TransparencyWhat a criminal lawyer costs in Spain

How we charge

We work on fixed fees by stage: investigation, intermediate phase, trial, appeal. You know what each step costs before it starts, and nothing proceeds without your written agreement.

The quote always separates our fees from court costs, which are peculiar to the Spanish system and routinely misunderstood by foreign clients: the procurador (a court agent who is compulsory in most proceedings), expert reports and sworn translations.

Urgent instructions

For a police station attendance or a custody hearing, the fee is confirmed in writing before we act, not afterwards. We offer instalments arranged directly with the firm.

Free first consultation

Fifteen minutes by video call, in English, to assess the case and tell you honestly whether there is anything worth doing. If there is not, we will say so. See also English-speaking criminal lawyer in Alicante.

Why Spanish legal costs confuse foreign clients

Two things surprise almost every foreign client. The first is the procurador: a court agent who is compulsory in most proceedings and who is separate from, and additional to, your lawyer. The second is that expert reports and sworn translations are billed apart. None of this is padding: it is how the system works, and a quote that hides it is not a quote.

Our estimate always separates our own fees from these court costs, so you can see what is ours and what is unavoidable.

Fixed fees, by stage

We work on fixed fees for each phase: investigation, intermediate stage, trial, appeal. You know the cost of each step before it begins, and nothing proceeds without your written agreement. There is no open-ended hourly clock running in the background.

For urgent instructions, a police station attendance or a custody hearing, the fee is confirmed in writing before we act, not afterwards. Payment can be arranged in instalments directly with the firm.

What the first consultation is for

Fifteen minutes by video call, in English, to assess the case and tell you honestly whether there is anything worth doing. If there is not, we will say so, and it will not cost you anything to hear it.

Legal aid (turno de oficio) exists in Spain and is available on income grounds. It is not the same service, but if it is what fits your situation, we will tell you rather than take a case you cannot afford.