Francisco
With over 10 years experience providing expert legal advice and representation to English-speaking clients Francisco is a seasoned professional whose primary focus is to ensure his clients' interests are protected. The following legal services are offered: Real Estate Conveyances, Contract law, Inheritance , Family Law, Tax & Fiscal Advice to Businesses.
Alvaro
Alvaro is the Managing Partner of this law firm. As an experienced member of the Association of Family Lawyers of Spain, Álvaro specialises in a number of civil law areas including probate law while also providing expert assistance with property law matters.
Client Testimonials
Below is a list of recent client testimonials received from previous clients, obtained via Wufoo client survey platform:

KJB, United Kingdom
Friday, April 20, 2018
Francisco was professional and efficient. Very good value for money.

Vicky S, UK
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Alvaro answered my emails and all my questions efficiently and helped me were I did not understand through the whole process of moving the tenant and selling the property and arranging and introducing
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an estate agent.
He has exceeded my expectations after being let down by previous lawyers in Spain when its been a very traumatic time for me.Read Less

David Pratt, Alhaurin del Grande
Friday, April 13, 2018
Alvaro gives me confidence that he understands the issue and gives me practical solutions. He works rapidly and efficiently. I would strongly recommend his services.

Phil Loughton, Las Lagunas de Mijas
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Alvaro was extremely helpful and the simple process I needed managed was dealt with quickly and efficiently. I would certainly recommend him to friends.

John Burchell, Arroyo De la Miel
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Alvaro was very professional, helpful and friendly. Understood things quickly. Explained things well in English. Very easy to contact at any time.

SD, Fuengirola
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Francisco was extremely helpful, professional and friendly.
The service he provided was first class and I would thoroughly recommend him.

DP, United States
Wednesday, January 03, 2018
He has been very attentive, efficient, and always anticipates our needs in a timely manner. We enjoy working with him and look forward to other future business arrangements when needed.

Jeremi Hazan, Israel
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Francisco is a good men and honest. Did the job perfect.

Peter Brumder, England
Wednesday, October 04, 2017
Alvaro has always been very approachable and friendly and I value his judgement and advice.
Alvaro has taken away the headaches associated with a property abroad and has helped me with all my probl
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ems including payment of bills, decorating and taxes.
I couldn't have coped without himRead Less

Sarah Finnagan, England
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Francisco was fantastic and helped me through every single step and helping understanding everything.
Price was very reasonable i have no complaints at all.
Very easy to get hold of and very qu
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ick at responding would definitely go back to him - thankyou so much Francisco for everything.Read Less

S Smith, Estepona
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Being English in Spain and fighting a child custody and divorce case here is extremely difficult.
I originally had an only Spanish speaking lawyer and after 2 years of everything taking ages inclu
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ding just responses from my lawyer plus with the language barrier I decided to make the difficult decision to change my lawyer to Alvaro.
Immediately and quickly Alvaro got an understanding of the case and was able to advise me. I was now able to understand myself what was going on and he worked to a new pace that had previously been lacking and that was needed to win the case.
Communication and response from Alvaro was always immediate and his recommendations were always correct. He is very professional and approachable person, and a very good lawyer. With his help and guidance I won the case and without any hesitation I would highly recommend Alvaro as a lawyer to anyone.Read Less

Nada Fairris, Fuengirola
Friday, September 01, 2017
100% Responsive, understanding, value for money, approachable, professional and very efficient. Thank you Ana Belèn.

Mr KJB, Cordoba
Monday, July 31, 2017
Francisco is still finalising some business for us but we are happy to give feedback now. He has provided us with the highest level of legal advice and made the whole process relatively easy for us an
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d without undue stress.
He was quick to respond and gave his advice in a very logical way and got to the point without fuss. His conversational and written English is first class!
He carried his authority very professionally especially when having to deal with some difficult people (not us!) and he was able to bring the matter to a successful conclusion within a few weeks as opposed to many months had we done it alone.
We could not have wished for a better lawyer to take us through a complicated process.
Thank you Francisco!Read Less

Gary Walsh, Malaga
Monday, June 05, 2017
Alvaro saved me a lot if problems and was incredibly helpful!! I would recommend him immediately to any English that have an issue in Spain.

