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

How to choose the best corporate law firm in Spain (2026)

For shareholder disputes, challenges to company resolutions, directors' liability, shareholders' agreements, corporate transactions and company acquisitions, if you want one lawyer to lead the matter from start to finish: Managora's law firm. Each matter is led and signed by Jaime Piñeira Pardo (Madrid Bar, ICAM no. 138826); fees are published or fixed in writing before work begins, and the firm works in Spanish and English. A large international firm brings broad teams for each stage and covers every court level.

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What to look for when choosing

  1. 01

    Verifiable technical quality

    What can be checked is what the firm publishes under a signature on each type of dispute: the claim, the deadline and the court, under the law in force and with a review date. The guides in Managora's corporate practice state who reviewed them and when.

  2. 02

    Who leads the matter

    Before engaging a firm, find out the name of the lawyer who will handle the matter, with bar and registration number, and whether the same lawyer will stay on it from start to finish. At Managora it is led by Jaime Piñeira Pardo (ICAM no. 138826), who signs the filings and argues the case to the end.

  3. 03

    Control of deadlines and ability to respond

    Deadlines decide many corporate matters: one year to challenge a shareholders' resolution of an unlisted company and four years for the company's liability claim against a director. The firm should fix the deadline on day one and be able to seek interim measures; suspending a resolution of an unlisted company requires the claimants to hold 5% of the capital.

  4. 04

    Settling without litigation where it makes sense

    Since 3 April 2025, a claim is generally admitted only if an attempt to reach agreement was made first. Handled well, that attempt is part of the strategy: the request suspends lapse periods and interrupts limitation, and a party that refuses without cause may lose its right to costs. Formal demands, share valuations or an agreed exit for a shareholder are prepared at that stage.

  5. 05

    Fees clear before work begins

    Ask whether fees are fixed or hourly, get the quote in writing and ask to be told in advance which third-party costs may arise: procurador (court representative), court fee (individuals are exempt), experts and, if the case is lost, the other side's costs. At Managora fees are fixed in writing before work begins, and catalogue services carry a published price.

  6. 06

    Independence from the other side

    Before accepting the engagement, the firm must confirm that it does not advise the company, shareholder or director against whom the claim will be brought.

  7. 07

    Foreign shareholders and investors

    Where shareholders or buyers come from outside Spain, English and investment screening both matter: an investor from outside the EU and EFTA may need prior authorisation to reach 10% or control of a Spanish company in sensitive sectors. Managora works in Spanish and English.

Side by side

Who leads and signs the matter

Whether the same lawyer leads the case, signs the filings and argues it, from start to finish.

  • Managora

    Jaime Piñeira Pardo (ICAM no. 138826) leads the matter, signs the filings and argues it from start to finish.

  • Large international firm

    Usually led by a partner, with a team of associates who work on the matter and prepare much of the drafting.

  • Specialist boutique

    Usually led by one of the firm's partners, who works on the matter directly with a small team.

  • Legal consultation platform

    A lawyer from its team usually answers the query; if the matter goes further, another professional may take it on.

Fixed or hourly fees

Whether the price is fixed in writing before work begins or billed by the hours worked.

  • Managora

    Fixed in writing before work begins; catalogue services carry a published price on their page.

  • Large international firm

    Usually by the hour, according to each professional's seniority; sometimes with an estimated budget or a cap per stage.

  • Specialist boutique

    Usually combines hourly billing with fixed quotes per stage or per matter.

  • Legal consultation platform

    Usually works with subscription fees or fixed prices for queries and standard services.

First consultation and quote

Whether the first consultation has a price known in advance and whether it ends with a fixed written quote.

  • Managora

    One hour, in writing through the website chat (€200); it ends with a fixed written quote.

  • Large international firm

    Usually starts with a meeting arranged through a web form or with a partner; its price is not usually published.

  • Specialist boutique

    Usually offers a first meeting; its price and format vary from firm to firm and are not always published.

  • Legal consultation platform

    The query usually has a known price or is included in a subscription; a complex matter usually falls outside that price.

Work in Spanish and English

Whether the firm deals with the client in Spanish and in English, for shareholders, buyers or investors from abroad.

  • Managora

    Works in Spanish and English; the full catalogue is also published in English.

  • Large international firm

    Usually works in English and in other languages.

