Thus, ECIJA consolidates its leadership in Latin America, adding up to 11 territories and 13 offices in the continent
This article was published on Expansión.
ECIJA kicks off 2020 carrying on the growing path outlined along previous years by its arrival at a new market in Latin America, which will be the eleventh of the Firm in the American continent. Through the merger with Chacón & Rodríguez, S.C., ECIJA achieves to start operations in Mexico, a key country for ECIJA’s clients’ strategy. Initially, the ECIJA team in Mexico will be composed by 4 new partners and 21 professionals, which places ECIJA amongst the leader firms in the country. With this integration, the Firm strengths its leadership as the largest Spanish firm with presence in Latin America, with offices in eleven countries, and opens its 22th headquarter globally.
The Mexican team, which will work under ECIJA brand, will be led by the new partners of the Firm Ricardo Chacón, Joaquín Rodríguez, Alejandro Linares and Armando Salinas, with a team of 21 professionals, aiming to grow significantly in the following months. ECIJA’s new office in Mexico is a multidisciplinary law firm with wide professional experience. It specializes in advising Mexican and foreign clients in international transactions, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, project finance, aviation law, compliance, technology, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, energy and real estate law, among others.
This last merger results in a headcount of 96 partners and more than 500 professionals spread in 13 countries (Spain, Portugal, United States, Panama, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Chile, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Puerto Rico and Mexico).
Ricardo Chacón, Founding Partner of Chacón & Rodríguez, S.C. and, currently, Managing Partner at ECIJA Mexico, has pointed out that the integration process has been easy thanks to the firms culture: “Both firms share not only the business perspective and excellence in the services to clients, but also have equal values, a diversity commitment and meritocracy in our structures”.
Regarding the Firm’s decision to enter the Mexican market, Alejandro Touriño, Managing Partner at ECIJA, has explained: “ECIJA’s bet on this country is due to the Firm’s obligation towards its clients in providing them with a global coverage in their transactions. In this context, Spain is the second largest international investor in Mexico, and we see how investment appetite is going to continue being positive”.
ECIJA, one of the Spanish firms that has grown the most during the last years, has merged with 15 firms in the last two years, 9 of them during 2019. Moreover, ECIJA announced a joint venture with the Chinese law firm Grandall, the fifth largest firm in the Asian country, following a policy aimed at consolidating ECIJA amongst the top tier firms in the international market by connecting its clients with the whole world. According to Touriño, Chacón & Rodríguez merger is an important step in the Firm’s internationalization strategy and it means the first step of others that are about to come along this year: “We are aware of the relevant markets that are still left to cover and, in 2020 we hope to announce new movements of the Firm.”
