Newsroom
Editorial team of AGENTE LEX. We produce analysis and news for the legal profession from public and official sources, which we link at the end of each article.
The litigation, arbitration and mediation lawyer leaves RocaJunyent after almost nine years and opens her own firm in Madrid's Justicia district. We summarise what has been announced, what is still unknown and why it matters for the market.
Observatorio Legal's Legal Reliability Index ranks 15 legal AI assistants available in Spain. We summarise the table, how it is measured and what should be read with caution. Note: Prudencia.ai, which heads the index, shares a founder with Agente Lex.
If your firm, company or bar association is looking for lawyers, paralegals or legal support staff, this guide explains what data to send, how we review the offer and how to write it to receive suitable applications.
If your bar association, school or firm runs a course, master's or training day for legal professionals, this guide explains what data to send, how we verify it and what is needed for the listing to be useful.
Bar associations publish job offers and career guidance for their members. We explain what those of Seville and Santa Cruz de Tenerife ask for and the figures ICAB gave after its 2026 Job Fair.
We gather offers published on the careers sites of firms and companies, on a bar association's job board, at a recruitment consultancy, on LinkedIn and on InfoJobs. We give only the basic data and the link to the original offer.
The Barcelona Bar Association publishes its 2026-2027 training offer. We summarise three options with dates, format and the prices shown on its official website.
We gather four courses announced by the General Council of the Spanish Legal Profession, the Valencia Bar Association and the Madrid Bar Association, with dates, hours and format according to their official websites.
The Madrid Bar Association has launched a programme of seven independent courses on finance, professional brand, M&A, argumentation, firm management and litigation. We gather the dates and conditions published by the bar association.
Prudencia.ai brings its legal artificial intelligence roadshow to Barcelona. It will be on 26 November, from 16:00 to 19:00, with free entry and limited capacity. We summarise the programme and practical details published by the organiser.
The survey accompanying the White Paper on artificial intelligence and the legal profession shows a profession that already uses AI, but which for the most part has not been trained to do so. With the ethical rules ever clearer, training should be the first priority of bar associations and firms.
The General Statute of the Legal Profession prefers the engagement letter, and the Organic Law on the Right of Defence allows the client to demand it. The profession should take the next step on its own initiative: always use it, even in small matters.
At the 2nd Andalusian Meeting on Gender Violence, the Spanish Legal Profession asked for specialised, close-at-hand defence, and for legal assistance to victims to be mandatory from before the report is filed. We share the proposal and explain why.
The Directorate General for Legal Certainty and Public Faith has upheld the refusal to register the loss of single-member status of a public limited company. The resolution recalls two practical rules: closure of the Register for failure to file accounts and the formal requirements of the declaration.
E-invoicing between businesspeople and professionals is usually presented as one more administrative burden. It also has a positive side for firms: the recipient will have to report whether they accept the invoice and when they pay it. It is wise to prepare the firm in time.
The General Council of the Spanish Legal Profession has presented a twelve-hour digital justice course, organised in six sessions running until 1 December. It announced it a few days after holding in Cádiz its 41st Technical Training Conference, focused on continuing training.
On 7 October the General Council of the Spanish Legal Profession presented, at a conference of directors of common services, its diagnosis of the rollout of the first-instance courts and a list of proposals. The electronic court file and the traceability of proceedings are the priorities.
The General Statute of the Spanish Legal Profession, approved by Royal Decree 135/2021, devotes several articles to individual practice. We summarise the rules that affect the lawyer working on their own every day, from where they can act to what to do when they take over a matter a colleague was handling.
The Central Beneficial Ownership Register presumes a legitimate interest on the part of the media and civil society organisations devoted to preventing money laundering. We defend that rule, with its limits, as a useful piece for transparency and also for firms themselves.
Guide 2 of the Spanish artificial intelligence sandbox explains the Regulation through five high-risk use cases. Some, such as staff promotion or evaluating evidence in criminal investigations, bear directly on the work of employment and criminal law firms.