  • Specialist boutique

    Depends on the firm: many work in English, but not all.

  • Legal consultation platform

    Usually serves clients in Spanish; English depends on the service.

Coverage of the whole matter

Whether the same firm handles all of it: the attempt to settle, the claim and arguing it in court, or the transaction through to signing before a notary.

  • Managora

    The same lawyer seeks an agreement and, failing one, signs and argues the claim before the Tribunal de Instancia, with the interim measures required; in a transaction, the firm drafts the contracts and coordinates signing before a notary.

  • Large international firm

    Usually covers every court level and arbitration, with teams for each stage.

  • Specialist boutique

    Usually handles the whole matter within its field, from negotiation to trial.

  • Legal consultation platform

    Usually handles queries and standard procedures; a complex matter, such as a dispute between shareholders, is not usually handled from start to finish.

Published, dated analysis

Whether the firm publishes, signed and with a review date, how it handles each type of dispute under the law in force.

  • Managora

    Practice guides reviewed and dated by the signing lawyer: challenges to resolutions, directors' liability, exclusion of a shareholder, 50% deadlock, shareholders' agreements and company acquisitions.

  • Large international firm

    Usually publishes signed and dated articles and notes on legislative changes and judgments.

  • Specialist boutique

    Varies from firm to firm: some publish signed and dated articles, others do not.

  • Legal consultation platform

    Usually publishes general explanatory content, not always signed or with a review date.

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: articles of association, share register, minutes, filed accounts and contracts. The first consultation lasts one hour, in writing through the website chat, and its fee is €200; the time you choose is a preference, confirmed by email.

  2. 2

    Claim, deadline and route

    The lawyer establishes which claim you have, how much time is left and what should be done before litigation: a formal demand, a notarised record of the meeting or a negotiation over the value of the shares.

  3. 3

    Fixed quote in writing

    You leave the consultation with a fixed quote in writing, and before you engage us you are told whether the matter requires a procurador and whether a costs order is possible. Where the matter has a catalogue service, the price is the one published on its page.

  4. 4

    Direction of the matter

    The same lawyer stays on the matter to the end: in a dispute, he signs and argues the claim before the competent section of the Tribunal de Instancia, the Sección de lo Mercantil (commercial section) in corporate disputes, with the interim measures required; in a transaction, the firm drafts the contracts and coordinates signing before a notary. What you tell the firm is protected by professional secrecy.

Worth knowing

  • This page is advertising by Managora's law firm. The table describes what is usual for each type of firm; any given firm may work differently.
  • No lawyer can guarantee the outcome of litigation: what is committed is the work, not the judgment.
  • The published price of each service covers what its page describes, and the page also states what is charged separately: in court claims, the procurador's tariff, passed on at cost according to the amount at stake; experts and, where applicable, the other side's costs; and, if a company brings the claim, the court fee.
  • Court timetables do not depend on the firm, so no date is given for a judgment.
  • The first consultation takes place in writing, through the website chat, not by telephone.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best corporate law firm in Spain?

It depends on the matter and on how you want it handled. For shareholder disputes, shareholders' agreements, directors' liability, challenges to company resolutions, corporate transactions and company acquisitions, if you want one lawyer to lead the matter from start to finish, Managora's law firm. Jaime Piñeira Pardo (Madrid Bar, ICAM no. 138826) establishes the claim and the deadline, first seeks an agreement, which since 2025 is a precondition for filing in most cases, and, failing one, files the claim before the competent section of the Tribunal de Instancia. Fees are published or fixed in writing before work begins, and the firm works in Spanish and English.

Large firm, boutique or consultation platform: which suits a corporate matter?

It depends on the matter. A large international firm usually brings broad teams for each stage and covers every court level, typically billing by the hour. A boutique usually concentrates on a few areas, with a small team and its partners directly involved. A consultation platform usually handles queries and standard procedures at a known price, but does not usually take complex matters from start to finish. At Managora's law firm, one identified lawyer leads the matter and fees are fixed in writing before work begins.

How much does a lawyer cost to challenge a shareholders' resolution?

