Mejores Barcelona

Employment · Barcelona

Employment law in Barcelona

In short

An employment lawyer in Barcelona deals with work matters, and one of the deadlines that matters most to know is the one for dismissal: the action against dismissal expires twenty days after the day it took place, and the days are working days. This page is general information on employment law and is not legal advice. If you have been dismissed, it is worth consulting soon rather than waiting, because the deadline runs from the dismissal.123456789101112131415

By Mejores Barcelona, text generated and verified automaticallyUpdated

Centres that publish employment law in Barcelona

Each entry shows the centre's address, the specialities it publishes and the link to its website.

We show 12 of the 13 centres entered in Barcelona: first those that publish these specialities and then in alphabetical order, without any assessment.

Informational list of centres entered in the public register, without recommendation or assessment. If you are a professional and want to correct or remove your entry, see the methodology.

Do you want to know how we choose and order the centres? This is how we do it.

If you have been dismissed: the 20 working-day deadline

If you are looking for a dismissal lawyer in Barcelona, the first piece of information is the deadline. The claim for dismissal is filed within twenty working days after the day the dismissal took place. The deadline is a forfeiture deadline and Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays are not counted.2 It is worth counting the days carefully and asking for help if you are in doubt.

The dismissal must be notified in writing to the worker, with the facts that motivate it and the date it will take effect.1 Keep that communication, because it will help you know from when the days count. In dismissal for objective reasons, the written communication must grant a notice period of fifteen days, counted from delivery of the communication until the contract ends.1

A dismissal is void if its motive is any of the grounds of discrimination prohibited by the Constitution or by law, or if it takes place in violation of fundamental rights and public freedoms.1

If the dismissal is declared unfair, the company may choose between reinstatement or compensation of thirty-three days of salary per year of service, with periods of less than a year prorated by months and a maximum of twenty-four monthly payments. The eleventh transitional provision sets from which contract date this amount applies and establishes a mixed calculation for earlier contracts.1

What this page cannot tell you: whether your dismissal will be declared unfair, void or fair depends on your case and is decided by the court. Nobody can guarantee you a result, and be wary of anyone who does. We also have no data on how long a process takes or how much it costs.

Prior conciliation in Catalonia

The attempt at conciliation or, where applicable, mediation is a prior requirement to bring the proceedings.2 The Generalitat states that administrative conciliation is the mandatory step before filing a claim with the labour court.3

The forfeiture deadline is interrupted by filing the conciliation request with the competent public body for mediation, arbitration and conciliation.1 Ask the lawyer, or the body itself, how that request is filed and which documents it requires, because the reviewed sources do not set it out.

A risk to keep in mind: conciliation is a prior step and does not guarantee any agreement. This page does not say what happens when the company does not reach an agreement or how long it lasts, because the sources do not cover it.

When a lawyer is needed and when not

In the labour trial the parties may appear on their own or give their representation to a lawyer, a procurador, a registered graduado social or another person in full exercise of their civil rights.2 In the appeal in suplicación, litigants must be defended by a lawyer or technically represented by a registered graduado social, and defence by a lawyer is optional at first instance.2

Put practically: at first instance it is not compulsory to attend with a lawyer, and in the appeal in suplicación a lawyer or registered graduado social is needed.2 Each option has its risks: going without technical assistance is your decision, and hiring a professional has a cost that is worth knowing before signing. It is worth asking at the first consultation what would be done in your case and what is charged, in writing.

When to consult a lawyer

  1. A legal deadline is running: if you have been dismissed, the forfeiture deadline runs from the dismissal,1 so it is worth consulting soon rather than waiting. Count the days carefully and ask how many you have left.
  2. There is a risk to your safety or your family's: go to the emergency services first. Legal help comes afterwards.

Outside those cases, consulting is your choice and not an obligation, and the decision whether or not to claim is yours alone.

What to bring to the first consultation

It helps to bring:

  • The dismissal letter or communication and the date you received it.
  • Your contract and your latest payslips.
  • If you have already filed a conciliation request, the receipt with its date.
  • A summary of the facts, in date order.

And questions worth asking before hiring:

  • How many days of the deadline remain in your case and how they have been counted.
  • Which procedures the lawyer would carry out and which you would have to do.
  • How the service is charged, what it includes and what it does not, in writing.

