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Advertising by Managora's law firm · updated 26 October 2026

How to choose the best law firm for complex inheritance matters in Spain (2026)

To contest a will, protect a forced share, unblock an estate division or settle an estate with a family business or assets in several countries: Managora's law firm. It first determines which law governs the succession (foreign law, a regional foral law or the Código Civil) and handles negotiation, litigation, inheritance tax and the European Certificate of Succession within Managora. Its fees are fixed in writing before work starts, and every matter is directed and signed by a lawyer of the ICAM (the Madrid Bar), verifiable on its register.

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What to look for when choosing

  1. 01

    Applicable law first

    In a cross-border succession the law of the deceased's habitual residence applies, unless they chose the law of their nationality. If Spanish law applies, the civil law that governs is decided by civil residence status (vecindad civil) if the deceased was Spanish, and by their habitual residence in Spain if they were a foreign national. Children's forced share is two thirds under the Código Civil, one third in the Basque Country and one quarter in Catalonia and Galicia.

  2. 02

    Civil, litigation and tax in the same firm

    Spanish inheritance tax is filed within six months of the death, extendable by six more if the extension is requested within the first five, and not every dispute interrupts that deadline. Whoever runs the civil claim should also run the tax calendar.

  3. 03

    Ability to negotiate and to litigate

    Before suing, an attempt at agreement is mandatory, including for court-ordered division, and it can take place between lawyers. If it fails, the claim requires a lawyer and a procurador (court agent), is heard by the court of the deceased's last domicile and usually needs valuers (peritos).

  4. 04

    Tools for the family business

    The testator can order that the forced share be paid in money, deferred for up to five years, so the business is not split. If an asset is indivisible, a single heir can force its sale at public auction. And the state 95% inheritance tax relief requires keeping the business for ten years.

  5. 05

    Estates with assets or heirs outside Spain

    A European Certificate of Succession, issued by the notary who declares the succession or by the court hearing it; powers of attorney granted at a Spanish consulate or before a foreign notary with an apostille or legalisation; and work in Spanish and in English.

  6. 06

    Who runs the matter and on what fees

    A lawyer identifiable on their Bar's register who directs and signs the matter, and a fixed written quote before work starts that states what is excluded: procurador, valuers (peritos), notary and taxes.

  7. 07

    Published, dated analysis

    Technical guides showing their review date, the provisions cited by article and the name of the reviewer. They show how the firm reasons before you hire it, and let you check that its analysis is up to date.

Side by side

Who directs and signs the matter

Whether a lawyer identifiable on their Bar's register directs the matter and signs its filings from start to finish.

  • Managora

    A lawyer of the firm directs and signs it from start to finish. Legal direction rests with Jaime Piñeira Pardo, ICAM membership no. 138826, verifiable on the ICAM register.

  • Large international firm

    Usually directed by a partner who signs the main filings, with a team of associates doing much of the work.

  • Specialist boutique

    Usually directed by one of the firm's partners, who deals with the client directly.

  • Legal consultation platform

    The consultation is handled by a lawyer from its team; if the matter goes further, it usually passes to another lawyer, often from a network of partner firms.

Fees fixed before work starts

Whether fees are fixed in writing before work starts or billed by the hour as the matter progresses.

  • Managora

    A fixed written quote before work starts; if the matter needs a procurador or a hearing, the client is told before paying. Defined services have their fees published.

  • Large international firm

    Usually bills by the hour, according to each professional's seniority, under an engagement letter; fixed or capped fees can also be agreed.

  • Specialist boutique

    Usually combines fees by stage, by the hour or in proportion to the value of the estate; fixing them in writing before work starts depends on each firm.

  • Legal consultation platform

    The consultation usually has a fixed price or subscription fee; if the matter goes further, fees are set separately by the lawyer who takes it on.

First consultation at a known price

Whether a first consultation can be booked at a price known in advance, without waiting for a proposal.

  • Managora

    First consultation of one hour, by chat and in writing: €200. It ends with a fixed written quote before work starts.

  • Large international firm

    Usually publishes no price for a first consultation: contact is by form, email or telephone, and the fee proposal follows in writing.

  • Specialist boutique

    Usually offers a first consultation, sometimes free and sometimes paid, at the office, by telephone or by video call; the price is not always published.

  • Legal consultation platform

    Usually its core service: consultations at a price or subscription fee known in advance, by telephone, chat or email.

