On 3 April 2025, Organic Law 1/2025 came into force in Spain which unleashed a comprehensive reform of the Spanish justice system and procedural law to increase their efficiency. The reform assigns a crucial role to the out-of-court settlement of legal disputes and, in this context, introduces the legal concept of the so called “confidential binding offer” (oferta vinculante confidencial) as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism.

Introduction On 2 January 2025, Organic Law 1/2025 was enacted, introducing several reforms to improve the efficiency of the Public Service of Justice in Spain, and entered into force on 3 April 2025. The Organic Law covers a variety of measures, including the mandatory inclusion of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms (ADR) before bringing a claim […]

The reform of the Spanish Law on Civil Procedure (Ley de Enjuiciamiento Civil, LEC), which aims to make the Spanish justice system more efficient, also includes changes regarding fast-track proceedings (juicio verbal). The main objectives of the new regulation are to optimise procedural time limits and streamline certain procedures (and procedural steps) that have sometimes delayed the resolution of disputes. Below, we outline the most important changes regarding fast-track proceedings.