Cuatrecasas Goncalves Pereira has opened a new office in Malaga through a merger with local boutique Romero & Robles.

Founding partners Francisco Romero and Jorge Robles will head up the new base for Cuatrecasas, with Romero taking the managing partner role.

Robles previously worked at Cuatrecasas between 1999 and 2006 before setting up the boutique along with Romero after a short stint at law firm RL in Malaga in 2007.

The office will specialise in business law with a focus on corporate and litigation. Seven Cuatrecasas lawyers from the Spanish leader's other offices are set to relocate to the new base in the coming weeks.

Cuatrecasas Seville managing partner Luis Olivencia said: "By coordinating and increasing the cooperation between the Seville and Malaga offices, we will be able to strengthen our presence in the autonomous region of Andalusia."

The firm has taken a number of major roles this year advising Spain's savings banks on merger deals as the country attempts to stabilise its economy.

Deals the firm has acted on have included the €4.2bn (£3.5bn) merger of Caixa Catalunya, Caixa Tarragona and Caixa Manresa in May, and, more recently, Banco Popular's joint venture with French bank Credit Mutuel-CIC.

The firm is currently planning for the consolidation of its Madrid presence on new premises in 2012. Expansion in recent years has meant that the firm has operated from three separate offices in the Salamanca district of the city.