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Catalonia Seals Multi-Year Deal to Strengthen Free Legal Aid and Raise Duty-Lawyer Pay

The pact seeks to restore 31% of duty-lawyer purchasing power eroded since 2011.

Overview

  • The Generalitat will add €5.7 million annually from 2026 through 2029, totaling €22.8 million, to reinforce the legal-aid system.
  • A separate convention allocates €74.2 million for on-call duty, with €70.2 million for professional compensation and €4 million for management, €1.82 million more than last year.
  • Compensation modules increase 2.5% next year with a €2.9 million effect, which Justícia says brings total 2026 investment in the turno de oficio to €10.4 million when combined with the new allocations.
  • New specific payments cover previously undercompensated work: provisional-imprisonment hearings (~€300,000), dual accuser–defense roles (€316,480), civil/mercantile reconvention (€300,000) and mandatory labor conciliation (€326,291).
  • Operational measures include a new immigration guard in Figueres, an extra on-call lawyer in Santa Coloma de Farners, reinforced victim support in Cervera and Balaguer, full electronic file processing, expanded training and €700,000 to promote filings in Catalan.