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English-Speaking Lawyers in Marbella and Malaga

Advisors in Spain handles property purchases and sales, wills, probate, contracts and disputes across the Costa del Sol, with coordinated support covering Malaga province.

Every case starts with the form below. Describe your situation, and a lawyer who covers Marbella, Malaga and the wider region takes your case, in English or Spanish, whichever you are most comfortable in.

The lawyer you work with handles your case directly, from the first consultation to its resolution, in English or Spanish throughout.

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White homes overlooking the Mediterranean on the Costa del Sol
Typical timing No single figure covers every case type here The page explains what can change it. How the work runs 6 steps From your enquiry through to completion. What to prepare 7 items See the documents and details you will need.

Who This Page Is For

  • This page is for anyone with a legal need tied to the Costa del Sol: buying or selling a property in Marbella or Malaga, a will or probate case for a property there, or a contract, dispute or debt-recovery matter.
  • This includes anyone living on the coast full time and anyone buying, selling or inheriting a property here while based abroad: the case ties to the Costa del Sol even when you do not.
  • This page covers property purchase and sale, wills and probate for a Costa del Sol property, contract review and drafting, civil and commercial disputes, squatter (okupa) problems and debt recovery, each handled by a lawyer who already covers this region.

This page covers a legal need tied to the Costa del Sol specifically. A case with no connection to Marbella, Malaga or the wider region is better served by English-speaking lawyers in Spain nationally, or by property lawyers in Spain, Spanish wills or Spanish probate for the national version of the same case type.

What's Included When You Work With a Lawyer

The lawyer covering your case handles every step below directly, whichever case type brought you here.

  • Property purchase or sale on the Costa del Sol. Your lawyer runs the NIE application, due diligence on the nota simple, the arras contract and completion at the notary; see property lawyers in Spain for the full step-by-step. A Spanish bank account and your NIE come included at no extra charge when a lawyer runs your purchase. Have a lawyer handle your Marbella or Malaga purchase.
  • Wills and probate for a Costa del Sol property. Drafting a Spanish will for a property you own here, or administering an estate that already includes one, follows its own process; see Spanish wills and Spanish probate for each in full. Have a lawyer handle your will or probate case.
  • Contract review and drafting. A lease, a supply agreement or another commercial contract gets checked or drafted before you sign, so a problem term gets caught while it is still easy to change. Have a lawyer review your contract before you sign.
  • Civil and commercial disputes. A dispute with a neighbour, a community of owners or a supplier is run by your lawyer from the first letter through to a court hearing if it comes to that. Have a lawyer take on your dispute.
  • Squatters (okupas) on a Marbella or Malaga property. A recurring concern for foreign-owned second homes on this coast; your lawyer runs the legal route for recovering the property, from the police report to the court application. Have a lawyer handle your squatter case.
  • Debt recovery. Money owed to you by a person or a business in the region gets pursued through the proceso monitorio, the court-based payment-order procedure, or through the ordinary courts where the debtor disputes it. Have a lawyer pursue your debt.

What You'll Need to Provide

Passport or NIE
Your passport, and your NIE (Spain's foreigner tax-ID number) where you already have one. The lawyer confirms whether your specific case needs it filed alongside the rest of the paperwork.
For a property purchase or sale
The nota simple where you already have one, the reservation or arras contract, and, for a sale, your title deed. Your lawyer confirms the rest once instructed.
For a will or probate case
Any existing will, Spanish or foreign, and for probate the death certificate and a note of the assets the estate includes.
For a contract dispute
The contract itself, plus any correspondence about the dispute already exchanged: emails, letters or formal notices.
For a squatter case
The property's title deed or nota simple, the land-registry extract, and, where you have one, your own tenancy or purchase paperwork for the property.
For debt recovery
The invoices, contracts or correspondence that document the debt: what is owed, by whom and since when.
The exact list for your case
Every case is different, and the lawyer covering your case type and location confirms precisely what is needed once you describe your situation in the qualification form below.

How the Process Works

  1. You submit the qualification form

    A few questions cover your case type, your location within the region and your timeline. Answering them sends an enquiry to Advisors in Spain; nothing goes to a notary, a court or any other authority yet.

  2. A lawyer covering your case takes it on

    A lawyer who covers Malaga province takes on your case directly and replies to you personally. If your case is not something we handle, we say so plainly.

  3. You have an initial consultation

    The lawyer reviews your situation directly with you, in English or Spanish, and sets out how they would run your case before any work starts.

  4. You engage the lawyer

    If you decide to go ahead, your lawyer sets out the fee structure and engagement terms directly with you before any work starts.

  5. The lawyer runs your case

    Filings, correspondence, notary appointments and hearings, whatever your case type calls for, are handled by the lawyer, with updates back to you as the case moves.

  6. Your case reaches resolution

    A purchase or sale ends at completion, a will is signed or a probate case closes with the property registered in the heirs' names, a dispute ends in a settlement or judgment, and a debt in payment or an enforcement order, each on its own timeline.

