FOUNDER & MANAGING PARTNER
. E T E R N A L .
Interviewing Joan Buades Feliu
is a transformative experience.
There is a before and after to having the pleasure and honor of enjoying his vision, his experience, his wisdom and above all his personality and his energy.
Beyond being one of the most brilliant, illustrious and admired lawyers in the history of Spain, Mr. Joan Buades Feliu is also a very special person.
His vibrant, idealistic and generous character and his humanistic and approachable approach have made Joan Buades Feliu a beacon of inspiration for many young lawyers and an indisputable reference in the defence of rights and freedoms in our country.
In the rigorous and demanding world of law, few names resonate as strongly as that of Joan Buades Feliu and few men have managed to do as much, and as well done, as he does.
The impeccable rigor that characterizes his impeccable and fruitful professional career is sweetened by an accessible, friendly and empathetic personality that immediately perceives the totality of his interlocutor, be it an interviewer, a colleague or co-worker, an employee or a client.
Honorary Consul of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in the Balearic Islands, a position of which he is especially proud and honored, Joan Buades Feliu has developed his vocation as a jurist inside and outside the Balearic Islands for almost five decades.
Consolidated as one of the most renowned lawyers in the history of Spain for his deep knowledge and skill in the practice of law, Joan Buades Feliu has over 45 years of leadership and a track record of success at the helm of his firm, Buades Legal, which distinguishes itself by offering comprehensive legal advice of the highest quality, successfully facing the most complex and challenging cases and always with the highest standard of ethics and professionalism.
With a career marked by excellence and with a crystal clear and precise vision of Law, Justice and the Spanish Constitutional System, the influence and impact of the deep dedication and sincere devotion ofJoan Buades Feliutowards his work has not only benefited his clients, but has also contributed significantly to the development and strengthening of the legal system in the Balearic Islands, where the firmBuades LegalIt has established itself as one of the leading local firms.
Today, within the framework of The Ambassadors Sections‘ international campaign «Balearic Islands, Sustainable Excellence», we navigate through the splendid and committed mind of Joan Buades Feliu, firmly settled in his beloved native Mallorca, from where he continues to offer the best of himself to all the people, projects and causes with which he communes, which are many because, Even as the years go by, he never stops learning.
From his professional career we highlight his exemplarity as an indisputable reference for his deep dedication, devotion, integrity and excellence in the world of law, and from his human quality and his exquisite personality, we highlight that he is one of the most interesting people we have had the pleasure and honor of interviewing for more than twenty years enjoying our exciting profession.
Don Joan, thank you very much for having us today, in this interview within the framework of the international campaign «Balearic Islands, Sustainable Excellence» whose main objective is to highlight and value the strengths and competitive advantages of the Balearic Islands not only from a tourist point of view but also as an investment destination.
Before starting to record, during our talk, we talked about the concept of leadership… You said Joan…
Patricia, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to highlighting the Balearic Islands and its enormous strengths internationally through The Ambassadors Sections.
For modern law firms, making ourselves known in the constant search for greater and better visibility is crucial and inBuades LegalWe are committed to maintaining the coherence and philosophy of the firm while making a constant effort to differentiate ourselves in the market through the best legal marketing strategies.
About leadership, Patricia said that leadership is demonstrated by example and that one of the most representative characteristics of a true leader is that he does not ask anyone to recognize him.
He does not need it, he does not need it, because a true leader leads because it is in his DNA to guide and help, whether countries, regions, groups or people.
The main motivation of a true leader is to help, and in the current global context, one cannot lead without an authentic vocation to want to add and contribute. You cannot lead without considering. No European region can lead from navel-gazing because leadership is also tolerance, collaboration and generosity.
If we think of Italy, for example, there is no doubt that the Milanese today lead the concept of modern Italy. But there is also Rome, that wonderful city, there is Naples, there is Florence, Palermo, Turin… they are neuralgic points with different characteristics, but which together add to what Italy represents and means in the global concert.
