Integration between law firms is still the order of the day in a legal market as fragmented as the Spanish one. The requirement to have a certain size in order to compete at a certain level, or simply to maintain growth, explains this trend that has been in vogue for years, although each operation must be approached from a strategic and detailed approach.

Sharing the vision and interests of the partners of each firm is key to guaranteeing a successful relationship. This is the opinion of Antonio Ñudi, who at the beginning of 2018 decided, together with his partner Carlos Peña, to integrate Urbe Asesores Jurídicos into the Andersen structure. Besides the project and a place in society, one of the motivations he found to negotiate was the fact of sharing a similar culture. "We were at a time when we needed a change in the firm, to see where we had to grow and what our strategy was".

Based on the idea that the merger should be considered a strategy and not an end, the reasons for taking the step may be many and varied. Among them, to achieve a competitive advantage by increasing revenues, adding new specialties or expanding geographically. "Not only is turnover sought, but also a business plan. It is not so much how you value what you contribute, but what you need to achieve that objective", emphasises Ñudi, for whom the most worrying thing is that customers understand the change.

However, nothing guarantees the success of the merger, as time may give rise to insurmountable differences, or directly fail to achieve the planned objectives. "Undoubtedly circumstances can arise and not work, and then you have to have that plan B. Which we did," concludes Andersen's partner.

The full article can be read in Confilegal.