EY Abogados: a firm with “its own brand”
The managing partner of EY Abogados, Ramón Palacín, details how the firm is adapting to a competitive environment and its plans to continue growing in the Spanish market.
by julia gil
“Our goal is to continue on the path of sustained growth.” These are the words of Ramón Palacín, managing partner of EY Abogados, part of the multidisciplinary firm EY. For more than five years, Palacín has been at the helm of the firm, which achieved 15% growth in 2023. All this, accompanied by revenues in excess of 196 million euros, data collected from the ranking of the firms with the highest revenues in Spain, carried out by Iberian Lawyer (link). But what are its future long-term objectives? Palacín is clear: to keep on the same path and to continue betting on young talent. In this exclusive interview, the firm’s managing partner shares his plans and strategies to achieve them. In addition, we also talk about the keys to maintaining young talent and the competition between the Big Four and local firms in Spain, which he calls “a natural challenge” for EY Abogados in the market for both projects and talent.
EY Abogados can be defined as an integrated firm within a multidisciplinary firm, how do you manage and move at the same speed?
The key to our agility lies in our ability to stamp our own identity on EY’s global strategy. Our competitive environment encompasses both other multidisciplinary firms and traditional law firms, which forces us to be versatile and efficient in both scenarios. When a large international company requires a global network and advice covering different specialties, it will inevitably turn to a big four, and there the competition is also very strong.
Which firm do you think you are most like?
EY Abogados shares structural similarities with Garrigues, although with our own particularities. Our tax area is significant, accounting for more than 50% of the firm, and we maintain a strong territorial presence in Spain, aspects that align us more with a national firm than with other big four firms.
In Iberian Lawyer‘s revenue, EY Abogados is positioned in fifth place with 196.4 million euros, with a 15% growth in 2023. What are the firm’s future objectives?