The Lawyers and Human Rights Foundation and the Murcia Bar Association organise on Monday 26 October a Human Rights Forum devoted to the defence and protection of lawyers practising in risky contexts. Lawyers from Afghanistan and Equatorial Guinea take part.
A lawyer who practises on their own account can calculate their income tax return by direct estimation. In the simplified version, the Tax Agency allows a fixed percentage to be deducted for hard-to-document expenses. We review how it works according to the official manuals of the 2025 tax return campaign.
In July 2026 the Ministry for Digital Transformation published version 2.0 of its guide on transparency of high-risk AI systems, adapted to the Digital Omnibus. It is not binding, but it turns Article 13 of the AI Regulation into concrete measures of interest to those who advise on or procure these systems.
The data used to train a high-risk AI system determine a good part of its results. Guide 7 of the Spanish sandbox, updated in July 2026, explains Article 10 of the AI Regulation and the new Article 4a on the use of sensitive data to correct bias.
At a time when any tool can produce a convincing legal text with invented citations, verification is the first duty of a publication for lawyers. We explain the rule we apply at AGENTE LEX and what it means for our readers.
Professionals taxed under direct estimation must keep four income tax record books. For a lawyer, the book of advances on account and disbursements has special importance, because it records the money received from clients for expenses. We explain what the Tax Agency requires.
Before invoicing their first matter, a lawyer setting up on their own must register in the census of businesspeople, professionals and withholding agents. Since February 2025 the only form is 036: 037 has disappeared. We review the deadlines according to the Tax Agency.
The Directorate General for Legal Certainty and Public Faith has upheld the refusal to register a 1964 inheritance deed in which the will left property to "the testator's brothers and sisters" without identifying them. The resolution leaves three practical lessons for anyone appealing a registry assessment.
The publication of the order regulating the public e-invoicing solution has started the deadlines of Royal Decree 238/2026. For lawyers who practise on their own and do not exceed 8 million euros in turnover, the obligation to issue and receive e-invoices with business or professional clients will arrive in October 2028.
For the lawyer who works from a room at home, since 2018 the income tax law allows deducting part of the home's utilities under a fixed rule: 30% of the proportion of square metres devoted to the activity. We explain how it is calculated.
Organic Law 3/2007 defines sexual harassment and harassment based on sex, treats them as discriminatory in all cases and obliges companies to promote working conditions that prevent them. We review what it means for a firm's organisation.
The Directorate General of Labour has published the list of public holidays for 2027. Eight are common to all of Spain, others depend on each autonomous community. For firms, it is the basis of next year's working calendar and something to bear in mind when planning.
The comprehensive equal treatment law devotes its Article 23 to artificial intelligence and automated decision-making mechanisms. Its mandates are aimed mainly at public administrations, but its rules on burden of proof and redress apply to any discrimination, including that caused by an algorithm.
Collaborations between firms, partner departures and agreements with other professionals all raise the same question: can fees be split? The Code of Ethics sets a general rule and four exceptions, and prohibits paying commissions for bringing in clients unless the client is informed.
Before placing a high-risk AI system on the market, the provider must show that it complies with the Regulation. Guide 3 of the Spanish sandbox explains the two procedures, internal control and assessment by a notified body, and when each applies. It includes systems in the administration of justice.
An instruction of the Directorate-General for Legal Certainty and Public Faith, published in the BOE of 7 October, clarifies that the ten-year insurance certificate required for deeds of completed new builds can be submitted electronically signed. It sets the requirements and how to send it to the notary and the Registry.
A firm organised as a company is a legal entity and can be criminally liable for certain offences. The Criminal Code allows exemption if an effective organisation and management model exists, and sets six requirements for that model. We review them from a firm's perspective.
Article 15 of the AI Regulation requires high-risk systems to resist attempts to alter their operation. Guide 11 of the Spanish sandbox describes the attacks specific to AI and the measures for the provider and for whoever deploys the system.
Since June 2024, the Justice Administration has had a policy on the use of artificial intelligence. We review what it allows, what it forbids and the tools the Ministry of Justice describes as already under way, from transcription of recordings to draft decisions reviewed by the judge.
