Ecija integrates Vidal & Cía. and expands in Peru
Ecija has expanded its Peruvian practice through the integration of labour law firm Vidal & Cía., alongside a series of lateral hires and internal promotions in its Lima office. The moves strengthen the firm’s labour, tax, compliance, gaming, corporate and TMT practices in the country.
Labour practice integration
Vidal & Cía. is a firm specialised in labour law led by Michael Vidal, who joins Ecija as partner together with his team. Vidal has more than 25 years of experience in Labour and Labour Procedural Law, covering consultancy, litigation, collective bargaining and labour dispute management. He previously held leadership roles at Estudio Echecopar, EY and Hernández & Cía. before founding Vidal & Cía., and has also worked as a university professor and served as past president of the Instituto Peruano del Derecho del Trabajo y la Seguridad Social.
The labour team has been further reinforced with the promotion of Martha Girón to partner and Alexandra Ortiz to director within the practice.
Tax, compliance and new associates
Ecija has also reinforced its tax practice with the arrival of Gabriela Saavedra as director of tax, together with her team. Saavedra, who has more than 15 years of experience, joins from Muñiz, Olaya, Meléndez, Castro, Ono & Herrera Abogados, where she was a partner in the Tax area advising clients across various economic sectors. Her practice covers tax consultancy, fiscal planning, corporate reorganisations, SUNAT audits, contentious and non-contentious proceedings, tax due diligence and litigation before the Tribunal Fiscal and the judiciary. She holds a law degree from Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos and specialised studies in international taxation, transfer pricing and digital taxation.
The Lima office has also added Eduardo Linares as director of compliance and gaming, joining from Ontier together with a member of his team, reinforcing the firm’s capabilities in regulatory compliance, data protection, risk management and gaming sector advisory. Three additional associates have joined the labour, corporate and TMT teams.
Firm commentary
Eduardo Benavides, managing partner of Ecija Peru, said the integration of Michael Vidal and his team, together with the arrival of Gabriela Saavedra and the reinforcement of the compliance, gaming, corporate and TMT areas, “reflects a strategy to build a firm capable of accompanying clients across their business challenges”. He added that “the growth combines the arrival of external talent with the promotion of the firm’s own professionals, describing it as a long-term commitment to the Peruvian market”.
Firm presence in Peru
The moves are part of Ecija’s expansion strategy in Peru, where the firm now counts 10 partners and 28 lawyers. The law firm operates in 18 countries with more than 1,400 professionals, advising domestic and international companies with a focus on digital economy, technology and artificial intelligence matters.
