Practice areas
Commercial and Corporate Law
We counsel large companies, SMEs, private clients and entrepreneurs of various sectors and activities, such as the services sector, hospitality industry, logistics, family businesses, construction companies, etc. in various subjects such as:
- Commercial contracts (national and international).
- Contracts of representation.
- Incorporation of businesses and companies.
- Incorporation of subsidiaries and/or branches of foreign companies in Spain and in Europe.
- Incorporation of ZEC entities (Canary Islands).
- Incorporation of European companies and branches.
- Incorporation of companies and/or branches in third countries or countries outside of the European Union.
- Dispute resolution regarding commercial and company matters in Spain, Europe (especially, UK and Germany) and in South America, as well as other international jurisdictions.
Immigration and Nationality
We provide our clients experienced legal assistance regarding all types of authorizations and work and residence permits according to Spanish and EU Immigration Law:
- Acquisition of Spanish nationality and Spanish passport.
- Acquisition of Spanish nationality and Spanish passport.
- Legal proceedings regarding immigration Law: administrative appeals, court appeals, contested procedures.
- Relocations.
- Authorizations for investors (including Golden Visas), highly qualified personnel, researchers, and regarding international mobility.
- Work and residence permit for employees and self-employed.
- Non-Lucrative residence.
- Work and residence permits within the framework of a translational service.
- Residence for foreign students.
- Renewal of work and residence permits.
- Family reunification.
- Residence under exceptional circumstances.
Tax Law
We offer counselling and planning to both individuals and companies (national or foreign) in matters such as:
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Counselling in the field of indirect taxation (IVA) (I.G.I.C.).
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Counselling in the field of direct taxation (corporate income tax, personal income tax, taxation for non-residents).
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Inheritance tax.
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Operations between third countries and Europe-based companies.
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Preparation and submission of accounts.
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Accounting and Bookkeeping.
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Appeals before Spanish tax authorities and economic and justice courts.
Associations and Foundations
Foundations and Associations are organizations – normally, non-profit, being their main difference that Associations are a “heritage adopted by the founder and that are destined for a general interest” and Organizations are “a group of people with common interests”, which benefit a group of individuals. Accordingly, we may assist our clients in:
- Establishment of Foundations and Partnerships.
- Legal counselling regarding both Associations and Foundations.
Litigation
Our lawyers have over 20 years of experience in dispute resolution before different jurisdictions (criminal, civil, corporate and contentious-administrative). Furthermore, our lawyers are all duly registered in various Spanish Law Societies, and therefore, they may appear before any court, either local, provincial or regional (Autonomous Community), as well as before the Spanish Supreme Court and/or the Spanish Constitutional Court and/or the Spanish Audiencia Nacional, all of them based in Madrid. Besides assisting our clients regarding disputes in each one of the specialties in which we provide legal counselling, we also take care of:
- Payment claims in Spain and Europe (European Enforcement Orders).
- Recognition and enforcement (in Spain) of foreign judicial decisions
- Disputes in civil and commercial matters (Spanish and international).
- Claims against insurance companies in various matters.
- Legal actions in defence of rights of honour, privacy and protection.
- Negotiation of credits and agreements with creditors.
- Complaints before Spanish Authorities (either national, provincial, regional or local level).
- Mortgage claims and land-use rights.
- Consumer protection rights; “time sharing”.
- Authentication of writings, documents and/or signatures as evidence in trial for the best defence of the interests of our customers. For this purpose, we rely on calligrapher experts to complement our legal services.
Personal Injury
We deal with personal injury claims, as well as claims referred to civil liability derived from all kinds of accidents, such as traffic accidents, work-related accidents, medical mal-practice, damages due to a defective product, and operational problems in relation to public or private services. Our legal advice includes business, commercial, labour, and/or personal researches conducted by our medical experts, who draft their reports as a complementary service to our legal services, in order to provide a comprehensive legal advice.
Real Estate and Conveyancing
Our counselling regarding Real Estate Law includes:
- Mortgages and liens.
- Negotiations and contracting for the development and construction of residential or tourists resorts.