A slip with a quarterly form can happen to any lawyer practising alone. If it is filed late but before the Tax Agency issues a request, there is no penalty, but a surcharge. We explain how it is calculated under Article 27 of the General Tax Law.
Royal Decree 606/2026, in force since 26 July, approves the Statute of the Independent Authority for Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination provided for in Law 15/2022. For lawyers handling discrimination cases, it is a new counterpart with assistance, mediation and court action functions.
Before mandatory e-invoicing arrives, a lawyer's invoice already has a minimum content set by the Invoicing Regulation. We review what its Article 6 requires, the deadline for issuing it and the duty to keep it.
Royal Decree 901/2020 regulates equality plans and their registration. For a firm that is growing, the threshold of fifty workers triggers an obligation with precise deadlines. We review how headcount is counted, what the plan must include and how long it lasts.
The knowledge a firm accumulates, such as its templates, methodology or commercial information, can be protected as a trade secret. But Law 1/2019 protects it only if the firm takes reasonable measures to keep it secret, and it does not allow restricting professionals' mobility.
The Central Beneficial Ownership Register, created by Royal Decree 609/2023, centralises information on who controls companies and other entities. For firms involved in corporate transactions it is both an obligation of their clients and a due diligence tool.
Law 4/2023 obliges companies with more than fifty employees to have a planned set of measures for the equality of LGTBI people, with a protocol against harassment and violence. Royal Decree 1026/2024 specifies how to negotiate it and what it must include.
The Legal Profession Defence Department of the Madrid Bar Association organises a practical workshop on Tuesday 27 October to review, with a court clerk (letrada de la Administración de Justicia), the problems detected in how the first-instance courts work.
The new customer service law requires large companies and basic services to offer human service, identify each procedure and resolve within a maximum period. A firm will only be obliged if it meets those conditions. Even so, the legal profession should adopt similar standards on its own initiative.
On 6 October two royal decree-laws on housing were approved that amend the same law, even the same article, with different entry-into-force dates. One of them also reforms a long list of tax, procedural and financial rules. We argue that so sensitive a matter deserves a different legislative technique.
Law 10/2025, regulating customer service, has been in force since 28 December 2025 and gives the companies concerned twelve months to adapt. For firms advising companies and consumers, the end of the period is approaching.
Royal Decree-Law 28/2026, published on 7 October, changes the extension of leases of main homes. It will come into force on 15 November 2026. We summarise the new Article 10 of the Urban Leases Act and its transitional regime.
The summer's wildfires forced the suspension of procedural deadlines in several judicial districts. The suspension came through a royal decree-law that entered into force when the suspended period had already ended. We argue for a stable mechanism for these situations.
Since 5 October, employers must inform in writing of more elements of the employment relationship, including the use of algorithmic systems that affect working conditions. It affects the clients of employment law firms and the firms themselves as employers.
Anyone who cannot afford a lawyer has the right to free legal assistance, but the law measures that inability with a specific indicator: two, two and a half or three times the IPREM. We ask for public data to be used to assess whether those thresholds still fulfil their function.
The Spanish Data Protection Agency has published how it uses generative artificial intelligence in its own processes. Its documents are not a rule for firms, but they are a practical reference from the supervisory authority on prompts, personal data, human review and hiring suppliers.
On 20 March 2026 the Plenary of the General Council of the Spanish Legal Profession approved an interpretive circular on the use of generative artificial intelligence in briefs. Its central conclusion: using AI is lawful, but filing what it produces without verifying it is, in general, a serious offence.
The 2026 bar aptitude test was taken online with multiple-choice questions, and its mark is weighted with the master's. The format has obvious virtues. It also has a limit: it does not measure what a lawyer does on their first day at the firm.
The Council of Europe Framework Convention on artificial intelligence and human rights, democracy and the rule of law opened for signature in Vilnius in September 2024, and the European Union ratified it in May 2026. We summarise its content and what it means for legal practice.
