What to know before the first meeting

In most matters, no. The first meeting can take place by video call, and the steps that require a signature — accepting an inheritance, executing a marriage contract, appearing before a notary — are usually handled through a power of attorney granted before a notary in your country of residence, with the corresponding apostille, or at a Spanish consulate. We also obtain on your behalf the Spanish tax identification number (NIE) you will need. We have handled matters with parties spread across Europe, the United States and Asia without any of them having to travel.

In yours, if it is one of these four: Spanish, French, English or Dutch. This is not translation after the fact: the lawyer who analyses your matter, advises you and signs the documents speaks your language. Reports and correspondence are also written in the language you prefer, which in family matters with several people in different countries means nobody ends up acting as translator for the others.

Not necessarily, and the passage of time often works in your favour. In Spanish tax matters many obligations become time-barred after four years, so a situation left unresolved for a long time may turn out to be less costly than feared. Other deadlines, on the other hand, are strict and cannot be extended. Knowing which of the two applies to you is precisely the purpose of the first meeting, and it can usually be settled in one conversation. What is never advisable is to stop asking for fear of the answer.

It is one of the firm's most frequent matters. A non-resident who owns property in Spain has tax obligations of their own that are not covered by paying the local property tax (IBI), and an estate with assets here requires Spanish proceedings even if the deceased and the heirs live abroad. We handle the whole picture: applicable law, taxes, notary and Land Registry.

We do not handle civil litigation or appeals before the Spanish courts, criminal law or individual employment law, nor do we file tax returns with other countries' tax authorities. When an enquiry falls outside our scope we say so in our first reply and, whenever possible, suggest where to turn.

Usually yes, and it tends to be the most practical and economical option. Before starting, we put it in writing with the confirmation of everyone involved, making clear that if a genuine disagreement arose between them, the firm would have to step aside and each would need separate advice. We always raise this at the outset, because it protects the family more than the firm.

If it involves at least two legal systems and calls for judgement rather than routine processing, it fits. The size of the estate is not what decides it: we handle international corporate transactions as well as the inheritance of a single home. What does not fit are purely domestic matters that are better handled by a firm specialised in that particular field.

The firm practises before the Spanish courts and authorities. When a matter requires action in another country, we make sure it is carried out and that it fits the Spanish strategy, engaging local professionals where the step requires it. You keep a single point of contact for the matter as a whole and receive one consistent view, not two opinions that then have to be reconciled. The founding partner's Belgian and Spanish legal training, and his work in four languages, mean that this coordination is done by reading the documents directly, not through translations.

The first meeting is always free of charge and without obligation; it serves to understand the matter and give you a starting view.

From there we work in phases. The first is always an analysis that concludes in a written report setting out the diagnosis, the options and their consequences. That phase is quoted at a fixed price, so you know from the outset what it will cost and what you will receive.

The subsequent work is quoted separately, once the scope is known, and you decide then whether to go ahead. At no point do you take on an open-ended commitment.

All fees are agreed in writing before any work begins. We do not work on success fees in matters where this could compromise professional independence.

Professional secrecy covers everything you tell us from the first email or the first call, whether or not the matter is later taken on, and it applies equally to everyone who works with the firm, all of whom are bound by an express confidentiality undertaking. You can therefore send us documents with confidence from the start: without them we cannot assess your matter or give you a quote. Sensitive documents travel through encrypted channels and are kept in systems under our exclusive control; they are never shared with third parties or used for any purpose unrelated to your matter. Where several jurisdictions are involved, we apply the most demanding standard among them, not the average.

We reply to every enquiry in less than two working days, and often on the same day. If the matter calls for immediate action — a notice received, a deadline about to expire — we say so in that first reply and give it priority. The first meeting, in person or by video call, is arranged on the date that suits you best.

Directly with the founding partner. The firm is deliberately structured so that René Dechamps Azanza handles each matter personally, with the firm’s team supporting on operational tasks where needed. This is not a marketing claim — it is how we have practised law since 1982.

The difference is operational, not a matter of fees: you deal directly with the partner who knows your case from the first meeting to the signing of the documents, with no rotating teams or changing points of contact. In international matters, that continuity is what makes an integrated view of the whole file possible.

Ideally, twelve to eighteen months before the effective change of residence. Advance planning makes it possible to align ownership of the assets with the tax framework of the destination country, anticipate the application of EU Regulation 650/2012 on succession, optimise exit-tax liabilities and, where relevant, restructure the family business holding. Late reorganisation may lock in exit taxation without room to mitigate its impact.

Both. Some clients have worked with us continuously for decades; others come to the firm for a single matter — an inheritance, a property purchase, a tax audit — and never need us again. What decides whether we take on a matter is not its duration or its value, but its subject: that it falls within what the firm handles.