Ejaso accelerates its expansion: “We want to be a real alternative in the Iberian market”
Manuel González-Haba Poggio analyzes for Iberian Lawyer Ejaso’s expansion strategy, driven by new office openings, inorganic growth and the ambition to become one of the leading players in the Iberian mid-market
by gonzalo blázquez de sande
Ejaso is currently going through one of the most dynamic periods in its history. In May, the firm completed the integration of the DS Avocats team in Barcelona, alongside the opening of a new office in Vitoria (Basque Country). This follows earlier growth in Galicia and the consolidation of its presence in Portugal (see news) last March. The strategy does not follow a fixed expansion map, but reflects a clear ambition: to gain scale, attract talent and consolidate itself as a full-service reference firm in the Iberian mid-market. Manuel González-Haba Poggio, managing partner of Ejaso’s corporate practice, speaks to Iberian Lawyer about the firm’s current expansion momentum.
“We don’t have a fixed policy of ‘we must open here or there’. What we are clear about is that we want to operate outside Madrid,” González-Haba explains. “There are regions in Spain where a mid-market firm can compete very effectively with larger brands in terms of volume or positioning.”
The firm says its growth is not driven by forced expansion but by opportunities linked to talent. “Offices emerge from people. It’s not that we thought of opening in Vitoria; we met the right partner, and everything started to make sense,” he says. “If you have people who don’t call you to report problems, but to say ‘I want to grow here’, then things are working.”
This model has already proven successful in Galicia, one of the firm’s strongest expansion bets. “A Coruña is booming; we are probably already one of the leading firms in Galicia. And now the same is happening in Vigo.”
BARCELONA: FROM BOUTIQUE TO FULL SERVICE
One of the most relevant recent moves has been the integration of DS Avocats in Barcelona in May, a transaction that transforms Ejaso’s positioning in Catalonia. “We were already in Barcelona, but we were very boutique: competition and labour. If you want to play in the corporate space, you need corporate and tax; that is the real barrier to entry,” González-Haba notes.
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