The Energy Section of the Madrid Bar Association holds a morning session, on Tuesday 27 October, on the contracts that prepare an energy project: development, shareholders' agreements and access and connection to the electricity and gas grids. In person in Madrid and online.
The European pay transparency directive sets June 2027 for the first gap reports of large companies. The Spanish text is still a draft. Law firms have good reasons not to wait.
A lawyer who practises on their own account handles personal data of clients, opposing parties and witnesses every day. The Data Protection Act sets specific obligations for any controller, and clarifies that lawyers are not on the list of those who must appoint a data protection officer.
Artificial intelligence agents do not just answer: they break down tasks, connect to other services and act. In February 2026 the Spanish Data Protection Agency published a guide on their risks for personal data. We summarise what matters to a firm considering using them.
Lawyers' fees are freely agreed, and the Professional Associations Act prohibits bar associations from recommending prices. They may only draw up indicative criteria for a very specific purpose: the assessment of costs and the jura de cuentas (fee-claim procedure). We explain the scope of the rule.
In May 2026 the Advisory Council on Innovation and the Legal Profession of the Spanish Legal Profession published ten principles for the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence. We summarise them and suggest how to turn them into concrete firm practices.
Since January 2026, judges and magistrates work under a CGPJ instruction that sets which AI tools they can use and for what. The Justice Administration has its own policy. Many firms, by contrast, still have no written rules.
A law firm is a business and its workers have the right to effective health and safety protection. The Occupational Risk Prevention Act requires prevention to be integrated into management, risks to be assessed and prevention to be organised in a way that depends on headcount.
The annual return of operations with third parties requires reporting to the Tax Agency the clients and suppliers with whom €3,005.06 is exceeded in the year. Using Tax Agency information, we review when it affects a lawyer who practises on their own account.
The reform of the Free Legal Aid Regulation, in force since 16 October, finally begins to pay for pre-trial negotiation. It is progress. But the figure set for when there is no agreement deserves a review.
When the client is a company or another professional, a lawyer's fees fall within the scope of Law 3/2004 on combating late payment. The law sets payment deadlines, automatic interest and a minimum compensation for collection costs. It does not apply to consumer clients.
When remote work at a firm reaches thirty percent of working time over three months, Law 10/2021 requires a written agreement with a minimum content. We review the obligations for the firm's management.
Conflict of interest is one of the most relevant ethical risks for a firm with many clients. The Code of Ethics of the Spanish Legal Profession devotes eight rules to it in its Article 12, and the last extends all the others to the firm as a whole.
Proposing the other party's lawyer as a witness to testify about their professional work clashes with professional secrecy. Interpretative Circular 1/2025 of the General Council of the Spanish Legal Profession explains why it is an infringement and how it is assessed.
The Madrid Bar Association holds its first public procurement congress on 29 and 30 October. The first day focuses on appeals and case law; the second, on the proposed European regulation on public contracts and concessions.
In November 2023 Spain approved a controlled test environment to trial compliance with the European artificial intelligence requirements before they became mandatory. We explain how it works, based on the text of Royal Decree 817/2023.
In 2023 Spain created a state agency to supervise the use of artificial intelligence, based in A Coruña. Its Statute gives it supervisory, inspection and sanctioning functions, as well as advice and promotion of test environments. We review what the rule says.
A lawyer who practises on their own account charges VAT on invoices and declares it every quarter. Using Tax Agency information, we gather the applicable rate, the form 303 deadlines and the rules on the annual summary.
Advertising a lawyer's services is free, but has limits. Article 6 of the Code of Ethics of the Spanish Legal Profession lists them one by one. For those who practise alone and rely on their website or social media to win clients, it is worth knowing them well.
Law 2/2023, on the protection of people who report infringements, obliges companies with 50 or more workers to have an internal reporting system. A firm of that size is no exception. We explain what it requires and how it fits with professional secrecy.
Directive (EU) 2023/970 obliges companies, law firms included, to explain how they pay and to measure the pay gap between women and men. The Ministry of Labour has published a draft royal decree to transpose it in part. We summarise both texts.
