Accessing the legal profession (Spain)

Until 2011, one could gain access to the legal profession with just a Bachelor´s Degree in Law (Licenciatura en Derecho), not to be confused with the Bachelor of Laws. It was possible for new graduates to just join any Bar Association and practice law.[2] This situation however, involved an imbalance in the system of accessing the legal profession between countries because there were countries where you could practice law directly with only a law degree (Spain), while in others, a postgraduate degree was required, and in others, a postgraduate degree and state examination. This imbalanced situation brought many foreign citizens, in whose countries postgraduate and state examination was required, to Spain and through this legal loophole they acceded to legal practice without postgraduate or state examination.

However, with the entry into the European Union, which sought political and economic integration, the Bologna Process arrived and unified ways of accessing legal practice in European countries. To this we must also add the complaints of the legal profession in Spain (many lawyers put pressure on the government). For all this, the access system was changed.

After EU's Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications[3] and in order to unite all legal practice systems, Spain reformed the accessing the legal profession with the Law 34/2006, of 30 October, on Access to the Professions of Lawyer and Court Representative[4][5] and to apply and develop this Law the Royal Decree 775/2011, of 3 June, which approves the rules set by the LAC was passed by Spanish Government.[6][7]

In order to obtain the Lawyer's Professional Title, it is now necessary to have the following:[1]

• Bachelor´s Degree in Law (4 years)
• Master of Laws
• Legal Internship (2 years)
• State Examination for Access to the Legal Profession

The Bachelor's Degree in Law (in Spain) is the academic degree conferred on those who have successfully completed a law study process at a university or institution of higher studies. Not to be confused with the Bachelor of Laws.

It is important to differentiate between two types of the Bachelor's Degree in Law: the one previous to the Bologna Process and the later one. The one previous to the Bologna Process was composed of 5 years, with specialization and without legal internship. The current one consists of 4 years, with internship and to specialize it is necessary to study a master's degree.

The Master of Laws is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those holding a Bacherlor's Degree in Law and it is the basic professional degree for admission into legal practice.

In Spain this master has different names according to the university that offers it, including: Master's Degree in Legal Practice, Master's Degree in Advocacy, Master's Degree in Legal Profession.[8]

The master's degree in legal practice is made up of one or two years depending on the university that offers it and consists of 90 ECTS credits.[9][10][11][12]

As to the legal internship, according to article 17 of the Royal Decree 775/2011, of 3 June, which approves the rules set by the LAC, it will involve a minimum of 30 ECTS credits, which means a minimum of 750 hours (6 months).

According to article 17 of the Royal Decree 775/2011, of 3 June, which approves the rules set by the LAC, the exam is written and consists of two parts that are done on the same day. The first exercise consists of an objective test of multiple answers and the second exercise of the evaluation will consist of solving a practical case previously chosen by the applicant among several alternatives.

The evaluation test has a total duration of 4 hours and consists of:

• 50 questions on «Common subjects in the practice of the legal profession».
• 25 questions on «Specific subjects» according to the legal specialty (civil and commercial, criminal, administrative and labor)
• In addition, the questionnaire includes six reservation questions for the section «Common subjects exercising the legal profession» and two for each legal specialty of the section «Specific subjects».

The final result of the State Test is a qualification of "Apt" or "Unfit", without numerical result. The result of the test is weighted with the Master of Access to Law and Legal Practice, the test being 70% and the master 30% of the final result.

However, due to the high percentage of people who present themselves and pass the exam,[13] the lawyers filed several complaints and are currently negotiating a new tougher access test with the Ministry of Justice, which they want to implement before 2022.[14] The new Model of access to the legal profession that is being negotiated will have:[15]

• A practical oral test before a court of a specific area of law chosen by the student
• Elimination of the average between the exam and the master
• Make passing the test mandatory to obtain the title
• Grant a final numerical note to the applicant

The Lawyer's Professional Title[16] is the professional license in Spain to practice law, which allows legal practice in Spain and the EU. It was created in 2006 by the Law 34/2006. Until this law came into force, the "title" or "license" of Lawyer did not exist as such in Spain.

Once you have passed the State Examination for Access to the Legal Profession, the Ministry of Justice of the Spanish Government gives you the Lawyer's Professional Title and with it you can join a Bar Association and practice law.[17]

After EU's Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications[3] and in order to unite all legal practice systems, Spain reformed the accessing the legal profession with the Law 34/2006, of 30 October, on Access to the Professions of Lawyer and Court Representative,[4][5] which created/introduced the Lawyer's Professional Title, as the professional license to practice law.

Article 1. Object and purpose of the law.

1. Esta ley tiene por objeto regular las condiciones de obtención del título profesional de abogado y el título profesional de procurador de los tribunales, como colaboradores en el ejercicio del derecho fundamental a la tutela judicial efectiva, con el fin de garantizar el acceso de los ciudadanos a un asesoramiento, defensa jurídica y representación técnica de calidad.

2. La obtención del título profesional de abogado en la forma determinada por esta ley es necesaria para el desempeño de la asistencia letrada en aquellos procesos judiciales y extrajudiciales en los que la normativa vigente imponga o faculte la intervención de abogado, y, en todo caso, para prestar asistencia letrada o asesoramiento en Derecho utilizando la denominación de abogado; todo ello sin perjuicio del cumplimiento de cualesquiera otros requisitos exigidos por la normativa vigente para el ejercicio de la abogacía.

4. La obtención de los títulos profesionales de abogado o procurador será requisito imprescindible para la colegiación en los correspondientes colegios profesionales.

— Law 34/2006, of 30 October

In this way, the aforementioned Law created this professional title that before 2006 did not exist in Spain as such, and it established that it is the basic requirement to be able to join a Bar Association and practice law.

In Spain it is mandatory to join a Bar Association to practice law and the requirement to join a Bar Association is to be in possession of the Lawyer's Professional Title.

The incorporation into a single Bar Association is sufficient to practice throughout the national territory, being that Bar Association the sole professional domicile or principal domicile of the lawyer.[18]