In Spain we have the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Madrid, Valencia, Andalusia, the Basque Country… regions that are very different from each other with very powerful and attractive cities, and between all of them they add to the achievements and positioning of Spain at an international level.
Politicians sometimes forget that their function is to be at the service of civil society, that it is the citizens who give them their trust and entrust them with the responsibility of managing and administering the territory in the name of the general interest.
Citizens, on the other hand, sometimes forget that we build the country together.
I lived in Barcelona for many years, in the years in which the Spanish cultural ecosystem, Spanish-speaking, established its epicenter there.
I experienced first-hand the political effervescence of the seventies in the university environment, the period before Franco’s death and the subsequent democratic transition.
I studied Law at the University of Barcelona because in those years we did not yet have a faculty in the Balearic Islands.
I started my degree in 1970 and finished it in 1975. I remember the political, ideological and social influences of the student movement of May ’68 in France, as well as the transcendental events in Portugal and Chile.
These were years of great international political effervescence and in Spain, after the death of the dictator, of great hopes for change.
Those flaming years of hope contrast with the current general apathy of politics.
Back then we dreamed of changing the world and we fought to improve it.
Many objectives have been achieved but, after five decades of constitutional democracy, today we are witnessing a certain apathy, especially among a large part of young people.
In those years of transition there was a great real enthusiasm to achieve new challenges, establish projects…
We lived in the sincere belief that many more things could be done than have been achieved later.
We were a supportive, participatory, restless society…
Yes, leadership is essential.
People lead groups, regions, countries, and at a higher level those regions lead in their countries and those countries lead in the world.
Some regions lead more or better, increasing their leadership within the group, and others lead less or worse and lose positions in the whole, but the important thing to lead, as I say, is not to look at your navel.
We must start from the ground up and always keep in mind that everything and everyone can always be improved, and it has been proven that the regions and countries that are making the best progress in their leadership process are those that are continuously committed to a sincere desire to improve and an authentic intention to contribute and help.
And the same in leadership applied to talent.
Talent is not only intelligence, talent is also effort and attitude.
These are, in my opinion, the factors that shape true leaders.
Having a global vocation and an international mindset means being able to accept the records of others.
A true leader is generous, and usually ends up receiving a lot, precisely the more he gives, the more he receives.
It happens to me, I spend the day giving and I’m aware of it (laughs), but I also receive a lot, a lot… I receive because I give. And that is very important.
Life is a continuous exchange of feelings and emotions and it is important to always have them in circulation.
And you also have to take into account who you receive from, not just what you receive.
Maybe from something or someone you have received little compared to what you have given, but if they have given you everything they could give, then your perspective changes: they have not given you little, from their circumstances… They have given you everything.
Giving is an art, as is knowing how to receive, and exchange is not always equal. I have helped and I help because I have been able to give and I have been able to help, and because I love to do it, but I have never done it from a place of charity or beneficence.
And if the other party could have given less, but it was all they could give, then they are just as welcome. It is not only what is received that must be taken into account, but also from whom it is received. It is not only necessary to take into account what each one gives, but also the context from which each one can give.
I have olive trees and vineyards that I love to take care of and maintain, even though I lose money for their maintenance, my spouse always tells me so and it is true, but I gain the immense satisfaction of seeing them, taking care of them and enjoying them, and seeing how others also enjoy them.
When passers-by and tourists pass by, they get out of the cars and stop to take photos and I feel happy to have the privilege of enjoying, contributing to care for and protecting my little part of our nature. I enjoy seeing how others enjoy it too.
The art of giving also includes the art of sharing.
On an economic level, maintaining them is difficult, yes, but for me the satisfaction is worth it, because it generates very rewarding experiences that are priceless.
Joan precisely, the Balearic Islands is currently experiencing a stage of re-invention, of transformation towards a new tourism, economic and social model, firmly oriented towards Quality and Sustainability.