A firm that advises on sales, companies or fund management can fall under anti-money laundering rules. The law distinguishes those operations from defence and advice on the client's legal position. We explain where the line is.
Almost every collective firm of any size practises through a professional company. Law 2/2007 sets the rules on who can be a partner, who controls the company, how it is registered and who answers for professional errors.
The meeting for company legal departments takes place at Espacio Maldonado in Madrid. It only admits professionals from in-house legal departments, with limited places. These are the published details and the programme topics.
The Spanish Association of Lawyers Specialising in Civil Liability and Insurance holds its annual congress at the Huesca Congress Centre. We gather the official details and some pointers for those attending.
The Ministry of Justice's timetable set 31 December 2025 for the last phase of rolling out the Tribunales de Instancia. It is a far-reaching organisational change. Its result will depend not on the signs, but on how the office that processes the cases works.
The Spanish Legal Profession argues in its Circular 1/2026 that reports a lawyer prepares and delivers to their client remain protected by professional secrecy, including against a tax requirement. We think it is right, and explain why.
Collecting compensation for a client and deducting the outstanding fees from it seems practical. Without express written authorisation, it is an infringement. Circular 2/2025 of the Spanish Legal Profession explains the rules and their consequences.
Lawyers who invoice companies and professionals have tax withheld; those who work mostly for private individuals do not. That split decides whether they must file form 130 every quarter. We explain it using the Tax Agency's instructions.
Since 30 January 2026, judges and magistrates have their own rules for using artificial intelligence. They can only use systems provided by the administrations or the CGPJ, always as support and with human control. We explain what it means for those who litigate.
The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe published a guide on lawyers' use of generative AI in October 2025. It sorts the risks, links them to the usual professional duties and proposes concrete measures. We summarise the essentials.
The 2026 call, regulated by Order PJC/298/2026, was held online on 2 July and its marks were published in August. We explain its structure, how the pass is calculated and what deadlines apply to those who want to have their mark reviewed.
The BOE of 15 October published the reform of the Free Legal Aid Regulation. It replaces the compensation tables, adds the negotiation activity before trial and sets out when each action is paid. We go through the main figures.
The General Council of the Spanish Legal Profession has announced the dates of its major professional event. It will be at the El Greco Congress Centre in Toledo, with artificial intelligence and free legal aid among the strands of the programme.
The legal sector technology fair takes place on 18 and 19 November at IFEMA Madrid, alongside Accountex and HR Expo. Entry is free for registered professionals. We bring together the official details and a guide to making the most of your visit.
Organic Law 5/2024, in force since 4 December 2024, is the first law that specifically develops the right of defence in Article 24 of the Constitution. We summarise what changes for lawyers and for those who hire their services.
Since April 2025, in most civil matters you must attempt a negotiated solution before filing a claim. With the law and the guide of the General Council of the Spanish Legal Profession, we review which methods count, which deadlines run and how the attempt is proven.
Royal Decree-law 15/2025 delayed by a year the obligation to adapt invoicing software to the regulation known as Verifactu. For a lawyer who practises on their own, the key date is 1 July 2027. We explain who is obliged and how to prepare.
Order PJC/297/2026 set the contribution bases for the self-employed for this year in March, with effect from 1 January. We explain the brackets, the calendar for changing base and regularisation, with the lawyer who practises on their own in mind.
Almost twenty years after it was approved, Royal Decree 1331/2006 is still the rule that defines how an employed lawyer works in a law firm. These are its main rules, article by article.
When a lawyer leaves one firm to join another, the special employment relationship, the agreements signed and the ethics rules all come into play. We go through what can be agreed, what is forbidden and what happens to the clients.
The Constitutional Court and the higher courts of Navarre and the Canary Islands have already ruled on filings citing judgments that do not exist. The responses range from a warning or closing the matter to a fine, and all share one idea: whoever signs is responsible.
Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, in force since 27 July, delays the obligations for high-risk systems and softens the AI literacy duty. We go through the dates that matter to a law firm.
