Gibraltar Laws and Law Firms                                     

Given Gibraltar’s diverse population, the large number of citizens of several countries who regularly use it, and the wide array of diverse situations that can occur here, you'll be happy to know that there are attorney's and law firms which are equipped to attend to nearly any situation in which you may find yourself requiring legal representation.

 

Gibraltar was given to Great Britain by Spain in the Treaty of Utrecht. The laws of Gibraltar therefore may mimic those of Great Britain, but may also differ. Based in most cases on the laws and statutes of Great Britain, most legalities will be the same. Gibraltar does offer much the same legislation  as Great Britain, since it is a territory of Britain, but they are also autonomous in many ways,  which means that the laws which are in place there are not always the same as those you will find in Britain. This may make things a bit unique when it comes to requiring legal representation in Gibraltar.

The constitution which was signed in Gibraltar in 2006 state that  Britain will never "enter into arrangements that would place the people of Gibraltar under the sovereignty of any other state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes."

The legal system in Gibraltar is fairly straight forward. The Governor is appointed by the UK, and it is the governor who represents the Crown on Gibraltar.

While the crown is represented, Gibraltar is primarily a self governing entity. Gibraltar elects a parliament in a democratic way, and keeps a tax status which is independent of Great Britain, and may bring about laws which are independent and different than those of Britain. This means that you will require someone who knows those particular laws if you are a resident of Gibraltar. The law firms of Gibraltar are well trained in both UK law, as well as those laws which are specific to Gibraltar.

Largely the legal system of Gibraltar is based on the same laws as the English use, but it is independent in it's judiciary system. The laws of Gibraltar guarantee certain rights, but the courts of Gibraltar must take decisions from the European Court of Human Rights under advisement too in decisions they make.

Barristers and solicitors have the same rights they would do in the UK on behalf of their clients. Gibraltar law firms may also have personal contact with their clients.  The barristers of Gibraltar are required certain training, which means you’re not getting second rate representation when you hire a law firm in Gibraltar.  Gibraltar's justice may enroll any person as a barrister that has been accepted as a barrister in England, Ireland, Northern Ireland or Scotland.

Lawyers in Gibraltar are trained in the UK, but many will then continue to specialize on other areas of law practice. Some of the legalities being unique to Gibraltar, the lawyers here are of necessity going to need to be familiar with those specific differences.

Law firms in Gibraltar are many and diverse, with each as unique as Gibraltar’s legal system. You will find those who are specialists in immigration, who are capable of assisting you in immigration to the Gibraltar area, or away from it. Other firms offer you representation in, and are specialists in criminal law, business and financial arenas’ as well as human rights.

While the crime rate in Gibraltar is low in comparison to other jurisdictions of its size, Gibraltar does present other issues that may arise and require the need of legal representation.
 
Gibraltar holds the distinction of being one of the "premier arrest jurisdictions" the world over. This means that the area provides for not only the arrest of persons, but also the arrest of vessels, and in many cases, also the cargo that they carry.
There are law firms which specialize in the carrying out of these types of arrests, as well as the defense of them.

No two issues in any court case will be the same. This is particularly true of Gibraltar because of the unique geographics, and the diversity of the people who live there.

Fortunately there are law firms in Gibraltar which are well schooled in most of the situations that you will come across, or become involved in.