degree in labour relations, and has several Masters related to the field of human resources and labour law. In addition, she has a Master's degree in Business Studies from De Montfor University, England.

She is currently researching and writing her doctoral thesis related to posted workers.

María José is recognised and recommended in the international directories "Best Lawyers" and "Advisory Excellence".

Training

• Holds a Law degree from the Open University of Catalonia
• Labour Relations specialist of the University of Barcelona (currently a Labour Relations graduate)
• Holds a Master’s degree in Labour Relations and Social Security from Pompeu Fabra University
• Holds a Master's degree in Tax Law with a specialisation in Business Consulting from the Open University of Catalonia
• Industrial Business Studies at Montfort University (Leicester – UK)
• PhD candidate in Labour Law. Research thesis on the temporary transfer of workers within the framework of the European Union

Languages

• Spanish
• Catalan
• English

Associations and Positions

• ICATER – ICATER Labour Committee – Association of Labour Lawyers
• Member of the Labour Committee of the Terrassa Bar Association
• Secretary of the Association of Leather Goods Manufacturers of Madrid and the Central Region. (ASEMAVI)
• Member and secretary of the Labour Law Committee of the Terrassa Bar Association
• Professor at the School of Legal Practice of the Terrassa Bar Association
• Associate professor of Labour Law at ISDE
• Member of the Eje&Con Association
• Member of the Juno House Club