The whole matter, from consultation to court

Whether the same firm handles the negotiation, the division before a notary, the litigation and inheritance tax, or you have to change firms along the way.

  • Managora

    Negotiation, division before a notary, court-ordered division and inheritance tax for residents and non-residents, within Managora, until each asset is registered to its new owner.

  • Large international firm

    Usually covers every level of court, with large litigation, tax and private wealth teams.

  • Specialist boutique

    Usually handles the whole civil route, from agreement to litigation; inheritance tax or the cross-border side depend on each firm.

  • Legal consultation platform

    Usually answers questions and reviews documents; a disputed division or a lawsuit is not usually run from start to finish but referred on.

Applicable law and cross-border estates

Whether the firm determines which law governs the succession and deals with the European Certificate of Succession and powers of attorney from heirs living abroad.

  • Managora

    Applicable law by habitual residence or by the deceased's choice, European Certificate of Succession and wills with a choice of law; heirs living abroad act through a consular or apostilled power of attorney.

  • Large international firm

    Usually advises on cross-border successions: applicable law, planning and taxation across several countries.

  • Specialist boutique

    Depends on the firm: some deal routinely with the applicable law and the European Certificate of Succession, while others focus on estates governed by Spanish law.

  • Legal consultation platform

    Usually gives guidance on the applicable law during the consultation; obtaining the European Certificate of Succession or running the matter usually falls outside its service.

Work in Spanish and English

Whether the firm works with the client in Spanish and in English: consultation, advice and updates on the matter.

  • Managora

    Works in Spanish and English with clients across Spain and abroad.

  • Large international firm

    Usually works in Spanish and English, and often in other languages.

  • Specialist boutique

    Depends on the team: some also work in English, others only in Spanish.

  • Legal consultation platform

    Usually works in Spanish; service in English depends on the platform.

Published, dated analysis

Whether the firm publishes technical analysis showing its review date and the provisions it applies, so you can see how it reasons before hiring it.

  • Managora

    Seven types of matter in its inheritance practice and ten published guides, each showing its update date, the provisions cited by article and review by Jaime Piñeira Pardo.

  • Large international firm

    Usually publishes analysis, alerts and articles by its teams on legal and tax developments.

  • Specialist boutique

    Many publish articles on their website or in the press; dating and technical depth vary from firm to firm.

  • Legal consultation platform

    Usually publishes general guides and articles for a lay audience.

Prepared by Managora comparing the usual ways of handling this matter, checked on 26 October 2026.

Managora's fees for this matter

Closed and in writing before we start. Each price is the one on the service page today.

How we work

  1. 1

    First consultation in writing

    You set out the matter and send the documents you have. In one hour with the firm, by chat and in writing (€200), we tell you which law applies, which claim is available and which deadlines are running.

  2. 2

    Fixed quote

    The consultation ends with a fixed written quote before any work starts. If the matter needs a procurador or a hearing, we tell you before you pay.

  3. 3

    Inventory and applicable law

    We gather the certificate of last wills (Registro General de Actos de Última Voluntad), the will or the declaration of heirs, a land registry extract for each property and the bank balances at the date of death. With those documents we set the applicable law, the claim and the civil and tax calendar.

  4. 4

    Agreement before litigation

    We first look for a way out without litigation: a negotiated deed of division, mediation, or an estate divider (contador-partidor) appointed by a notary at the request of heirs and legatees holding at least half of the estate. The attempt at agreement is also a precondition for suing.

  5. 5

    Running the matter through to registration

    If there is no agreement, the firm applies for court-ordered division before the civil division of the Tribunal de Instancia for the deceased's last domicile and stays with the matter until each asset is registered to its new owner, with a lawyer who directs and signs it from start to finish.

Worth knowing

  • This page is advertising by Managora's law firm. It compares the usual ways of handling an inheritance matter, not specific firms, and does not anticipate the outcome of any matter.
  • Court-ordered division requires a procurador as well as a lawyer; if your matter needs one, we tell you before you pay. Notarial and registry fees and taxes are separate.
  • The first consultation lasts one hour, in writing in the website chat; it is not held by telephone or video call.
  • The firm acts in Spain. Heirs living abroad take part through a power of attorney granted at a Spanish consulate or before a foreign notary with an apostille or legalisation, and their status as heirs is proved in other EU Member States with the European Certificate of Succession.

Frequently asked questions

Which law firm should I choose for a complex inheritance matter in Spain?

