Fortuny Legal has launched its International Compliance Desk to advise organisations operating across multiple jurisdictions on the design, implementation, coordination and oversight of their compliance systems. The new practice area addresses the difficulties of managing and monitoring regulatory compliance in several countries at once, which often results in poor coordination between local legal teams applying different criteria in each jurisdiction and a parent company with no overall view.

The initiative formalises a line of work the firm has been developing over the past three years on cross-border compliance projects. The service is aimed both at Spanish companies with subsidiaries, investments or interests abroad and at international organisations that operate, or plan to operate, in Spain and the European Union.

Global direction, local execution

Led by Olga Vilà and built on Fortuny Legal’s methodology, the International Compliance Desk model combines single legal and strategic direction with specialist local knowledge in each jurisdiction. The firm leads, directs and coordinates the delivery of compliance projects across the countries involved, working with local experts under its direction. Clients therefore have a single point of contact, a common methodology and harmonised criteria, reducing the fragmentation that comes from managing compliance systems independently in each country.

‘When a company operates in several countries, it needs more than isolated local solutions. It requires a common methodology, consistent criteria and a governance structure that allows the parent company to maintain a global view of, and control over, its risks without giving up local knowledge,’ explains Olga Vilà, Manager of the Corporate Compliance & Governance Practice at Fortuny Legal and head of the International Compliance Desk.

‘Our aim is to bring order to the regulatory complexity that comes with international growth and to help organisations maintain a coherent compliance strategy, aligned with corporate standards and adapted to each jurisdiction,’ Vilà adds.

Areas of practice

The International Compliance Desk’s work covers, among others, the following areas:

• Compliance risks and systems: preparing, reviewing and updating multi-jurisdictional risk maps; designing, implementing and improving international compliance models; and consultancy and auditing services for cross-border compliance management systems, in line with ISO standards and applicable best practice.
• Global governance: defining harmonised governance and global cross-border compliance models; developing policies and methodologies for managing compliance risk at global and cross-border level; parent-subsidiary coordination and oversight; support for the local and/or parent company compliance function; and preparing reports for governing bodies.
• Corporate policies and standards: adapting and implementing policies across jurisdictions; integrating local, corporate and emerging risks; and risks linked to international sanctions and trade compliance.
• Cross-border internal investigations: directing and coordinating investigations with an international reach, including managing local teams and advisers.
• Operational support for the local compliance function: implant or secondment services provided directly in the relevant country or jurisdiction; advisory and/or secretariat services for local compliance committees; and direct assistance to compliance functions in whichever country or jurisdiction is required.

A model for managing international regulatory complexity

With the launch of the International Compliance Desk, Fortuny Legal strengthens its international compliance services, turning cross-border regulatory complexity into practical, consistent decisions aligned with the corporate standards of each organisation or group. Formally launched by the firm in 2026, the new practice area enables it to provide multi-jurisdictional services to multinational corporate groups. Against this backdrop, in 2027 Fortuny Legal will open an office in Mexico to strengthen its presence in Latin America and, in parallel, will roll out new knowledge formats such as Fortuny Criteria.

‘Organisations that entrust us with multi-jurisdictional projects need a compliance governance model that combines global oversight with local execution capability. This calls for harmonised methodologies and criteria that support consistent implementation and effective coordination from the parent company. Put graphically, it is about having a common “score”: a shared logic capable of integrating local and corporate risks with emerging ones, such as international sanctions or trade compliance,’ explains Miquel Fortuny, Managing Partner of Fortuny Legal.