The five law firms combining are: DJV-Estrada-Azcona (Spain) Becerril, Coca & Becerril (Mexico), Pinzon Pinzon & Asociados (Colombia), Aramburu Castañeda Boero (Peru) and GM Gestión Legal (Dominican Republic).

Ambitious project

The new entity will comprise 250 lawyers with 51 partners, including 33 equity partners. The five firms are combining into a single partnership, but the firms will retain their current names, while the entity will be headquartered in Madrid. Velae Legal Group will target clients including multinationals and middle-market companies, and will provide a range of advice including corporate and M&A; litigation and arbitration; commercial contracts, real estate, tax and labour law. José Antonio Alonso, senior partner of DJV-Estrada Azcona and founding partner of Velae Legal Group, said “Velae is an ambitious international project that seeks to respond to the needs of our customers in a globalised operating environment. We want to be where our customers need us, with the same quality, passion and delivery with which we work in Spain and Velae is without a doubt the most effective solution.”

Collaboration

Revenue at the Madrid-headquartered DJV totalled around €3.6 million in 2018. The firms form 40 years of professional experience in business law and are led by Pedro Navarrete and Eduardo Estada. The expansion follows six years of collaboration between DJV Abogados and Estrada-Azcona Abogados, which created the common brand DJV-EA Abogados. The main markets are in Portugal, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Italy and the United Kingdom. Pedro Navarrete, director of DJV, explained that “this agreement is a response to demand from our customers to internationalise.”