As an expat or temporarily relocated business owner in Spain, there will be plenty of times when you will need the assistance or expert opinion of a Spanish lawyer, ideally a Spanish speaking lawyer near you who also speaks English. Commercial codes and business law in Spain, as with just about any country, are complex even for people whose first language is Spanish. To ensure that your business is compliant with all applicable regulations and to maximize its profitability, you need a Spanish lawyer—someone with formal education and in-depth knowledge of business and employment law in this country, who is also comfortable with Spanish and Spanish legalese.
Tips for finding the right Spanish lawyer
If you are looking for a Spanish speaking lawyer near you, you may want to narrow your search down by legal specialty. Not all law firms handle all kinds of cases or clients, so your exact circumstances and needs will determine whether you need a Spanish property lawyer, a Spanish speaking divorce lawyer, or a firm specializing in commercial law. In select cases, you may have a situation that overlaps multiple areas of law, in which case you will need to prioritize. For example, if you and your spouse both have ownership of a business, and you want a divorce, should you search for a Spanish speaking divorce lawyer near you, or a business lawyer who can help guide you through the process of transferring ownership and assets?
Experience, certification and good client references are some essential things to consider when looking for a Spanish lawyer, no matter what specialty you need. Much of this information can be easily found online these days, in Spanish and English for those lawyers whose target client fits the expat or foreign national profile.
Find a Spanish speaking lawyer near you
You know what they say about real estate: it’s all about location, location, location. In a way, this also holds true when choosing a lawyer, even in today’s digital and globalized world. If you are trying to buy real estate for your business in Spain, but you are not planning on leaving the United Kingdom, it will likely be more convenient for you to find a Spanish property lawyer in the UK, rather than an English speaking property lawyer in Spain. Having your legal team physically nearby can facilitate transactions that require lots of paperwork (which, to be frank, is true of countless procedures in Spain). It will be much easier to provide original signatures without a never-ending process of scanning and emailing.
It is, of course, possible to give your Spanish lawyer power of attorney so that they can sign on your behalf, but there are always exceptional circumstances where you must be the one to sign a given document. In these cases, if the property, the realtor, and your lawyer are all in Spain, it could be more difficult to manage than if you had a Spanish property lawyer in the UK, easily accessible to you.
Whether you need help with employment contracts for your business in Spain or just want to be sure you’re not paying more corporate taxes than you have to, having a Spanish lawyer at hand will save you time and probably a few headaches. Given the potential fines for noncompliance or the possibility of having to pay application and filing fees multiple times due to errors on paperwork, it is a financially savvy decision to make. Why risk everything by going it alone when you can easily find a Spanish speaking lawyer near you, no matter your legal needs?