News, analysis and opinion pieces on professional ethics published on AGENTE LEX.
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.
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.
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.
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.