How to check a lawyer with the ICAB

Before hiring, check that the person is registered in the professionals search of the Il·lustre Col·legi de l'Advocacia de Barcelona (ICAB). Search for their name and verify that they appear as a practising member. This page does not certify any lawyer or recommend anyone in particular.

Employment law by area

Employment law by area

Employment law by areaSchematic map with 16 areas; the full list is in the data table. Outside the map: Sant Cugat del Vallès, to the north-west; Badalona, to the north-east; Terrassa, to the north-west; Sabadell, to the north; Cornellà de Llobregat, to the south-west; L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, to the north-west.Ciutat VellaEixampleSants-MontjuïcLes CortsSarrià-Sant GervasiGràciaHorta-GuinardóNou BarrisSant AndreuSant MartíCiutat VellaEixampleSants-MontjuïcLes CortsSarrià-SantGervasiGràciaHorta-GuinardóNou BarrisSant AndreuSant MartíL'Hospitalet de LlobregatSant Cugat del VallèsTerrassaSabadellBadalonaCornellà de Llobregat

Source: Ajuntament de Barcelona, Open Data BCN (CC BY 4.0). Contornos simplificados.

View data
Map data: Employment law by area
Area
Ciutat Vella
Eixample
Sants-Montjuïc
Les Corts
Sarrià-Sant Gervasi
Gràcia
Horta-Guinardó
Nou Barris
Sant Andreu
Sant Martí
Sant Cugat del Vallès (outside the map, to the north-west)
Badalona (outside the map, to the north-east)
Terrassa (outside the map, to the north-west)
Sabadell (outside the map, to the north)
Cornellà de Llobregat (outside the map, to the south-west)
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (outside the map, to the north-west)

See solicitors in Barcelona

Authorship
Mejores Barcelona, text generated and verified automatically
Updated

How this content is produced and verified

Sources

  1. Real Decreto Legislativo 2/2015, texto refundido de la Ley del Estatuto de los Trabajadores (BOE-A-2015-11430)https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2015-11430Accessed: October 11, 2026
  2. Ley 36/2011, reguladora de la jurisdicción social (BOE-A-2011-15936)https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2011-15936Accessed: October 11, 2026
  3. Conciliaciones administrativas (previas a la via judicial laboral)https://tramits.gencat.cat/es/tramits/tramits-temes/ConciliacionsAccessed: October 11, 2026
  4. Martinez Cubells Abogados, web propiahttps://www.martinezcubellsabogado.com/divorcio-en-barcelona/Accessed: October 11, 2026
  5. Antolino Advocats, web propiahttps://www.antolinoadvocats.com/servicios/abogado-laboralista-barcelonaAccessed: October 11, 2026
  6. Català Reinón Abogados, web propiahttps://www.catala-reinon.es/abogados-laboralistas-barcelonaAccessed: October 11, 2026
  7. Forcam Abogados, web propiahttps://www.forcamabogados.com/abogados-laboralistas-en-barcelonaAccessed: October 11, 2026
  8. ACL Boutique Legal, web propiahttps://aclboutiquelegal.com/servicios/startups-de-abogados-en-barcelona/Accessed: October 11, 2026
  9. Gutiérrez Pujadas & Partners, web propiahttps://gpasoc.com/consultoria-juridica-empresarial-barcelona/Accessed: October 11, 2026
  10. DiG Abogados, web propiahttps://www.dig.es/Accessed: October 11, 2026
  11. De La Tejera Abogados, web propiahttps://www.delatejera.com/Accessed: October 11, 2026
  12. Alonso & Cisneros Abogados, web propiahttps://alonsoycisneros.com/abogado-laboralista-barcelona/Accessed: October 11, 2026
  13. Abogado Laboral Barcelona, web propiahttps://www.abogadolaboralbarcelona.com/nuestro-despachoAccessed: October 11, 2026
  14. Fontelles Advocats, web propiahttps://www.fontelles.com/Accessed: October 11, 2026
  15. Jover Marben Abogados, web propiahttps://www.jovermarben.com/Accessed: October 11, 2026

Do you run a solicitors centre in Barcelona? Here is how appearing here works

Each area has a partner centre space, always marked with the Sponsored label, where a single centre appears with its details and receives the requests from that area.

How to appear in Barcelona