Ejaso celebrates its 40th anniversary
Iberian Lawyer reviews with the partners and members of the Board of Directors of Ejaso, the trajectory of the law firm from its foundation until today
From left to right (top): José Luis Navasqüés Torroba and Juan Enrique Altimis Ibañes; (bottom): Manuel González-Haba Poggio and Gonzalo Grandes Hernández.
by julia gil
Ejaso was founded in 1984 in Spain. Throughout its four decades of life, the national firm has made its way among the leading Spanish law firms in business law and focused on the middle market, consolidating a growth and expansion project that has led it to obtain revenues of 23.61 million euros in 2023.
The history
Estudio Jurídico y Asociados (Ejaso) started out in the world of law, focusing on the hydrocarbons sector. From the outset, the firm established two fundamental pillars: a department specialising in competition law and a solid labour branch. However, with the idea of evolving into a multidisciplinary firm and professionalising its services, tax advice was soon added to its offer. A memorable anecdote, shared by Gonzalo Grandes Hernández, partner and member of the Board of Directors, recalled the origins of the firm: the four founding partners forged their friendship during their military service in Melilla in 1984.
Over the years, the firm experienced sustained growth, increasing its geographical scope and specialisation. They expanded to Barcelona in 1997, then to Seville and later to Valencia. Trying to strike a balance between “maintaining the essence of law or the essence of partnership”, as Grandes explains, they wanted to distance themselves from the Anglo-Saxon model of performance by seeking a more reasonable billing model, which was not based on competitiveness, but rather on “seeking closeness, a good atmosphere and collaboration between departments”. In 2008, they took a step towards diversification with the creation of the commercial and tax department. In the following years, its expansion became evident through the opening of new offices throughout Spain and the integration of firms such as LV, Rubio & Asociados, AT.VIGO, LOYRA and Acuerdo, thus strengthening its presence.
The present
With an Ejaso team of more than 250 lawyers, professionals and other staff, distributed in nine offices in two countries, it has obtained a turnover of 23.61 million euros in 2023 in Iberia (Spain and Portugal), highlighting areas such as private equity, tax and commercial law, as those that have brought the firm the highest profit. Madrid continues to be the driving force and headquarters of the firm, while the rest of the offices in Spain continue to experience gradual growth. In Portugal, the Lisbon labour boutique reported a profit of €340k to total revenues in 2023.