How do you see the potential for global leadership in the Balearic Islands within the framework of this new model that is taking shape, of this new scenario that is emerging?
The Balearic Islands have all the qualities to lead this new model at a global level.
In fact, the current model was also born and developed in the Balearic Islands in the sixties and from here it was successfully exported to the rest of the world.
The first exponential advantage of the Balearic Islands in this scenario is that we are the territory of a country that is part of the European Union, which implies values, principles and rules that are shared and interchangeable with a very large and diverse community of citizens.
By the way, I very much regretted the departure of Great Britain from the European Union, although there are still agreements that guarantee fair competition and the maintenance of cooperation in areas of common interest but, in my opinion, being part of the European Union is a great advantage, and for the Balearic Islands perhaps the main advantage, if we consider it as an important added value compared to other nearby competing destinations in the Mediterranean area.
The second great advantage is, or should be, legal certainty, that is, the ability to foresee what may happen, the guarantee of having certain guarantees. This is also a very important added value.
Next advantage, our privileged geographical location. We are located in the heart of Europe and the Mediterranean, less than three hours from the main cities of the continent and less than two hours by flight from large cities such as London, Paris and Frankfurt, and of course much less distance from any Spanish city.
Therefore, being part of the European Union gives us great advantages over other destinations that do not have the framework of guarantees and security that the Balearic Islands provide.
All these factors, and many more, place the Balearic Islands in a very clear potential leadership position that, well promoted and exploited, can take us very far, if we know how to do things well.
Another additional advantage that we have on the islands and that is a real attraction worldwide is a truly unbeatable climate that favors us throughout the year.
That attracts, logically, many visitors who then end up becoming residents, which in principle is positive of course, but be careful, as long as we know how to take into account the well-being of local citizens and are vigilant in relation to aggression against the environment.
That is why sustainability is so important in this process.
The citizens of the islands have been and are tremendously hospitable and tolerant, because it is true that in the high season you can feel a certain feeling of overwhelm and that must be monitored.
This trend must be solved by finding or generating formulas that guarantee a certain balance.
We also have to take into account another issue, and this is not openly talked about much, but we have to remember that in the 60s, when we experienced the first revolution in tourism, Mallorca was an island with a basically poor economy.
And possibly because of his ignorance, at the time, about the value of his own strengths, Mallorca sold out. It was sold at a loss.
The hotel plants of that time were very good at that time, but later they required an unavoidable reconversion, which in turn required very significant investments.
It would have been idyllic to have done everything right from the beginning, of course, but logically what happens throughout history is irreversible, which is why it is so important that we now study and establish well what tourist, economic and social model we want for the future.
Tourism is the most important sector of our economy and the main generator of wealth and employment in our territory, and that is an undeniable reality.
What we have to do is orient it towards a model of quality and care for our environment that guarantees not only our own well-being, that of everyone, but also that of future generations.
Nowadays, fortunately, there is a great awareness of this trend.
There are areas in Mallorca that I believe will be totally changed, for the better, in the next 10 or 15 years.
Better areas will attract quality tourism, which means better customers for the establishments and shops on the islands, more employment will be generated, more qualified and we will be a higher quality destination for both visitors and residents.
And all this must be added to another singularity of ours: that many visitors arrive as tourists and end up becoming residents, due to the advantages and qualities of the Balearic Islands that we have mentioned, but because of our insular condition, we cannot be building throughout the island as if this were a small urbanization.
In my opinion, the key is to reconvert some specific areas in which you can live and work, areas that may not be so directly linked to the tourist areas most frequented by holiday visitors, that is, tourism in the high season.
For example, medical tourism, health tourism, everything related to training, education, university, research and technology… All this produces practically no aggression or pollution towards the environment and consumes relatively little territory, and in areas that already exist and that can be reconverted.
These would be scenarios that I believe would also automatically make us much more competitive than any of our nearby competing destinations.
Many companies say: «We are going to put our office in Amsterdam», and I think that’s very good, but I always think: «If they put it in Mallorca they would have the same advantages and with a much better quality of life.»
