Garrigues is set to close its office in Romania as the firm moves to centralise its Central Eastern European (CEE) practice in Poland.

The Bucharest office will split off from the Spanish firm by the end of the year, while maintaining a 'best friends' agreement involving clients referrals where appropriate.

The news follows the addition of two new partners to Garrigues' Warsaw arm this month, with White & Case capital markets associate Filip Urbaniak and CMS Cameron McKenna corporate senior associate Piotr Sitarski both joining the firm's partnership in Poland.

Garrigues first opened in Bucharest in June 2008 through a tie-up with local outfit Mares & Asociatii SCA.

Garrigues CEE head Alejandro Miquel said: "These decisions are part of our current strategy in the CEE whereby the firm will centralise all its functions and services through its Warsaw office – an efficient gateway to all our clients' needs in this region."

The firm's Warsaw office specialises in corporate, M&A and capital markets.

Garrigues saw the departure of its former CEE head Jamie Fiuster Rufilanchas in December last year, when he left to set up a Spanish arm for Romanian firm Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii.

Following the closure of Garrigues' Romanian arm, the firm will have 10 offices outside of Spain including London, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Brussels, Lisbon, Oporto, Warsaw, Casablanca, Tangiers and Shanghai.