Is Advocats Abogados Legitimate?

[singerofwords]

I have a question having to do with vetting a particular real estate agent and lawyer. I do not speak Spanish, which makes my research difficult.

I am considering purchasing a property in Valencia, and I have initiated contact with a firm located there, operated by Juan Torres de Miguel:

http : // valenciahomes . es
http : // advocatsabogados . es

(I put the spaces in to the above links only because the automated system would not let me post a message with links, as I am new)

I found this firm via a google search initially.

I am simply trying to determine the legitimacy of the above businesses before I go further. (Competency is a different question, which I know that you can not comment on.) I am hoping you could be of assistance. Anything you can tell me would be appreciated.

It all appears legitimate to me, but a more experienced set of eyes would be invaluable.

This forum is very useful. Thank you in advance for your help.

[Patricia]

Hello Singerofwords,

I have checked the Valencia Bar of Association ( Colegio de Abogados de Valencia ) and Mr. Juan Torres de Miguel is a registered lawyer, ( Reg No 6633 ), that means it is a legitimate Law Firm.

Regards,

[singerofwords]

Dear Patricia,

Thank you very much for your response. I very much appreciated the link to icav.es that allowed me to verify this attorney's registration and to verify a second attorney at the firm.

I have a second question if you don't mind:

As you can see from the two links below, Mr. Torres de Miguel operates both a real estate agency and a law firm:

http : // valenciahomes . es
http : // advocatsabogados . es

My question is: Is there any conflict or potential conflict if I hire Mr. Torres de Miguel as both my buyer's agent and as my conveyancing lawyer? Or should I separate these two functions, and hire separate firms/professionals? I am not quite sure how things work best in Spain, but it would seem that if there is no conflict, then it would simplify matters if I had a single contact for these two functions.

Again, thank you very much for all of your help.

Regards,
Singer

[Patricia]

Hello singerofwords,

You are welcome.

I believe there is not a potential conflict of interest but a real one as Mr. Torres may not be totally impartial, being at the same time the lawyer handling your purchase process and representing the seller´s interests as the Estate Agent. It is really a decision you must take, considering the possible risk that your Estate agent may prioritize over his financial interests.

Regards,

[singerofwords]

Dear Patricia,

Thank you again for your response.

I have learned from you and from some other research that things are a bit different in Spain. The basis for my question about using the same person as my buyer's agent and as my conveyancing lawyer is that here in the US (at least in the state that I live in), a buyer can hire a separate estate agent to represent the buyer's interest (much like he hires an attorney to represent his interests); the seller has his own estate agent (they normally split the fee). From your response, and from my other research, this notion of buyer's agent just does not exist in Spain: there is only the estate agent who is paid by the seller.

So you have helped me, and kept me from an error.

Thank you again.

Kind Regards,
Singer

[Unregistered]

I receive a fax from the gentlemen mentioned above, suggesting a typical scam of an heritance that he wants to split

[singerofwords]

I receive a fax from the gentlemen mentioned above, suggesting a typical scam of an heritance that he wants to split

Dear Unregistered,

Since my original posts, I have been to Mr. Torres' office and met with him personally. He is also a real estate agent, and when I was in Valencia, he showed me several apartments for possible purchase. Though I neither used Mr. Torres' legal services nor purchased any apartment via his agency, I spent 3 or 4 hours with him, and I had no hint of any problem from him. Consequently, I have a very difficult time believing that Mr. Torres is behind the fax that you received. More likely, I would guess, is that some 3rd party is using his name, but that the contact information on your fax is different than Mr. Torres' published contact info at http://valenciahomes.es/. Did you compare these pieces of information?

Regards,
Singer

[Unregistered]

I receive a fax from the gentlemen mentioned above, suggesting a typical scam of an heritance that he wants to split

I also received a similar fax. What is the name of the heritance holder? Alain?

[Unregistered]

I also received a similar fax. What is the name of the heritance holder? Alain?

I am interested in the shady dealings of this man as I believe I have been scammed by him but have only his word against mine. Could you reveal a bit more about the scam?