Legal help and dispute resolution
Helps you get legal help and choose the right dispute route.
A lens for legal trouble: choose and pay a lawyer, get legal aid, settle before court, respond to court papers, bring civil claims, appeal general administrative decisions and handle criminal cases. Domain disputes…
- topics
- 8
- articles
- 64
- of reading
- 7.2 hours
Begin with
Finding and paying for a lawyer
You will know who to hire, what it should cost, what to put in writing and how to escape a bad lawyer relationship.
How to find a trustworthy lawyer (abogado) in Spain · Do you need a lawyer, court agent (procurador) or administrative agent (gestor)? · What a notary (notario) does and when you need one
More in legal help and dispute resolution
7 more topics in this section, about 7.2 hours of reading in all.
Free legal aid and advice
You will know whether you can get a lawyer paid by the state, how to apply and where to get free first advice.
Do you qualify for free legal aid (justicia gratuita) as a foreigner? · How to apply for free legal aid and what happens next · What the duty lawyer (abogado de oficio) does for you
Settling a dispute before court
You will know what to try before suing, how to prove it, and how to make a deal stick.
Do you have to try settlement (MASC) before suing in Spain? · How mediation (mediación) works in Spain and what it costs · The burofax: what it proves and how to send one
Court notices and being sued
You will know what the paper is, how long you have, and how to respond without defaulting.
You received a Spanish court notice. What is it and what now? · How court deadlines are counted in Spain (business days and August) · How courts and authorities notify you, and how to spot fake notices
Civil claims, appeals and enforcement
You will understand how a Spanish civil case runs from filing to collecting and what it will cost.
How to start a civil claim in Spain, step by step · Verbal or ordinary civil procedure (juicio verbal or ordinario): what changes? · Which Spanish court handles your case, and how to follow it online
Appealing government decisions
You will know which appeal route applies, by when, and what to do if the authority never answers.
An authority decided against you: which appeal route applies? · The authority never answered: is silence a yes or a no? · You received a fine or sanction notice: how to respond
Facing a criminal case
You will know your rights at each stage, how the process runs and how to get a defence lawyer.
You were called to testify as a suspect (investigado) · How a criminal case runs in Spain from investigation to sentence · Minor offences and fast trials (delitos leves, juicio rápido)
Victim rights in criminal cases
You will know what you are entitled to, how to take part and how to claim compensation.
Your rights as a crime victim in Spain · Should you join the case as a private accuser (acusación particular)? · Claiming damages from the offender inside the criminal case
Other sections in Safety, rights, and support
Personal safety and crime
Helps you reduce everyday crime risk and respond when it happens.
Discrimination, minorities, and accessibility
Helps you protect access and respond to discrimination or accessibility barriers.
Crisis planning and support
Helps you have a crisis plan and know where to get help.
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Always verify important information with the relevant official authority or a qualified adviser before acting. This website uses large language models together with various public data sources, official government documents and other established sources. Due to the amount of data on this website, some information might be wrong. Information may also be incomplete or outdated.