Gateley’s Belfast office has bolstered its corporate-finance expertise with the appointment of Jose Lazaro.

Lazaro is qualified in Spain, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and England and Wales.

He has extensive domestic and cross-border experience in corporate, finance. and commercial law – including mergers and acquisitions, banking transactions, and commercial contracts.

Lazaro was the first Spanish lawyer to qualify in Northern Ireland as a solicitor, and in 2022 was appointed as Spain’s honorary vice-consul in Belfast.

International deals

He has been a member of the Irish Maritime Law Association since 2013, and is also the current Secretariat of the Consular Association of Northern Ireland.

Gateley’s Belfast office is located on Donegall Square East, and is home to 30 staff, all of whom are dual-qualified and can practise law and advise clients in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

“Our current deal pipeline remains strong for 2024 and, with an increasing number of transactions likely to have an international element over the coming year, Jose’s arrival could not have come at a better time,” said Alison Reid (partner and office head, Gateley Legal Northern Ireland).