Spain's Gomez-Acebo & Pombo is to merge with Nabarro's Spanish ally Rodes & Sala.

Four-partner Rodes & Sala will merge with into Gomez-Acebo with effect from tomorrow (1 July), with all four partners – including the boutique's founding partners Gonzalo Rodes and Rafael Sala – becoming Gomez-Acebo partners. In total, 22 lawyers will move across to Gomez-Acebo.

Rodes & Sala became the fifth member of Nabarro's network of continental Europe referral firms in March last year, when it joined along with Italian firm Nunziante Magrone. However, the Spanish firm has since lost a number of lawyers – effectively halving its size and forcing it to look at rebuilding.

Rodes said: "Gomez-Acebo represents the best integration option available in the market both for us and for our clients. We will now be able to offer legal advice in more areas and have more resources at our disposal, since Gomez-Acebo is one of the most renowned law firms in Spain."

Nabarro hopes to continue working with the Rodes & Sala lawyers at Gomez-Acebo, but on a non-exclusive basis. Nabarro senior partner Simon Johnston said the firm will not rush to tie-up with a new Spanish ally but will look at doing so in the medium term.

Johnston commented: "We are happy for them that they are able to join such a good firm but also, of course, disappointed that they could not remain independent and part of our alliance. As far as we were concerned we had a strong alliance but we understand that they had to take this step due to the circumstances and the opportunity presented."