I believe that this is the value bet that the Balearic Islands have to make and which, in some way, other Spanish cities are also opting for, which also receive many visitors who arrive as tourists and shortly after end up staying to live as well.
Why? Because we are cities, environments with a very pleasant lifestyle. And from that point of view, I believe that the quality of life in the Balearic Islands in general and in Mallorca in particular, is truly unmatched.
In short, to lead in this new model successfully, we must focus on a value proposition.
Art and Law: Two Paths to Justice and the Transformation of the World – Buades Legal
We need a comprehensive tourism policy that considers Tourism as a matter of State, applying policies that prioritise Sustainability and Quality in this sector that is so vital to our economy.
It is essential that we become aware of a fundamental concept: Finitude.
Everything has a limit, and this reality should not be lost sight of.
The environment is finite, as are all the resources at our disposal.
In the past, this concept did not exist, or was not taken into account to the same extent, but in current times, Finitude must be a consideration that must be at the center of all our debates. And above all, present in all our plans for the future.
It’s not just about economics, it’s about social awareness.
Finitude is a concept that we must incorporate into our agenda in all the decisions we make, as it is also imperative to take into account at all times other factors such as fragility, limit, renunciation, responsibility and solidarity.
If we understand that resources are finite, we also understand that we cannot abuse them. This requires a great effort on the part of everyone, great generosity towards future generations.
It is crucial to correct, or at least improve and above all not to make the same mistakes of the past.
If we make a mistake again by building too much, we will turn Mallorca into an urbanization, if we do not convert buildings and constructions of 15 floors that visually damage our environment, we will be perpetuating the mistakes of the past.
The decisions that were made in those times were part of another era, of another mentality, and of a much poorer and more rudimentary economy.
Today’s is another Mallorca and new constructions have to adapt to current needs and requirements. Fortunately, the excessive voracity of those times to build and grow at any price led to excesses that would be unthinkable today.
We have learned a lot since then, I think we are now going in the right direction and we must be able to reverse those mistakes.
And this brings me to another concept of very important relevance in current times: Reversibility.
Reversibility is a constructive response to finitude.
The limitation of resources is especially acute in the Balearic Islands due to our insular condition.
When Spain joined the common market, before the existence of the European Economic Community, the negotiations did not establish any kind of limitations. It was the European Union, later on, that most restricted the freedom of movement, both of capital and of people.
In Spain, in particular, no restrictions were imposed on the mobility of people, which allowed any European citizen to settle here with the same rights as a Spanish citizen.
The negotiators saw Spain as a relatively large country with a relatively small population and said: «Whoever wants to can come and settle here.»
Spain… they thought of Spain as a whole, but in their decision they did not take into account the insular condition of Mallorca, of the Balearic Islands.
This did not happen in countries such as Denmark, for example, which limited the purchase of properties to first homes. Or Austria, because of its historical experiences with the German invasion.
With these facilities, many Germans began to come to Spain and when they recognized Mallorca as the paradise that it is, they decided to settle down and stay.
That was the origin of the current investment policy, where prices seem to always rise more, and more and more, because there are European citizens who can always pay more and more and more…
And so we have arrived at the housing problem, really critical, in which we find ourselves today.
During the weekends, when I can, I like to go out and enjoy long walks in the countryside, and observe our surroundings and what is happening around us.
In my walks, I see the construction, and I worry that, in the long term, Mallorca could become a large urbanization full of houses close to each other.
Of course, I am not saying that the arrival of European or foreign residents should be limited, on the contrary, because that would be neither viable nor intelligent for the growth and strength of our economy, but I believe that it is vital that politicians seek, find or create mechanisms that respect the regulations and promote the reconversion of existing resources. focusing on rebuilding and revitalizing what we already have: less construction, more rehabilitation and reform, and keeping the countryside and environment well cared for, even if it involves costs.