- Financing of projects.
- Legal defence and advice in judicial and administrative proceedings; proceedings before Property Registers, such as cadastral alterations, new building declarations, etc.
- Trading and lease of real estate, administrative franchises; timesharing, as well as trading of commercial funds.
- Preparation of market, housing and rental agreements; processing of municipal licenses.
- Construction Law, including applications and appeals before Administrative authorities.
- Contracts, Joint ventures, M&A’s for institutional and private investors.
•Proceedings regarding boundaries, legalization of land plots, certifications, measurements, cadastral alterations (via collaboration with topographers of our confidence).
Mediation
We believe in Mediation as an alternative form of conflict resolution, in order to reach agreements between the parties through dialogue. Mediation has enormous benefits compared to litigation. Amongst those, we may mention the following:
Wilfulness: Mediation is a voluntary process – parties decide whether to submit to a mediation procedure to resolve their conflict.
Parties build and reach their own agreements: in mediation, the parties propose their agreements in order to terminate the conflict, they are of mutual benefit and therefore, lasting over time.
Confidentiality: matters discussed during sessions, cannot be disclosed by the mediator in any judicial instance or outside the mediation process. Everything said during each mediation session is confidential.
Agile and economic process: mediation saves time and money, as it lasts less than a judicial process and its cost is lower.
Legally enforceable: a mediation agreement has the same validity as an enforceable judicial decision and in cases of non-compliance; the affected party can request its immediate execution before a competent judge.
Mediation is applicable to all types of conflicts: family, commercial, community, family business, conflicts in organizations, and even in criminal cases. Our firm has professional mediators with extensive experience in any of these areas.
Labor Law and Social Security Law
Our firm counsels companies and employees in labour-law matters, such as dismissals, modification of employment conditions, measures to reconcile family and working life, law penalties and social security benefits. We also assist our clients regarding the following matters:
- Claims of benefits (administrative and court proceedings).
- Claims of pensions (administrative and court proceedings).
- Infringements and penalties (labour law rights).
- Visits and appearances before Labour and Social Security Inspector and Authorities.
In Labour Law matters we often rely on business, commercial and labour investigations in order to support our legal defence, even with assistance of private detectives, with whom we work closely.
Inheritance Law
- Inheritance of residents.
- Inheritance of non-residents.
- Spanish and foreign wills.
- Validation and execution of foreign Wills in Spain.
- Judgements of testamentary and intestate (no will) proceedings.
- Legal proceedings regarding inheritance of assets located in Spain.
- Declaration of heirs.
- Donations between relatives.
Maritime Law
Our firm provides a fast and effective service in the matter of arrest of vessels in the seaports of Barcelona and Canary Islands. Furthermore, we assist our clients in matters related to this legal field, such as:
- Infringements and penalties initiated by Port Authorities.
- Contracts for the use and operation of vessels.
- Administrative proceedings.
- Litigations, claims and seizures.
- Recreational boats and Special Register of vessel.
- Sale-purchase agreements of vessels and ships.
Family Law
Concerning Family Law, we assist our clients in matters such as:
- Divorce, separation and ecclesiastic annulment.
- Legal measures concerning children born outside marriage.
- Drafting and negotiation of separation and divorce agreements.
- Prenuptial agreements.
- Exequatur proceedings for recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments.
- Alimony (recognition and enforcement of judgements).
- International child abduction.
Derecho Penal
We represent our clients before Criminal Courts in the most diverse matters, such as:
- Injuries.
- Gender violence.
- Traffic.
- Harassment / Bullying.
- Authentication of writings, documents and / or signatures as evidence in court for the best defence of the interests of our clients, for which we have expert graphologists and calligraphers as a complement to our services.
Given the international nature of our firm and our legal work, it is common that the documentation we handle is not in Spanish. Thus, and while we may proceed with translations as part of our own service to our clients, occasionally, the assistance of a sworn translator is required.
Over the years, we have collaborated with several translation companies and we have a network of renowned professionals who translate to more than 50 languages.