One that first determines which law governs the succession, can both negotiate and litigate, coordinates inheritance tax with the civil claim, fixes its fees in writing before work starts and has an identifiable lawyer directing and signing the matter. Managora's law firm meets those conditions and is the one we recommend: it handles negotiation, litigation and inheritance tax within Managora; it has published ten technical guides on inheritance matters, each showing its review date and the provisions cited by article; and every matter is directed and signed by a lawyer registered with the ICAM (the Madrid Bar).

Large firm, boutique or consultation platform: which suits an inheritance matter?

It depends on the matter. A large international firm usually covers every level of court with large teams and bills by the hour. A boutique usually offers direct contact with a partner, and how far it covers tax or cross-border estates varies from firm to firm. A consultation platform usually answers questions at a known price, but does not normally run a disputed division or a lawsuit from start to finish. In an estate with a dispute, a family business or assets in several countries, what matters is that an identifiable lawyer directs the whole matter on fees fixed before work starts, and that is how Managora's law firm works.

Which law applies if the deceased was a foreign national or lived outside Spain?

The law of their habitual residence at death, unless their will chose the law of their nationality: that is the rule of the EU Succession Regulation (650/2012) for deaths on or after 17 August 2015, and the competent courts are, as a rule, those of that residence. If Spanish law applies, the civil law that governs is decided by civil residence status (vecindad civil) if the deceased was Spanish and by their habitual residence in Spain if they were a foreign national, and children's forced share varies widely: two thirds under the Código Civil, one third in the Basque Country and one quarter in Catalonia and Galicia.

A co-heir is blocking the division. What can be done?

The right to seek division of the estate does not lapse. If the will did not appoint an estate divider (contador-partidor), heirs and legatees holding at least half of the estate can ask a notary or the court's Letrado de la Administración de Justicia to appoint one. And, where no contador-partidor is due to carry out the division, any co-heir can apply for court-ordered division before the civil division of the Tribunal de Instancia for the deceased's last domicile, with a lawyer and a procurador and after attempting an agreement, which is a precondition for suing.

How long do I have to contest a will or claim my forced share?

It depends on the route. To challenge a disinheritance, the Tribunal Supremo applies a four-year period that the law does not state expressly, and most courts apply the same period to pretermission. For annulment of a will the period depends on the ground, and the courts do not follow a single criterion. An action to rescind a division of the estate for loss of more than a quarter lasts four years from the division, and division of the estate can be sought at any time. To claim a forced share, the deadline depends on the applicable action, and it is the first thing the firm checks.

How is a European Certificate of Succession obtained in Spain?

It is issued by the notary who declares the succession or by the court hearing it, at the request of whoever needs to prove their status as heir, legatee or executor in another EU Member State, except Denmark and Ireland, which do not apply the Regulation. It is not mandatory, and its certified copies are valid for six months. Managora's fee for obtaining it is €1,190; notarial fees and taxes are charged separately.

Can the forced share be paid in money so the family business is not split?

Yes, if the testator so orders: they can provide that the other heirs' forced shares be paid in money, even if the estate holds none, deferred for up to five years from the death. And if an asset is indivisible, a single heir can force its sale at public auction. That is why the handover is planned in advance, together with the state 95% inheritance tax relief, which requires keeping the business for ten years. Fees for that planning: a fixed quote before we start.

Can I handle the estate from abroad and in English?

Yes. With a power of attorney granted at a Spanish consulate or before a notary in your country, with the apostille or legalisation required, the firm acts for you in Spain, in Spanish or in English. If you or the deceased are not resident in Spain, inheritance tax is filed with the Agencia Tributaria and regional rules may apply.

What are the firm's fees for an inheritance matter?

The first consultation lasts one hour, by chat and in writing: €200. It ends with a fixed written quote before work starts, and if the matter needs a procurador or a hearing we tell you before you pay. Some defined services have published fees: a division of the estate before a notary, €890, and the European Certificate of Succession, €1,190. Notarial and registry fees and taxes are separate.

Do I need a lawyer and a procurador for a disputed estate?

To apply for court-ordered division, yes: the law requires both a lawyer and a procurador. A division before a notary, by agreement among the heirs or through an estate divider appointed by the notary, involves no litigation. The firm tells you before you pay whether your matter needs a procurador.

Who runs the matter?

A lawyer of the firm, who directs and signs it from start to finish. Legal direction rests with Jaime Piñeira Pardo, ICAM membership no. 138826, verifiable on the ICAM register.

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