Torrevieja has one of the largest foreign resident populations in Spain, and the cases we see reflect that: driving offences, disputes between neighbours that escalate into assault charges, burglaries in properties that stand empty for months, and online fraud aimed at retired residents.
Cases arising in Torrevieja are dealt with by the courts of the Alicante judicial district, where we are based. That proximity matters: it means being at the police station or before the judge the same day, reading the file in time, and setting the strategy before the investigation hardens in a direction that is difficult to reverse.
You have the right to remain silent, to an interpreter, and to choose your own lawyer instead of the duty solicitor. Exercise that last right: the duty lawyer meets your file minutes before your interview.
24-hour emergencies. Call before you make any statement. See also our English-speaking criminal defence hub and our fees.
Torrevieja has one of the largest settled foreign communities in Spain, and that changes the caseload completely. This is not a resort where people get into trouble on holiday and fly home. These are residents whose lives, homes and savings are here, and the consequences of a conviction are permanent.
What we see most: fraud aimed at retired residents, from bank spoofing calls to fake investments; neighbour disputes that escalate into charges of threats or assault, often after months of friction; burglaries in properties left empty out of season; and driving offences, where a positive breath test is a crime, not a fine.
You can be held for up to 72 hours. You have the right to remain silent, to a free interpreter, and to choose your own lawyer instead of the duty solicitor. The duty lawyer sees your file minutes before the interview; that is the whole preparation you get.
We attend the police station, read the report, and decide with you whether to speak or stay silent before anything goes on the record. See drink driving and fraud and cybercrime.
If you have been defrauded or burgled, we act as private prosecutor (acusación particular), which in Spain means you are a party to the case rather than a spectator. That is how the money gets traced and how compensation is actually claimed.
24-hour emergencies. Fixed fees agreed in writing.
My elderly parent was defrauded over the phone. Is it worth pursuing? Very often, yes, and against the bank rather than only the fraudster. Where the caller used the bank’s own number, the bank’s refusal to refund is challengeable, and the criminal complaint supports that claim.
A neighbour dispute has ended with me being reported. Should I worry? Take it seriously. What begins as friction over noise or boundaries becomes a criminal file for threats or coercion surprisingly fast, and the first statement shapes everything afterwards.
I have lived here twenty years. Does a conviction affect my residence? For EU citizens, only in serious cases. For non-EU residents, a custodial sentence can put residence at risk. It is a reason to take even a modest charge seriously.
Do you work in English throughout? Yes, from the first call to the final hearing, and we keep family informed.