Help
General answers to the most common questions. They do not replace advice on your specific case.
I have been summoned to give a statement as a suspect (investigado), what should I do?
Speak to a lawyer before you make any statement. You have the right to legal assistance and not to incriminate yourself, and turning up prepared and advised from the outset shapes much of the proceedings.
A relative has been arrested, what can I do?
A person under arrest is entitled to a lawyer from the very first moment, to be told the facts they are accused of and to remain silent. The best course is to contact a lawyer you trust as soon as possible, and I assist detainees myself.
When does a criminal offense become time-barred?
The period depends on the maximum penalty the Spanish Criminal Code sets for the offense. Offenses punishable by up to five years become time-barred after five years; more serious ones after ten, fifteen or twenty years depending on their maximum penalty; and minor offenses (delitos leves), as well as insult and slander (injurias y calumnias), after one year. Some of the gravest crimes, such as genocide or crimes against humanity, never become time-barred (article 131 of the Criminal Code). The period runs from the day the offense was committed, although it starts later for offenses made up of a series of acts (delitos continuados), for ongoing offenses (delitos permanentes) and in some cases involving a minor victim. When proceedings are directed against a specific person, the period is interrupted and the time already elapsed is canceled, and the full period starts to run again once the proceedings stall or end without a conviction (article 132). Article 131 has had its current wording since July 1st, 2015, and article 132 since April 29th, 2023 (the special rule for minor victims was extended on June 25th, 2021), so for earlier events a different wording may apply. An exact answer therefore requires looking at the specific offense, the date of the events and the stage the case has reached, and that is one of the first things I check in a criminal matter.
What is white-collar criminal law?
White-collar criminal law is criminal law applied to the business and financial sphere, including breach of fiduciary duty, misappropriation, fraud, corporate offenses, punishable insolvencies and offenses against the public treasury. The line between a legitimate business decision and criminal liability is not always clear-cut.
When is it worth having a lawyer review a contract?
Before signing it. Reviewing a contract and anticipating the points of conflict costs far less than litigating later over a badly drafted clause.
My company is facing liquidity difficulties, what options do I have?
The sooner you act, the more options remain. Besides insolvency proceedings, should they become necessary, there are pre-insolvency tools such as the notice of opening of negotiations with creditors (articles 585 et seq. of the consolidated Insolvency Act) and restructuring plans (articles 614 et seq.). If the company is a micro-enterprise (fewer than ten employees and annual turnover below €700,000 or liabilities below €350,000), these tools give way to the special procedure for micro-enterprises (articles 1.2, 583.4 and 685 of the same Act).
What liability does a company director take on?
A director may be liable in civil and commercial terms toward the company, the shareholders or third parties and, in certain cases, criminally. That said, in strategic and business decisions, one made in good faith, without personal interest, with sufficient information and following an adequate decision-making procedure does not become liability merely because it turns out badly (the so-called protection of business judgment, article 226 of the Spanish Companies Act).
What is the TAD and when do you go to it?
The Administrative Court for Sport is a national collegiate body that decides, through the administrative channel and as the final instance, the matters within its competence (article 120 of Act 39/2022 of December 30th on Sport). Which cases reach it depends today on a transitional regime. Until the out-of-court system of article 119 is implemented by regulation, the previous disciplinary regime still applies (third transitional provision), and as of October 9th, 2026, that regulation has not been adopted. The TAD's decisions exhaust the administrative channel and can be appealed before the administrative courts (article 120.4).
What is the CAS/TAS?
It is the Court of Arbitration for Sport, based in Lausanne, which resolves international sports disputes by arbitration.
What is the first consultation like?
It is a conversation to understand your situation, after which I tell you frankly whether I can help and how, and explain your options before you take any decision.
What languages do you work in?
I work in Spanish, Catalan, English and German, without an interpreter.
How do your fees work?
Before I start I assess the matter and propose the most suitable form of billing (initial guidance, a fixed quote or time spent), always in writing in an engagement letter. Urgent criminal assistance has a published fee of €484 (€400 plus VAT), €605 (€500 plus VAT) or €726 (€600 plus VAT) per attendance depending on the time of day, at a fixed price and subject to my availability, and it is deducted from my fees if you then instruct me to take on the defense, as the Fees page explains in more detail.