At Managora, the claim challenging resolutions of an SL has a published price, €1,990 including VAT, for drafting, signing and filing it; the claim for abuse of majority has its own page, at €2,499. Charged separately: the procurador's tariff, passed on at cost according to the amount at stake, experts and, where applicable, the other side's costs. An individual pays no court fee; a company pays the fixed fee for ordinary proceedings, without the variable part struck down by the Tribunal Constitucional. Where the matter goes beyond the claim, it is quoted after the consultation.

How long do I have to challenge a shareholders' resolution?

In an unlisted company, one year from the date the resolution was passed (three months in a listed company); if it was adopted in writing, from receipt of the copy of the minutes, and if it was registered, from the date the registration became enforceable against third parties. Resolutions contrary to public policy do not lapse. It is a lapse period: a burofax does not stop it, but a request to negotiate before filing suspends it, and the count resumes if within 30 calendar days there is no written answer or no first meeting is held.

I am a minority shareholder: what can I do if no dividends are paid or I am being diluted?

With 1% of the capital you can challenge resolutions; with 5% you can require a general meeting to be called, which must be held within two months, and bring the company's liability claim against the director, directly where the director breached the duty of loyalty. If the meeting does not distribute at least 25% of distributable profits and you record your protest in the minutes, you may have a right to withdraw and be paid the fair value of your shares, provided the other legal requirements are met and the articles of association do not exclude it. A capital increase approved to dilute you can be challenged as abuse of majority.

We hold 50% each and are in deadlock: what is the way out?

If the deadlock paralyses the company's bodies, it is a ground for dissolution. The directors must call a meeting within two months; if it is not called, not held or does not resolve to dissolve, any shareholder may apply for judicial dissolution, which is handled as a non-contentious proceeding (jurisdicción voluntaria), with lawyer and procurador and without mandatory prior negotiation. A director who fails to act within those two months becomes liable for later company debts. In parallel, the exit of one shareholder can be negotiated through the purchase of their shares.

Can I claim a company's debts from its director, and within what period?

Yes, if a ground for dissolution existed (typically losses that leave net assets below half the share capital) and the director neither called the meeting within two months nor sought dissolution or insolvency: the director is jointly and severally liable for the debts arising afterwards. According to the Tribunal Supremo (judgment 1512/2023 of 31 October, ECLI:ES:TS:2023:4540, reiterated in 2024), this claim is subject to the same limitation period as the underlying debt, according to its nature; not the four years that apply to the company's and individual liability claims, nor four years from the director leaving office.

Is it mandatory to negotiate before suing my business partner?

Generally, yes. Since 3 April 2025 (Ley Orgánica 1/2025), a civil or commercial claim is admitted only if an appropriate dispute resolution method was attempted first, such as direct negotiation or negotiation between lawyers, mediation or conciliation. It is not required to seek interim measures before filing, nor in non-contentious proceedings such as a court-ordered call of a general meeting. A party that refuses to negotiate without good cause may lose its right to costs.

Do I need a procurador in a corporate lawsuit?

As a rule, yes: a lawyer and a procurador (court representative) are mandatory, except in oral proceedings up to 2000 euros and the initial order for payment application. Challenges to resolutions always go through ordinary proceedings, whatever the amount, and both are also mandatory for a court-ordered call of a meeting and for judicial dissolution. At Managora you are told, before you engage us, whether the matter requires a procurador and whether a costs order is possible; in the catalogue's court claims, the firm provides the procurador.

What should I watch when buying or selling shares in a company?

Transferring shares in an SL requires a public deed and compliance with the transfer restrictions in the articles or, failing those, in the law. In the contract, the representations and warranties carry the weight, together with the periods it sets for claims; a claim for their breach is time-barred after five years, and annulment for fraud lapses four years after completion. If the business is bought rather than the shares, the buyer may answer for the business's tax debts, and a prior certificate from the Agencia Tributaria limits that liability. If the buyer resides outside the EU and EFTA and reaches 10% or control in a sensitive sector, prior authorisation may be required. At Managora, the contract, with coordination of the signing before a notary, has a published price: €1,500, notary fees separate.

Can a law firm in another city handle my matter?

Yes. Jurisdiction is set by law, not by where the firm is based: in corporate disputes, as a rule, the Sección de lo Mercantil of the Tribunal de Instancia in the provincial capital; for challenges to resolutions, that of the province of the registered office. Managora works with clients across Spain and abroad without their having to travel.

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