Boutique international
law firm in Madrid
A selective caseload and direct partner attention since 1982 — for companies and for individuals alike.
Dechamps Abogados advises individuals, families, companies and private clients on matters that cross two or more countries: inheritance, tax residence, matrimonial property, real estate investment and corporate transactions.
Your matter is handled personally by René Dechamps Azanza, a Spanish-Belgian lawyer admitted to the Madrid Bar, with legal training in both Spain and Belgium and more than four decades of practice. You work with a single senior point of contact, from the first analysis to the completion of the matter.
The first meeting is free of charge and without obligation.
Your matter, in your language, from start to finish
Español · Français · English · Nederlands
We do not translate: the lawyer who analyses your case, advises you and signs the documents speaks your language. In a matter that spans two countries, understanding each other without intermediaries is not a convenience — it is part of the outcome.
Continuity, senior legal judgement, and one point of contact
Our model is built for clients who value direct partner attention, discretion and long-term continuity over a departmental structure. We deliberately keep a low caseload.
Some matters do not need a large structure — they need senior judgement and a lawyer who knows the file from start to finish. If your case calls for coordinated Spanish and foreign law, fast turnaround and a stable relationship over time, our model fits.
The same direct attention as always, with today's technical means. The first meeting can take place in person in Madrid or by video call, documents travel through encrypted channels and we reply to every enquiry in less than two working days. What decides whether a matter fits is not its size, but whether it spans two legal systems and calls for judgement.
Client profiles
Our clients always have one thing in common: a legal matter that touches at least two countries. It is the subject matter that counts, not the size of the estate.
Individuals with a matter between two countries
An estate nobody ever settled, a home in Spain while living abroad, a marriage or a move that changes your tax position. You do not need complex wealth to need someone who understands both legal systems at once.
Foreign companies in Spain
European companies with a subsidiary, branch or recurring operations on Spanish territory. Setup, tax, commercial contracting.
International wealth
Individuals with assets, income or interests in more than one country. Tax planning, filings, change of residence.
Families and cross-border successions
Inheritances with elements in several jurisdictions, family business, generational handover, family charter.
Foreign investors
Corporate or real estate investment in Spain, with or without residence. Holding structures and tax optimisation.
Spanish companies going abroad
SMEs and family businesses expanding beyond Spain. Corporate structure, tax and international contracting.
Trusted by
The firm’s long-standing clients include top-tier foreign companies and private clients that require continuous, discreet legal advice over decades.
FGH Bank
Nationale-
ASTIC
Lois
FRIFOR
Today the firm works with families, individuals, associations and business groups on matters between Spain and Belgium, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Andorra, Switzerland, the United States, Brazil or the Philippines.
Six areas, one approach
Our practice areas are closely connected: every matter integrates tax, corporate and international analysis from the outset.
International Law
Cross-border transactions, foreign investment, international commercial disputes and arbitration.
See international law practice 02 · TAXTax Law
Tax planning and defence for companies and wealth, Spanish and international. Tax audits and administrative litigation.
See international tax practice 03 · CORPORATECorporate and Commercial Law
Company formation and corporate operations, M&A, shareholders’ agreements, due diligence, commercial contracts.
See corporate and commercial practice 04 · SUCCESSIONCross-Border Succession
Estates and estate planning with cross-border elements. EU Regulation 650/2012 and bilateral treaties.
See cross-border succession practice 05 · FAMILY BUSINESSFamily Business & Wealth
Family business, charter, business succession and private wealth with the discretion the matter requires.
See family business practice 06 · REAL ESTATEReal Estate Law
Sales, leases, investment structures and tax treatment of real estate transactions.
See real estate practiceFrom the first meeting to closing
We work transparently from the first minute. These are the standard steps when a client contacts the firm.
1First meeting
A conversation — in person in Madrid or by video call, with no need to travel — to understand the matter and give you a clear starting view. Free of charge and without obligation. Always led by the founding partner.
2Fixed-price analysis
If you decide to go ahead, the first phase is always an analysis that concludes in a written report setting out the diagnosis, the options and their consequences. It is quoted at a fixed price: you know from the outset what it costs and what you receive.
3Handling the matter
The next phase is quoted separately, once the scope is known, and you decide then whether to proceed. The founding partner handles it personally, with the same person as your point of contact from start to finish.
4Closing and follow-up
At closing, a written assessment of the outcome and, where relevant, follow-up recommendations — renewals, limitation periods, periodic reviews. The relationship does not end with the final invoice.
The firm's work — presented with the discretion the profession requires
Out of respect for professional privilege, we do not name clients or give identifiable details. The first three are ongoing matters in 2026; the others are concluded matters that illustrate the firm's track record.
Mandate: review the Spanish tax position of a Dutch non-profit association that runs its secretariat from Madrid, and regularise it where necessary.
Approach: analysis of the tax obligations arising from its presence in Spain, the Spain–Netherlands double tax treaty and the voluntary disclosure route before the Spanish tax authority; report drafted in English so that the board in the Netherlands can read it without translation.
Mandate: settle the estate of a home in Spain that had been left unprocessed for years, with heirs living in Europe, the United States and Asia.
Approach: determination of the applicable law under EU Regulation 650/2012, Spanish tax numbers (NIE) for the heirs, acceptance through powers of attorney granted before a notary in each country of residence with the apostille, and all correspondence in English so that the six siblings read the same thing. Structured so that none of them has to travel to Spain.
Mandate: decide, before marrying in Spain, which matrimonial property regime suits them when Spanish, French and Tunisian law all come into play.
Approach: analysis of the law applicable to the matrimonial property regime under EU Regulation 2016/1103 and of its succession effects in the three legal systems, options for a marriage contract and their consequences, explained entirely in French.
Mandate: design the holding structure of a coastal residential property acquired by a Dutch family, integrating Spanish and Dutch taxation and the succession plan for the asset across generations.
Action: selection of the holding vehicle, analysis of the ES-NL double-tax treaty, integration with the Dutch succession plan, coordination with the notary and with Dutch correspondent counsel.
Outcome: a working structure with optimised tax treatment and a coherent succession plan across both jurisdictions.
Mandate: acquire a Spanish competitor in the same sector, with full due diligence and a tax-efficient acquisition structure.
Action: NDA and letter of intent, legal and tax due diligence, SPA negotiation, acquisition structure design, coordination with the buyer’s Belgian advisors and the seller’s counsel.
Outcome: deal closed on schedule. No material contingencies surfaced in post-closing review.
Mandate: regularise the client’s position regarding assets held in Germany (unfiled Modelo 720/721 declarations) and plan a complex succession with assets in both countries.
Action: voluntary disclosure before the Spanish tax authority (AEAT), analysis under EU Regulation 650/2012, choice of applicable law to the succession, drafting of a will coordinated with German law.
Outcome: tax position regularised with minimised penalties; succession planned with a predictable legal outcome in both jurisdictions.
René Dechamps Azanza
Spanish-Belgian. He obtained a law degree from the University of Louvain in 1971, with training in Belgian law, and a degree in Spanish law from the University of Navarra in 1973. He founded Dechamps & Asociados Abogados in 1982, after a decade at Moret Gudde Brinkman (later merged into Ernst & Young), where he was responsible for opening the Madrid office.
Specialist in international taxation, corporate and commercial law, and public and private international law. Speaks Spanish, French, English and Dutch.
Before making a decision with legal implications
Let’s talk it over. The first meeting — meant to understand your matter and give you a clear starting view — is free of charge and without obligation.
Request an initial meeting