Lawyer to sell property

[Colanotpepsi]

Hi,

I've been looking for a Lawyer to help sell my property in Spain, Marbella, and was wondering if this firm is a legally registered firm.

Ruiz Ballesteros Economistas & Abogados
Their website: jrb.es/en/index.php

I've read most of the articles so far on possible scams and they seem legitimate to me, but I have to make sure and am clueless on how to check if they are registered and any good.

I'm also wondering what are the prices I should be looking at paying if hiring a lawyer to do all the work in Spain, as I live in the UK.

Thanks in advance.

[ifv]

Hi Colanotpepsi

At first sight this company seems perfectly legitimate to me. However, the website lacks essential -and required- elements which would provide us the right information to determine if this company is properly registered as a professional law firm. If you check the bottom of the home page of this site, you will see the details of the company which runs this site, together with the Companies' House registration numbers. This is a requirement as per Spanish law for websites. For a law firm, the company should be trading as a S.L.P. (Limited Professional Company), as only these firms are allowed to offer legal services (you have to be a professional - registered lawyer in this case to be able to incorporate one of these companies). Alternatively, the website should include the name of a registered lawyer, together with his/her registration number, if they are not trading as a company.

I suggest that you request from them their Bar Association registration number, and/or the details of the company they are trading with.

You can later lookup the lawyer(s) on the following website:

https://www.redabogacia.org/censossl/printLogonCenso.do

Regarding fees, it is customary for lawyers to charge 1% for representing an owner on the sale of the property. I know that Lawbird, a law firm which collaborates with this site, is currently offering discounted fees. More information on: http://lawbird.com/services/view/24/Conveyancing-for-Property-Sale.

Regards

[Colanotpepsi]

Hi ifv,

thanks for the very quick reply.

The discount from Lawbird seems really tempting. I assume they are a good firm for what I am looking for?

[ifv]

Hi ifv,

thanks for the very quick reply.

The discount from Lawbird seems really tempting. I assume they are a good firm for what I am looking for?

I would assume so. Lawbird is the main contributor to this site, and their reputation is second to none. However, I would make a decision based on factors other than price. Apparently, a property sale is something very straightforward, but there are many things that can go wrong. Also, check the list of services included in the fee and make sure nothing is missing. Many lawyers just quote you a basic package and then charge you a fortune for every little extra thing they do (not the case with Lawbird).

Regards