Aziz Oudjida, Mijas Flores
Friday, June 02, 2017
We couldn't have hoped for better lawyer than Mr Francisco. He is always responsive, always available and approachable, with a remarkable ability to explain and provide legal solution. But more import
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ant, he strikes me as a very good and genuine person, honest and very competent.
I can say without a doubt in my mind that Mr Francisco stand well above all these lawyers.Read Less

SRK, Malaga
Friday, June 02, 2017
We appointed Alvaro for a local business purchase. We would have to say he was extremely thorough and efficient in his workings, very approachable and his response time to queries was typically minute
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s from e-mails/messages.
Alvaro also kindly assisted with other areas associated with our move to Spain.Read Less

Kate Vredevoogd, Granada
Monday, May 15, 2017
Álvaro was completely willing and available to clarify all of the doubts that I had about the legal process, was knowledgeable, efficient and best of all was able to transmit a sense of calm during w
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hat for me was a very uncomfortable situation.
I definitely recommend his services.Read Less

Uwe Gerhard, Fuengirola
Monday, May 08, 2017
Everything was done very well and on time. Alvaro was extremely helpful, he couldn't have done more.

JP, Germany
Monday, April 10, 2017
Francisco was extremely helpful, couldn’t have done more. I am very satisfied and I definitely use the same lawyer again in the future.

Martin Petersen, Fuengirola
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Francisco was extremely helpful. Very good value for money, and good at taking his time to understand my situation, and understanding my needs.

HEEC
Wednesday, February 08, 2017
I am a lawyer myself and must have stormed Alvaro with thousands of questions. He immediately replied to all my queries. He is a really helpful and approachable person.
I will not hesitate in recom
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mending his service to anyone. If I have to rank him out of 10 he will get 9 for sure.Read Less

Mrs. J.B., Cordoba
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Welcoming manner and kind comments about the fact. Extremely approachable.
Highly competent understanding of and patient explanations regarding my many questions.
Very fairly priced to do with t
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he making of a Will.Read Less

Paul McG., Fuengirola
Thursday, December 15, 2016
He provided the help I needed in a professional! His manner and this help was well worth the fee. As I told Alvaro, if in the future I have any legal problems here he will be my first port of call.

AC, UK
Wednesday, November 09, 2016
Alvaro was amazing! He fully supported us and guided us through the whole process. He answered every question quickly with a clear and concise explanation.
The fees were very competitive and there
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were no extra charges for utility connections etc, the fee was to cover everything. I cannot recommend him highly enough.Read Less

Abi Carr, Midas Costa
Friday, October 28, 2016
At all times he was professional, reassuring and diligent, explaining anything I did not quite understand, and working tirelessly on my behalf.
He kept me informed throughout, always responding to
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my calls and emails very quickly. Excellent service, and value for money. I highly recommend Alvaro. I would not hesitate to use him again.Read Less

Abi Carr, Mijas Costa
Friday, October 28, 2016
Alvaro assisted me through an extremely difficult and complex situation. At all times he was professional, reassuring and diligent, explaining anything I did not quite understand, and working tireless
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ly on my behalf.
He kept me informed throughout, always responding to my calls and emails very quickly. Excellent service, and value for money. I highly recommend Alvaro. I would not hesitate to use him again.Read Less

Mrs. Irene C Price, Acton Trussell
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
It was a pleasure to deal with Francisco. He spoke excellent English. He was professional and courteous at all times, and responded to any queries I had by return, taking time to explain complicated l
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egal procedure in a manner I could understand.
For the work Francisco did, his charges were good value for money. I would recommend his services without hesitation.Read Less

Caroline & Kevin, UK
Friday, September 02, 2016
Alvaro was approachable, reliable and his instructions were clear. He was easy to communicate with and we felt he had our best interests at heart.
His English is excellent and he offered excellent
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value for money.Read Less

