Royal Decree approved to update remuneration for the court-appointed legal aid system

The Council of Ministers approved Royal Decree 824/2026, of October 14, which modifies the Regulation on free legal aid, approved by Royal Decree 141/2021, of March 9. The regulation is published in the Official State Gazette (Boletín Oficial del Estado) no. 256, of October 15, 2026, section I, page 137460, with the reference BOE-A-2026-21445, and enters into force the day following its publication, that is, October 16, 2026.

The text, promoted by the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, entirely replaces annexes II and III of the regulation: the first establishes the modules and bases for economic compensation for legal and court representative professionals; the second specifies the moment the indemnity accrues. The sole repealing provision nullifies Order PJC/281/2025, of March 21, which until now determined the economic amount of these actions.

The reform responds to the need to adapt the regulation to Organic Law 5/2024, of November 11, on the Right of Defense, and to Organic Law 1/2025, of January 2, on measures regarding the efficiency of the Public Justice Service. The Executive is also processing a preliminary draft law to merge the free legal aid regime into a single legal text, which will subsequently lead to the approval of a new regulation.

New amounts for the court-appointed system

Annex II incorporates new concepts and updates the remuneration amounts assigned to different actions. Among the figures included in the text are:

• General criminal procedure: 400.00 euros.
• Criminal procedure of special complexity: 600.00 euros.
• Jury Court procedure: 438.14 euros.
• Ordinary civil trial: 346.53 euros.
• Cassation appeal: 325.62 euros.
• Contentious-administrative appeal: 257.04 euros.
• Full procedure in the social jurisdiction: 171.35 euros.
• Assistance to a detained person in general criminal procedure: 87.63 euros.
• Twenty-four-hour on-call service at the Audiencia Nacional: 170.25 euros.

For court representatives (procuradores), the annex sets, among others, 43.00 euros in all criminal procedures and 35.04 euros in all civil procedures.

Promotion of agreement and appropriate means of dispute resolution

The regulation introduces specific modules for legal assistance in any of the appropriate means of dispute resolution that fulfill the admissibility requirement provided for in article 5.2 of Organic Law 1/2025. The compensation is higher when the parties reach an agreement.

Along the same lines, the remuneration for out-of-court settlements increases from 75% of the amount applicable to the procedure to 125%, with the stated objective of fostering a culture of agreement and equating it to that of the aforementioned appropriate means.

Victims, legal entities, and time of accrual

Annex II outlines the actions necessary to guarantee immediate free legal assistance to:

• Victims of gender-based violence, terrorism, and human trafficking.
• Persons with disabilities in need of special protection who are victims of certain crimes.
• Women and minors who are victims of crimes against sexual freedom, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and harassment with sexual connotations.

It also incorporates actions derived from the recognition of the right of legal entities in criminal proceedings when they have been judicially declared insolvent, are in bankruptcy proceedings, or have no recorded economic activity in the last financial year.

The new Annex III establishes that professionals shall accrue 70% of the compensation at the start of their performance and the remaining 30% upon the presentation of the judgment or resolution that ends the instance. In out-of-court settlements and reports of unsustainability, the full amount is accrued, and in criminal proceedings with the dual status of defense and prosecution, 100% is paid for the defense and 50% for the prosecution.

The royal decree has been reported by the General Council of Spanish Law, the General Council of Court Representatives of Spain, and the General Council of the Judiciary, and has the agreement of the Council of State. The regulation does not introduce new administrative burdens for citizens. The text, issued on October 14, 2026, is endorsed by Minister Félix Bolaños García.

The update directly affects applicants who access court-appointed lawyers and representatives each year and the professionals who sustain the service: it sets, for the first time, remuneration for mandatory prior negotiation, increases the amounts for the most frequent criminal and civil proceedings, and extends coverage to new groups. Its entry into force, one day after publication, nullifies the economic regime in effect since March 2025.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 256, of October 15, 2026, section I, page 137460 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-21445).