The new world requires us to be prepared to apply continuous improvements and updates.
In the history of the world, we find countless examples of how cathedrals have been converted into mosques and vice versa.
The Cathedral of Palma, for example, was built on the foundations of an old mosque and the Roman walls that protected the city.
Times change, and so do cities, environments, people, and priorities.
Everything should be subject to revision, reconversion and recycling, starting with ideas.
Joan, leadership is also what you have applied and contributed to Buades Legal since its foundation in 1979, a brilliant trajectory of more than 45 years of success…
What a precious responsibility, to lead and influence with such solidity and solvency in the legal landscape not only of the Balearic Islands, but also nationally and internationally.
Let’s talk about the structure and services of the firm today and what you would highlight as your main competitive and differential advantages
Well, it has been a very rewarding career but it is also a very demanding job that requires great dedication, a lot of rigor and great professionalism, very solid principles and values and of course a great professional ethic.
Basically, Buades Legal has the vocation of providing advice and transversal service in practically all branches of law.
It is clear that the needs of companies, public administrations and economic agents in general are different from those of individuals, which is why our transversality is more evident and even more relevant and valuable within the framework of our advice.
Towards private clients, whether national or foreign, our advice has an eminently real estate focus: investments, purchases, leases, urban planning problems, etc., and in some cases, also family.
For entrepreneurs and investors, the profile of Buades Legal is that of a firm specialising in tax matters, the purchase and sale of properties, European funds, etc., without forgetting the other branches and specialities of legal practice.
Within the framework of the changes that have been introduced in the legal sector of the Balearic Islands over the years and in the implementation of regulatory innovations, it could be said that at Buades Legal we have been spectators, however, in terms of their application and their implementation and permeabilization, We have tried to be actors, along with many others. Time will tell how much contribution we have made.
I believe that one of our main strengths lies in the wide range of practice areas and highly qualified professionals that we have assigned to each of them.
I will never tire of repeating that my greatest contribution has been to lead a magnificent group of legal professionals, compacting it, and together, trying to exercise the best professional practice.
It might seem like a modest contribution, but I consider it a very satisfactory achievement of which I am very proud.
Joan, and on a more personal note… About yourself, about your spectacular career and outstanding and recognized leadership positioning, what would you highlight as the most important achievements and milestones achieved so far?
Emulating the title of the magnificent novel by the Colombian writerJuan Gabriel Vasquez «Looking Back», I must be reasonably satisfied and emphasize two points of support that have been fundamental for me: on the one hand, as I say, the team we form Buades Legaland on the other, all those who entrust us and have entrusted us with the defence of their interests, the so-calledclients, but in whom I recognize, in many cases, the concept of friendship, since the passage of time and the relationship maintained has allowed those relationships to be refined.
One of the best returns of the legal profession is that professional practice makes you keep up to date with the social reality, with the privilege of being able to actively participate in it.
As we have mentioned before, leadership is very important, but a leader without a team has no possibility of development and a team without leadership would have important signs of possible disintegration.
I conceive leadership as an exercise in freeing up talent from teams, empowering them and creating leaders of their own responsibilities with them, all with a multiplying will.
I do not believe at all in the one and supreme leader. InBuades LegalWe systematically put into practice collegial and collaborative environments that favor multiple leadership.
My team and my clients, those are, for me, the two greatest achievements of my professional work.
I would also emphasize that everything I do and everything I have done, I have done passionately and with the greatest depth that I have been able to, which has allowed me to delve into many issues that have not only been very useful for work, but also for life itself.
For us, the best possible version of the legacy thatBuades LegalWhat I could leave to the sector in the Balearic Islands is that everything we do is done with the utmost respect for the values of commitment, professionalism and probity, which constitute the main basis of the triangle of our solid principles and values.
Joan, we have reviewed the present of Buades Legal and we have imagined the best possible version of the legacy of Buades Legal in the future.
