The legal sector is undergoing a profound transformation. Technology, new business models, and the evolution of legal organisations are redefining not only how law is practised, but also how firms are led.
This is the case of Sonia Urquiza Royo, founding partner and director of URA Urquiza Abogados, a multidisciplinary boutique firm focused on business law, with offices in both Canary Islands capitals and advising national and international clients. Her career path reflects a decision that is not always common in the legal sector: after training at one of the largest firms in the Spanish market, she chose to leave that structure and create her own practice.
Rather than a break with what she had learned, it was an evolution in her understanding of legal practice and of leadership within a firm.
Leading your own project in the legal profession
Sonia Urquiza’s time at a leading firm was crucial in establishing a professional foundation characterized by rigor, methodology, and technical excellence. This experience continues to shape her approach to the profession. However, over time she clearly identified what she wanted to add to that standard: a more intense, personalized, and sustained level of client dedication.
“The difference lies not only in legal knowledge, but also in how the client is supported when the decision is complex, time is short, and the risk is real.”
With this conviction, URA Urquiza Abogados was founded. The firm is built on a clear principle: maintaining the highest technical standards while simultaneously elevating the level of client service. For Urquiza, legal advice should not be limited to intervening in specific cases, but rather involve understanding the business, being consistently involved, and supporting companies in their strategic decisions. This approach also explains their commitment to stable, long-term professional relationships, in which the lawyer acts not only as a specialist at a particular moment, but as a trusted advisor capable of providing ongoing value.
“The real difference lies in the level of commitment with which each task is undertaken.”
This idea of commitment permeates their entire approach to the profession. It’s not just about doing a good job, but about doing so with a level of responsibility and involvement that the client perceives as an essential part of the service. In an increasingly demanding business environment, this constant, rigorous, and approachable presence is what ultimately transforms consulting into a relationship of trust.
“The difficult thing is not knowing, the difficult thing is being.”
Female Leadership and Invisible Barriers
Female leadership in the legal profession has advanced significantly in recent years, but Sonia Urquiza believes that structural and cultural obstacles still persist that continue to limit the access of many women to management positions within law firms.
In many cases, these are not explicit barriers, but rather less visible dynamics. In still heavily male-dominated business environments, many women may find it more difficult to build certain relationships of trust on equal terms, something that silently influences both their access to opportunities and their career advancement.
In addition, another factor continues to have a real impact on many career paths: shared responsibility in the domestic sphere. As long as the balanced distribution of family responsibilities is not fully normalized, <>.
“There is no easy path. It is built with preparation, perseverance, and hard work.”
Building a firm with its own identity
When he decided to found URA Urquiza Abogados, one of his first strategic decisions was to establish a firm in both of the Canary Islands’ capital cities. This wasn’t a matter of image or a matter of formal expansion, but rather a coherent response to the reality of the archipelago’s business landscape, where many companies operate simultaneously across different islands and require close and coordinated advice.
This territorial presence has allowed the firm to position itself as a relevant interlocutor for national and international clients with interests in the Canary Islands, who value having a team with a real presence in the territory, knowledge of the environment and the ability to respond immediately.
But for Urquiza, a company’s identity isn’t defined solely by its location, but by how it operates. That’s why, alongside its territorial presence, URA has focused on a very clear internal culture: technical rigor, responsibility, independent judgment, agile decision-making, and a solution-oriented approach.
Leadership and legal excellence
URA Urquiza Abogados has been recognized in various awards and rankings for its work in commercial law and M&A transactions, consolidating its position within the legal market. Along this path, the firm has also achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first Canary Islands firm to be included in Chambers & Partners, and, simultaneously, Sonia Urquiza became the first Canary Islands lawyer practicing from the islands to receive this recognition in the directory.
Beyond these milestones, Urquiza understands leadership as the ability to translate individual rigor to the entire firm: to the team, to decision-making, and to a recognizable way of working. For her, technical excellence is essential, but leadership begins when that level becomes the firm’s culture.
Leadership in the future of law
When asked what advice she would give to a young lawyer who wants to advance her career or lead a firm, Sonia Urquiza is clear: the first thing is to build a solid technical foundation. In a profession like this, trust is earned through preparation, methodology, and sound judgment.
But that’s not enough. Work ethic, professional ethics, the reputation built over time, and the environment in which one chooses to grow also matter. For Urquiza, choosing the right team, learning from good role models, and working consistently are fundamental to building any solid career.
And if you also want to lead a firm, you must understand that leadership is not just about knowing the law. It also requires organizational skills, sound judgment in decision-making, and the responsibility to maintain a high standard of quality while remaining approachable.
Ultimately, this is also the idea behind the URA Urquiza Abogados project: a way of practicing law where technical excellence is taken for granted, and where the real difference lies in involvement. In getting to know the client thoroughly, in truly understanding what’s at stake, and in approaching each case with the same level of rigor, responsibility, and commitment as if it were one’s own. Because that, in the end, is what distinguishes a true partner: the ability to embrace the client’s challenge and earn that trust.