Michael Anthony, Malaysia
Friday, August 19, 2016
I found Francisco to be very understanding of my needs and was able to discuss frankly with him on sensitive and personal matters.
I found Francisco to be extremely professional, helpful, knowledg
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eable and importantly very approachable. I would certainly recommend him to anyone who needed such services and I would certainly use him and his law firm again if the need arose.Read Less

Asmae Lamarti, Fuengirola
Thursday, August 18, 2016
First of all, Alvaro was very professional and has a very good service. He was very helpful and it didn’t take more than two weeks to get all the papers together.
And also the Value of money, as
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I thought in the beginning that it will be very expensive, but it was just super good.Read Less
Whether you need advice on estate planning, or if you are an executor of an estate or a next of kin, our English-speaking probate lawyers will provide practical guidance to ensure an effective, efficient and cost-effective transmission of the estate to the beneficiaries.
Our team of experienced lawyers can also assist with drafting a Will – in both English and Spanish – to ensure that your assets in Spain are distributed according to your wishes.
What are the benefits of making a Will in Spain?
Making a Will in Spain that deals with your Spanish assets ensures that your wishes regarding those assets are complied with and avoids the possibility that Spanish law would apply.
A Spanish Will avoids the need for time-consuming legalisation and translation of English documents that could delay payment of inheritance taxes and incur punitive fines. All of the above means that your heirs are able to manage the inherited estate at a lower cost and in a much more straight-forward manner.
What should be included in a Spanish will
In order to ensure that your Spanish Will is fit for purpose it should contain a number of clauses:
- The Will should clearly state that it only applies to Spanish assets and not any other.
- Likewise, Wills made in any other country should state that they refer to assets only in that country to avoid any potential confusion as to which Will applies to which assets.
- The Will should declare that the law of succession in your country of origin is governed by the principle of free and unfettered disposition of private property and assets.
The process for making a will in Spain
The process for making a Will is relatively straightforward:
- Discuss how you wish your assets to be distributed with a lawyer in Spain
- The lawyer will write the content of the Will in accordance with your wishes
- The Will is then formally drawn-up by a public notary,
- An appointment is made with the notary to sign the Will
- The notary will provide you with a copy and notify the central civil registy office of the existence of the Will.
What should you avoid?
You should avoid any Will-writing service that does not provide you with a professional draughtsman.
While there is relative freedom of disposition of assets in Anglo-Saxon legal systems, for a Spanish Will to be effective it must comply with Spanish procedure. This means that it will need to be drawn-up by a notary and should therefore be written in Spanish in order to avoid confusion.
An English-speaking lawyer will be able to advise you on this as well as more complex issues such as the validity of trusts in Spain which could cause problems in certain cases.
Service Features
Would you like your will to be drawn-up in the most tax-friendly manner?
There are a number of ways that you can minimise the costs of an inheritance and these are incorporated into our Will-making service. The features of the service are as follows:
- You provide the lawyers with the details of the assets that you have in Spain as well as your wishes with regard to how they should be distributed.
- According to your wishes, your Will shall be drawn-up in such a way as to minimise any Succession tax liability in Spain.
- You will be provided with an estimate of the inheritance tax liability so that you can determine in advance whether the Will meets your requirements.
- The Will is drafted in both Spanish and English so that you can confirm that it conforms to your intentions
- The Will is drawn-up in the office of a public notary convenient to you.
- An appointment is made with the public notary to sign the Will and you will receive an official copy while another copy is sent to the central Wills registry in Madrid.
Code of Reasonable Fees
While this law firm is particularly suitable for managing Probate related issues faced by non-residents with assets in Spain, clients will not face elevated charges or fees as a result. Our clients can expect to receive a quotation that is at or below the recommended guideline prices by the Law Society of Malaga.
Free Support Services Included
When combined with the free and innovative Advocate Abroad support services you can be sure that you are obtaining completely transparent legal services from registered and regulated English-speaking lawyers in Spain. These support services include:
- Verification of the regulatory status of your lawyer.
- Fees as recommended by the Spanish Law Societies
- Legal fees specified in advance and legally guaranteed.
- Services levels agreed in advance and guaranteed.
- All lawyers must hold professional indemnity insurance.
- Lawyers’ proficiency in English monitored.
- Continuous quality controls and reviews.
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