Inside Spain's evolving legal finance landscape
Teresa Gutiérrez Chacón: Spain has quickly become one of Europe's most promising jurisdictions for legal finance. I joined Burford Capital in Spain to lead our investment strategy and expand our opportunities here. A surge in competition law claims, such as those arising from the trucks, milk and car cartel cases has generated thousands of individual claims across regional courts. These matters are complex and costly, but the environment often favors claimants, with many judges siding with individuals and small businesses when strong economic evidence is presented. But because defendants rarely settle early and typically wait until proceedings are well advanced, pursuing these cases can place a significant burden on claimants. That is why legal finance plays an essential role in Spain. It provides the funding to see meritorious claims through to resolution.
Spain is also uniquely friendly to funding. Since 2008, a Supreme Court ruling has allowed lawyers to use conditional or contingency fee arrangements, an approach uncommon elsewhere in Europe.
Spain's implementation of the EU Collective Redress Directive will open the door to claims aggregators and book-builders, further increasing demand for capital. As the global leader in legal finance, Burford is well positioned to meet this demand. We help law firms and corporate clients manage costs, reduce risk from alternative fee structures and even unlock liquidity from pending claims. What sets Burford apart is not just our scale and track record, but also our local presence here in Spain—speaking the language, understanding the culture and providing on-the-ground support that local businesses and Spanish law firms alike can rely on. In Spain, firms are increasingly relying on us to support high-volume cartel cases, while corporates use our solutions to conserve cash and invest in growth.
Looking ahead, Spain is poised to become an even more significant market. The combination of collective redress, contingency fees, favorable judicial attitudes and a sophisticated claimant ecosystem means that demand for financing will continue to grow. Burford's global scale and expertise, combined with our local insight, make us an ideal partner for Spanish firms and businesses as they navigate this evolving landscape.
