The former Minister said that the increase will take place once the General State Budgets for 2018 are approved. The increase will be applied to the lawyers assigned to the Office shift and is the result of negotiations with the Council.
THE DEMANDS OF THE SECTOR
The General Council of the Spanish Lawyers (CGAE) and the Bar Associations, have denounced their disagreement with the remuneration of the Turns of Office in some autonomous communities, mainly those that depend on the Ministry of Justice. Their demands included dignified fees and more agile payments.
These requests led to conversations with the Ministry of Justice for months. As a result of these negotiations, the scales that mark the fees received by the lawyers of the Office shift will be reviewed.
The Board has also informed that monthly payments are already made of the settlements generated by the actions of the Free Courts. To be exact, once made in May the corresponding payment for the months of January, February and March, from now on the payment will be made every month.
HOW WILL THIS INCREASE AFFECT?
The increase in fees will affect 99% of the files that are processed through the legal system; the increase will be 30% on average. The variation will be around 35% in criminal and civil jurisdictions, and 20% for the rest.
This improvement in fees will affect the 51,000 lawyers assigned to the Free Legal Aid Service, who work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It constitutes without a doubt an acknowledgment to the work of these professionals, but also to the public service of Free Justice, which is recognized by the Constitution.
THIS INCREASE IS NOT ENOUGH
The announcement of the Ministry of Justice does not completely solve the issue of insufficient compensation of the lawyers of the Office shift. The General Council of Lawyers and Bar Associations continue to demand that the scale be updated, in accordance with the increase in the accumulated CPI.
The members of this sector also request that new modules and the payment of the guards be recognized. For its part, the authorities of the Ministry have expressed their willingness to gradually match the scales.
There is also an important issue of territorial equality. It is about eliminating the important differences that currently exist between what is charged for these concepts in the different Autonomous Communities.
Have you ever needed the services of a lawyer by trade? Now that you know more about the demands of professionals in the free justice sector, you will be able to better understand their demands and the rise that will be launched.
Writings SF Lawyers