Timing: What to Expect and What Causes Delays

No single figure covers every case type here

A property purchase, a probate case and a contested dispute each run on a different clock, so this section names what causes delay case by case, without one overall average.

What delays it

A Costa del Sol property purchase involving a mortgage usually completes within 60 to 90 days of signing the arras contract, according to a Spanish property buyer's guide; a cash purchase can complete sooner. Probate and a contested dispute carry no single figure: both depend on the court, the notary and how much the parties agree along the way. Court or notary backlogs, missing documents, and cross-border elements needing a sworn translation push any case type back further. A debt claim under the proceso monitorio, Articles 812 to 818 of the Ley de Enjuiciamiento Civil, moves to enforcement only once the debtor has had 20 days to pay or object. A squatter case under the fast-track route added by Ley 5/2018 gives the occupant five days from notification to produce a title once the owner has asked for the property back immediately.

What to prepare now

Gather the documents your case type needs (the nota simple and purchase contract for a property matter, the will or death certificate for probate, the lease or agreement in a dispute) before the qualification form goes in, so the lawyer can start without waiting on paperwork.

Legal and Tax Considerations for a Costa del Sol Property or Estate

A Costa del Sol property inherited by a spouse, a child or another close descendant or ascendant in kinship Groups I or II can usually claim Andalucia’s regional reductions: the Agencia Tributaria de Andalucia states a 99% cut to the tax quota itself, plus a base reduction of 1,000,000 euros for each heir or legatee. Inheritance tax in Spain covers how that reduction interacts with the state scale and which kinship groups qualify.

Owning a property here also carries an annual obligation regardless of where you live. IBI, the municipal property tax billed on the valor catastral, is due every year, and a non-resident who does not let the property owes imputed income tax on top of it. Property taxes in Spain sets out both charges in full, including the rate that applies to a non-resident owner.

This page covers the lawyer side of a Costa del Sol property or estate: buying, selling, drafting a will or handling probate. Filing the tax return itself sits with an accountant once your lawyer has flagged what applies to your case.

Case types, sourced legal references and the process on this page are current as of 26 August 2026.

Tell Us Your Case and Location on the Costa del Sol

Give us a few details about your case type and where in Malaga province it sits, and a lawyer who covers that area takes it on.

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Common questions

Are there English-speaking lawyers in Malaga, Spain?
Yes. We handle cases by province across mainland Spain and the islands, including Malaga province and the wider Costa del Sol. Where a case is not something we handle, we say so plainly.
Are there English-speaking solicitors in Spain?
Yes. Advisors in Spain handles cases nationally with English-speaking, Spanish-qualified solicitors. This page covers the Costa del Sol and Malaga province specifically; a case with no tie to this region is better served by English-speaking lawyers in Spain, which covers the rest of the country.
Can an English-speaking solicitor on the Costa del Sol handle a property purchase in Marbella?
Yes. Property purchase and sale is one of the case types covered on this page; see property lawyers in Spain for the full step-by-step, or submit the qualification form above to start.
How much does an English-speaking lawyer in Marbella or Malaga cost?
Fees are set case by case, and you get a quote in writing before any work starts.
What documents should I gather for a Costa del Sol property purchase?
Gather the nota simple where you already have one, the reservation or arras contract and your passport or NIE.
Who handles my case on the Costa del Sol?
A lawyer who covers Malaga province and handles your case type. They take it on directly and stay your contact through the case.
Do I need a will for property I own on the Costa del Sol?
Yes, if you want your Spanish assets to pass the way you intend. A foreign will can be recognised in Spain, but forced-heirship rules and the Spanish probate process still apply to a Spain-situated property unless a Spanish will sets out your choice of law clearly; see Spanish wills for how that works.
What can I do about squatters (okupas) in my Marbella property?
The general route is a police report followed by a court application. Ley 5/2018 added a fast-track civil procedure at Article 441.1 bis of the Ley de Enjuiciamiento Civil: an owner can ask a court to recover an illegally occupied home, and the occupant gets five days from notification to produce a title once the claim asks for immediate possession. No route guarantees a particular timeline; your lawyer confirms which one fits your case.
How long does a property purchase or probate case take on the Costa del Sol?
A property purchase involving a mortgage usually takes 60 to 90 days from signing the arras contract to completion, according to a Spanish property buyer's guide; a cash purchase can complete sooner. Probate carries no single figure: it depends on the court, the notary and how quickly the heirs and any creditors are resolved.

Why Work With Advisors in Spain

Advisors in Spain assesses your case and identifies the appropriate delivery arrangement, and we coordinate any property, probate or tax question it raises.

  • Every lawyer meets the same standard before taking a case.

    We do not take on a case we cannot handle well, and every lawyer on the team meets the same standard before they start work. When your case is not something we handle, we tell you so plainly.

  • Every lawyer works in English or Spanish.

    You explain your case once, in English or Spanish, directly to the lawyer who handles it.

  • Coordinated support for related matters.

    The case, the tax or property question it raises, and whatever follows: we coordinate related requirements, with responsibility and scope agreed for each service.

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