ECIJA has gained a Mexican office with the acquisition of Chacón & Rodríguez, the latest in a spate of international mergers forged by the growing Spanish independent law firm. The move sees four Mexican partners and 21 other staff join ECIJA, which lays claim to have the largest Latin American presence of any Spanish firm.

The office will assume the ECIJA brand and will be spear headed by partners Ricardo Chacón, Joaquín Rodríguez, Alejandro Linares and Armando Salinas. Its ambition is to grow significantly in the coming months. 

It will provide a full service with practice areas including mergers and acquisitions, litigation, project finance, aviation law, compliance, technology, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, energy and real estate law.

The acquisition boosts ECIJA’s headcount to 96 partners and more than 500 professionals spread across 13 countries: Spain, Portugal, the US, Panama, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Chile, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Chacón & Rodríguez founding partner Ricardo Chacón, who will serve as ECIJA’s Mexico managing partner, said the integration process had been smooth thanks to the firms’ cultures. 

“Both firms share not only the business perspective and excellence in the services to clients, but also have equal values, a diversity commitment and meritocracy in our structures,” he added.

Alejandro Touriño, managing partner at ECIJA, said: “ECIJA’s bet on this country is due to the firm’s obligation towards its clients in providing them with a global coverage in their transactions. In this context, Spain is the second-largest international investor in Mexico, and [we believe] investment appetite is going to continue being positive.”

ECIJA has merged with 15 firms in the last two years, 9 of them during 2019, as well as announcing a joint venture with China’s fifth-largest firm, Grandall. 

Touriño said the firm would continue to seek merger opportunities. “We are aware of the relevant markets that are still left to cover,” he said.