Galera Abogados´Ethical and Deontological Principles
GALERA ABOGADOS´ ethical principles establish, in general, rules of conduct, deontological principles and values that guide, at all times, the actions of all members of the Firm, as well as those of the Firm’s collaborators.
GALERA ABOGADOS scrupulously complies with the ethical rules governing the legal profession and, in particular, those contained in the General Statute of the Spanish Legal Profession, approved by Royal Decree 135/2021, of 2 March, in the Code of Ethics of the Spanish Legal Profession, approved by the Plenary Session of the General Council of the Spanish Legal Profession held on 6 March 2019 and in the Code of Ethics of the Bars and Bar Councils of the European Union, approved by the Council of the Bars and Law Societies of the European Union, in session held on 28 October 1988, modified by the sessions of 28 November 1998 and 6 December 2002. Our commitment also extends to the most absolute respect for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted and proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in its resolution 217A (III) of 10 December 1948.
From these ethical rules emanate a series of values that inform our profession, such as honesty, integrity, professional secrecy, independence in our actions, compliance with the legal system and profound respect for and protection of human rights.
The Firm is therefore committed to designing, defining, and implementing control models, rules and procedures that guarantee the independence of the Firm’s professionals in the exercise of their profession, compliance with the duty of professional secrecy and confidentiality, and respect for the legal system.
To this end, the Firm has established the following rules:
- Human rights.
GALERA ABOGADOS does not allow or tolerate any discrimination based on sex, race, nationality, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, ideology, religion, economic position, and any action that harms or curtails any of these rights is prohibited. - Deontological principles.
GALERA ABOGADOS complies with and defends the rules of professional ethics, especially the duty of professional secrecy, as an essential pillar for the practice of law. To this end, all members of the Firm, whether or not they are lawyers, as well as external collaborators, are obliged to maintain the most absolute confidentiality regarding client matters and the information they receive from them. To this end, the members of the Firm must not discuss their work with persons outside the Firm. Professional secrecy shall be maintained even after the client, for whatever reason, has ceased to be a client.
Likewise, a direct, sincere, and close relationship with the client, based on mutual trust and exquisite personal treatment, is essential in the performance of the Firm.
Furthermore, the provision of our professional services must be governed by the highest standards of quality so that the client obtains the greatest benefits in the matter entrusted to us. - Exclusive dedication.
All members of the Firm carry out their activity on an exclusive basis, refraining from holding any position in entities, commercial companies, foundations, or associations, without the prior written consent of the Firm. Participation in a company administering the member’s personal assets is excluded. - Prevention of money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
GALERA ABOGADOS proclaims and upholds strict compliance with Law 10/2010, of 28 April, Royal Decree 304/2014, of 5 May, approving the Regulations of the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism, as well as Royal Decree-Law 11/2018, of 31 August, transposing European directives on money laundering. To this end, the Firm applies all due diligence measures focused on the formal identification of the client, exact knowledge of the business or professional activity, identification of beneficial ownership and caution in the analysis of any transaction in which there may be indications of non-compliance. - Gifts and invitations.
GALERA ABOGADOS members may not accept, under any circumstances, gifts, or invitations, except when they are of small value or insignificant amount, provided that they respond to usual practices in social habits. - Acting in Court.
The lawyers of the Firm shall always act in court or in arbitration proceedings with due respect and consideration for judges and magistrates or arbitrators, as well as for other lawyers, always acting under the principle of good procedural faith, as sincere collaborators of the Administration of Justice or arbitration tribunals. - Data protection
GALERA ABOGADOS scrupulously complies in the provision of its professional services with the principles and rules relating to the protection of personal data of natural persons, and in particular with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016, on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) and related legislation, extending such compliance to the processing of personal data of directors and attorneys of legal persons. - Intellectual property.
GALERA ABOGADOS always respects the intellectual property rights of third parties. To this end, it always cites the source of authorship in its writings, without, under any circumstances, being able, or even appearing to be, a possible plagiarism. It is absolutely forbidden for the Firm to use any company secret known from its previous professional activity. - Breach of these rules.
Failure to comply with any of these rules by any of the members of the firm will lead to the corresponding disciplinary sanction, graduated according to the degree of the infraction.