Who We Are

The practice that gave rise to what Ganado Advocates is today started off originally as a typical Maltese law office, customarily made up of a sole practitioner, with other lawyers in the family supporting and taking over from one generation to the next. The first Ganado lawyer was Luigi Ganado, later judge (1833-1903), the father of Edgar Ganado and Robert Ganado, both lawyers and later judges. In his early years, Edgar Ganado (1884-1960) entered the law practice of Avvocato Massimiliano Debono (1850-1932), his father-in-law, before becoming Crown Counsel at a time when Malta was a British colony, and later judge.

When Edgar’s son, Joseph (b.1925), returned to Malta from his PhD studies at the University of London in 1951, he continued the practice. He set up office in the Valletta building we still occupy today which, nowadays, still forms the core of our office premises.

During the mid-1960s, the practice took more of an international dimension as the shipping industry in Malta started burgeoning. Up till the late 1970s, the practice was becoming even more known on international grounds thanks to Prof. Joseph M. Ganado’s connections with the International Bar Association (IBA).

In the early 1970s, up until the early 1980s, the practice was involved in the most high-profile litigation cases happening on the island, most of which were led by Prof. Joseph M. Ganado.

The firm, as structured today, finds its genesis in 1983, when Prof. Joseph M. Ganado, his nephew Philip Bianchi (b. 1949) and his son Max (b. 1959) created Prof. J. M. Ganado & Associates, Advocates (later Ganado & Associates, Advocates, when Professor Ganado retired). As its maritime practice grew significantly in the 1980s, the firm shed its family ownership and admitted more partners, with initially Adrian Gabarretta, Louis Cassar Pullicino, Stefan Frendo and Adrian Borg Cardona.

As a result of Malta’s preparation for the application to EU accession, which saw a complete overhaul of the country’s financial services regulation and Malta gaining its status as an onshore jurisdiction, the firm expanded its service offering to include investments services and funds, banking, insurance and corporate as new practice areas.

In 1995, the firm continued expanding its global reach as it became the exclusive member firm in Malta for Lex Mundi. Today, Lex Mundi is the world’s leading network of independent law firms with in-depth experience in 125+ countries worldwide.

As Malta became a full EU member state in 2004, the firm experienced significant growth as more practice areas were developed to better serve the international market.

The office space as seen today was created by joining several buildings (some built during the time of the Order of St. John) and fully renovating to blend functionality with the Order’s mannerist architectural style.

A tribute from the University of Malta was published in the local media to commemorate the founder of the firm, Prof. Joseph M. Ganado, who sadly passed away that year.

The firm’s first office located outside of Malta officially opens in Luxembourg, reflecting its continuous growth and ambitious plans for the future.