Strategic counsel for owners with too much to lose.
We work, very quietly, with founders, families, and closely-held boards on the handful of decisions that compound over a lifetime: succession, capital allocation, cross-border structure, and the rules that hold a family together after the founder is gone.
On what we do, and why it does not look like consulting.
We are a small partnership. There are three of us, three associates, and twelve clients at any given time. We do not take a mandate we cannot finish ourselves, and we do not sub-contract to a network.
Our work is the work nobody else wants to do quickly: the succession plan that takes six years, the family constitution that takes three drafts, the cross-border restructure that touches four jurisdictions and outlives two governments.
We do not sell products. We do not earn commission. We are paid by the hour and by the year, on fixed retainers, with no contingent fees of any kind. Our partners are the third generation of an industrial family, a tax barrister in private practice, and a former family-office CIO.
Most of our clients arrive on referral, on a recommendation from a private banker, a notary, or another client. We have never advertised.
If you have arrived here intentionally — please write. We will read it the same week.
What we actually do.
- I.
Succession & continuity
Multi-generational handover plans for closely-held businesses, structured to minimise tax and family friction.
- II.
Capital allocation
Independent reviews of distribution policy, retained-earnings strategy, and buy-back programmes. No commission, no third-party product.
- III.
Cross-border structuring
Quiet, conservative work on entity placement, residency, and treaty positioning. Two jurisdictions minimum, often more.
- IV.
Family governance
Constitutions, councils, conflict resolution. Designed to outlast the family member who signs them.
Selected mandates, last five years.
| YEAR | CLIENT TYPE | SCOPE | OUTCOME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Industrial group, Iberia | Succession + spin-off of three operating units | Closed 14 months ahead of mandatory transition |
| 2023 | Hospitality holding, Lisbon | Recap + minority rollover | Family retained operational control through 2030 |
| 2023 | Founder, Costa del Sol | Pre-exit residency restructure | Net tax exposure reduced by 41% |
| 2022 | Vineyard estate, Ribera del Duero | Five-branch family constitution | Ratified unanimously at 18-month mark |
| 2022 | European logistics platform | Cross-border treaty review | Two jurisdictions removed; one added |
| 2021 | Industrial heir, Madrid | Capital allocation rewrite | Payout ratio formalised; family alignment achieved |
Names withheld in accordance with mandate confidentiality.
Three partners.
Helena Ortiz
Founding partner · 21 YR
M&A · succession
James Whitaker
Partner · 18 YR
Cross-border tax · trusts
Mariana Costa
Partner · 14 YR
Family governance · capital allocation
By referral only.
We are not a public-facing firm. If you have arrived here through someone we have advised, please write to the partnership directly.
enquiries@stratos.example →