Marlen Estévez launches Marest Law with 5 practice areas

The new business law firm will focus on corporate advisory and dispute resolution, with an AI-native operating model and an academic and business advisory board. Iberian Lawyer first revealed Estévez’s plans to launch an independent firm on 23 September

Iberian Lawyer can exclusively anticipate that Marlen Estévez  (pictured) has officially launched Marest Law, a new business law firm based in Madrid’s Justicia neighbourhood, with five practice areas: Dispute Resolution, M&A and Corporate Law, Restructuring and Insolvency, Labour and Tax.

The launch confirms the plans first reported by Iberian Lawyer on 23 September, when this publication revealed that Estévez was preparing to establish her own independent firm (read the original report). She subsequently confirmed her departure from RocaJunyent in a LinkedIn post, announcing that she had officially left the firm on 30 September after almost nine years.

Marest Law will advise companies, executives and investors on domestic and international matters, combining direct involvement from senior lawyers with a network of law firms and specialists across different jurisdictions. The firm also plans to establish an academic and business advisory board, whose members have yet to be announced.

A model built on seniority and technology

Under the concept of Building Bridges, Marest Law aims to connect legal advice with business strategy, bringing together professionals from different specialisms and jurisdictions according to the needs of each matter. The firm describes itself as AI-native, with technology integrated into its working methods from the outset to reduce routine tasks and allow lawyers to focus on legal judgement, strategy and client relationships. Its model also places particular emphasis on direct partner involvement.

“For years, we have shown that legal excellence is essential, but it is no longer enough. Companies need lawyers who can understand the business, connect different perspectives and take part in the decisions that will shape their future. MAREST was created in response to that reality, with a model in which experience, judgement and the personal involvement of the partner are non-negotiable. I see legal practice as a long-term relationship built on trust: moving from reacting to problems to anticipating them, and from stepping in once a dispute has already arisen to being there when the decision is being made. Our mission is to build bridges that help clients make better decisions, and that is where we want to be alongside them: when those decisions are made,” anticipates Marlen Estévez Sanz, founder of Marest Law to Iberian Lawyer.

A career focused on dispute resolution

Estévez has built much of her career around litigation, arbitration and mediation, alongside corporate governance. She has advised listed companies, financial institutions, funds and investors on complex, multi-jurisdictional matters, particularly disputes arising from corporate transactions, directors’ liability and shareholder conflicts. Her practice also includes advising boards of directors, board committees and senior executives on risk management, corporate decision-making and compliance with directors’ duties.

Alongside her private practice, Estévez has developed a significant institutional profile. She chairs the Madrid Business Mediation Centre (CMEM) and CIIAM Mediación, and is the founder and president of Women in a Legal World (WLW). She is also involved in national and international arbitration and mediation organisations, including the International Bar Association (IBA) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

An academic and business advisory board still taking shape

One of the elements of the new firm’s structure will be an academic and business advisory board, currently being assembled. According to the firm, its role will be to provide perspectives beyond strictly legal analysis, particularly on the economic and reputational implications of complex business decisions, corporate governance, AI governance and dispute resolution. The board will not provide legal advice, which will remain the responsibility of Marest Law’s lawyers, but will act as a forum for discussing strategies and assessing complex matters.