Let’s now travel to the origins, to the beginning of your career. What motivated you to study law and what were the main desires and goals you had in your mind and heart when you founded Buades Legal 45 years ago?
At the age of seventeen, the age at which I began my university studies, I did not have a defined vocation, although I did know that I was not seduced by technical careers.
I opted for the legal profession because it seemed to me an exciting, vital profession and very close to the time in which we lived.
In the course of my degree I lived in a very turbulent environment and time, it was the end of Francoism and the beginning of the transition and I chose Law by going to study at the Central University of Barcelona.
Today, in retrospect, it is difficult for me to list specific cases or single out issues that have been, each in its own way and in its own measure, very important to me throughout my career.
Perhaps I am left with those interventions in very complex processes, usually investment projects that have generated wealth, or on the contrary business crises that have been very painful and have led to the disappearance of companies or activities closely linked to Mallorca.
Without forgetting, of course, cases that impacted me in a very direct and personal way because they involved a lot of effort, involvement, occupation and concern on my part.
Everything I’ve done has been important to me, and it’s all had a major impact on me.
Paraphrasing Antonio Machado, we could say that «I have made the path by walking» and I hope to continue doing so.
Joan Buades Feliu, «Testimonios para la Historia» – por Ángel Font
Joan, in such a volatile and unstable global environment, what would be your perspectives on the legal industry in the Balearic Islands, and what recent changes in legal trends do you find particularly significant?
I think that the changes that are happening to us today are so far-reaching, so disruptive, so intense and so successive, that although I do not have a magic wand to be able to predict, I do predict important and transcendental changes in the practice of law as well.
Generative AI, the perception of work and effort in the generations that are joining the labour market, the longevity factor due to good physical and mental fitness, together with other factors that we have already been integrating some time ago such as globalisation and internationalisation, all these factors have an impact on the configuration of a BANI Environment (*)
(*) A BANI Environment is one that is explained by the initials of four words to which these initials correspond in English – Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, and Incomprehensible. The BANI environment represents the current usual general state, since the pandemic disrupted, overnight, our previous way of life as we knew it.
There is no choice but to be very attentive and active in how society is evolving.
For our part, among the main guidelines ofBuades LegalLooking ahead, we have the multiple objective of deepening our strengths, correcting and improving our weaknesses, seizing opportunities and detecting threats in time.
Put like this, it might seem like an easy target, but I assure you that it is not.
Joan we all have a Love Story with Mallorca. I imagine that yours will be very easy to describe and convey, since you are Mallorcan…
Yes, I am Mallorcan by birth and by choice, because when I left Mallorca it was to study the degree and later I was working in Madrid and Barcelona, opting to finally return to Mallorca, a decision that I am very grateful to my spouse, as well as her tireless support and drive to make that decision, especially being Catalan and living, already married, in Barcelona.
My love affair with Mallorca has remained and will remain unchanged throughout my life. And by this I do not mean that sometimes, as a good lawyer, I am not critical or very critical of issues that affect Mallorca (laughs), but my knowledge of Mallorca is as deep as the love I feel for it, and my link and involvement with Mallorcan society can also be understood from the broadest sense.
Buades Legal is a firm with a clear Balearic vocation.
We have never considered settling in another territory, as we have a strong will to be deeply involved and maintain a very active presence in everything related to the Balearic economy and society.
Joan, what would be your final message to our readers about what they should know, – and retain – about the Balearic Islands and Mallorca, and what they can expect, – and find – at Buades Legal?
Mallorca, and the Balearic Islands as a whole, can offer its citizens, native or not, present or future, an unbeatable environment in which not only to develop their businesses, their investments or their lives in an environment of optimal quality of life, but also in a unique territory in the world capable of fulfilling all their desires and concerns.
In Buades Legal we want to actively contribute to making this possible, with our work we strive so that all those who entrust us with their interests are well advised, protected and accompanied, doing so with the utmost respect and from the depths of our values
That is our guarantee and our unwavering commitment to society, in the Balearic Islands and in the world.
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