Lawyers in Spain

How the legal profession is organised in Spain

A lawyer in Spain is called an abogado. To practise, an abogado must be registered with a bar association (Colegio de Abogados); there is one for each province or large city, and the General Council of Spanish Lawyers (Consejo General de la Abogacía Española) brings them together at national level. Registration with a bar association is what the lawyers on this page have in common.

Two other professionals appear in many Spanish matters. A notario is a public official who authenticates documents such as property deeds, wills and company formations; signing before a notary is what gives them their formal force. In some court proceedings a procurador represents the party before the court alongside the abogado. Your lawyer tells you which of them your case needs and what each costs.

What foreigners most often need a lawyer for

• Identification and residence — the foreigner's identification number (NIE), residence permits and visas, and the paperwork that goes with them.
• Property — checking a property and its owner before buying, the purchase deed, taxes on the purchase, and disputes with a seller, a developer or a community of owners.
• Tax — returns of residents and non-residents, tax on income from abroad, wealth tax and the registration of the self-employed.
• Inheritance — wills, and the settlement of an estate that includes property or accounts in Spain.
• Family matters — divorce, custody and maintenance, especially when the family lives in more than one country.
• Business — setting up as self-employed or a company, contracts, licences and trademarks.
• Criminal and administrative matters — fines, traffic offences, certificates and procedures before the authorities.

Each of these is an area of law on this page: open it to see the services it contains, what each one involves in Spain and the lawyers who provide it.

How to choose a lawyer

• Check that the lawyer is registered with a bar association — every lawyer listed here is.
• Look for experience in your kind of matter: the cards show the cases handled, the years in practice and, where there are reviews, the rating.
• Pick the city nearest to you, or the one where the matter will be dealt with; many matters can also be handled by phone, e-mail and video, or through a power of attorney.
• Ask for the fee and what it covers in writing before you start.

How this site works

This site is an information service, not a law firm, and nothing on it is legal advice. It shows the lawyers who work in English in Spain, what each area of law means here and where the lawyers have their offices. Describe your situation in the chat and a lawyer who handles this kind of matter replies, without obligation.