Criminal defence lawyers in Alicante and Murcia

Why the specific jurisdiction matters

Two cases with identical legal classification can follow very different paths depending on the judicial district in which they are heard. The workload of the duty court affects hearing dates; the force that ordinarily draws up the police report — National Police or Guardia Civil — shapes the content of the first steps taken; and the distance to the courthouse affects when legal assistance can actually be provided to a detainee.

Following Organic Act 1/2025 of 2 January, the former investigating courts have been absorbed into the Courts of Instance as Investigation Divisions, and many justice-of-the-peace courts have become municipal Justice Offices with registry and support duties rather than investigative ones. Each of the pages below reflects that reality as it applies to your jurisdiction.

Assistance in custody: the time factor

The maximum period of police custody is seventy-two hours, and it runs from the very first moment. Article 520 of the Criminal Procedure Act grants a detainee the right to a private consultation with a lawyer before making any statement, to be informed of the alleged facts and to remain silent.

Deciding whether to speak, what to say and before whom requires knowing the police report and the strength of the evidence. That is why we keep a duty line open twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year: a hasty statement is the costliest mistake in criminal proceedings and, unlike almost everything else, it cannot be undone.

Service in six languages

The presence of European residents and visitors along the coast of Alicante and Murcia means that a significant proportion of proceedings involve people whose first language is not Spanish. We provide advice in Spanish, English, French, Russian, Italian and German, and liaise with the relevant consulate where circumstances require it.

Individual municipality pages are currently available in Spanish. Advice and representation are provided in English.