THE FIRM
The professional career paths of the managing partners of ALTALEX, Eduardo Castaño and Carlos Gabarró, overlapped in 1996 in a renowned Barcelona-based firm of tax consultants although two years later their careers were to go their separate ways. In 1998, Carlos joined the largest law firm in the country, Garrigues & Andersen, where he remained until 2000, when he was reached to join Ernst & Young (EY). Eduardo continued in the tax and corporate law practice and took over the management of the firm in 2002.
Carlos Gabarró held leading positions with EY in the US and Spain. Meanwhile, Eduardo Castaño took the lead and growth of the Firm”
Eduardo Castaño focused his professional efforts on tax and corporate law consultancy for privately held corporate groups, high net worth individuals and investors in start-ups, business angels and venture capital managers, not only in the area of tax and legal advice but also demonstrating a special talent as an advisor in several different areas of his clients’ businesses. Eduardo’s clients consider him an indispensable travel companion throughout this professional journey.
Carlos Gabarró, for his part, advises high net worth families as well as private medium-sized corporates and major multinationals in reorganization procedures and transactions with an international content, holding leading possitions in EY’s offices in Barcelona and New York and consolidating contacts in many different countries around the world.
ALTALEX fills the gaps of the medium-sized and the largest Firms”
Both professionals became aware of the shortcomings in the legal and tax areas of Spanish firms. In the major firms, the pressure on partners to meet revenue goals on priority accounts and, to a certain extent, the involvement of less qualified professionals in projects, high staff turnover and relatively high fees in order to cover structural costs. In the medium sized and smaller firms, environments more suited to generalist practice and relatively little experience in the international practice and, on occasion, with excessive dependence for their income on fees charged for services with little added value (accountancy, tax returns, payroll services).
A BENCHMARK FIRM
The opportunity presents itself given that many of their clients highly valued both professionals’ business acumen as well as a high level of expertise in the international legal and tax practice. In December 2012, they decide to join forces and associate, and the 15-strong professional team that now makes up ALTALEX ASESORES, S.L. is renowned for their professional excellence.
A global approach beyond tax and legal advisory”
ALTALEX focuses exclusively on areas of specialty in which we can genuinely deliver value-added differentiation: International, Private Wealth, Venture Capitals & Startups and Mergers & Acquisitions. All of this, without mentioning the obvious, and that is that our firm boasts a team of highly dedicated and thorough professionals, each of whom possess expertise in compliance procedures and processes for specific clients, including regular corporate reporting and secretarial services.