The Spanish Association of Family Lawyers (AEAFA) held their annual convention in Madrid on 8th and 9th March; two of our firm’s lawyers, Elena Agote and Marta Mugica, were able to attend.
This year, the congress opened with the invariably interesting Supreme Court forum, at which Magistrates discussed the latest judicially transcendent court sentences, specifically those which have established a judicial precedent, such as the recent judgment proclaimed on 20th November 2018 regarding the use of former family homes by third parties, and those of 26th and 28th September in which it was determined that a divorce or the breakdown of a stable relationship implicitly entails that any testamentary provisions in favour of an erstwhile spouse or partner are immediately revoked.
Other symposiums focused on discrepancies regarding the requirement for obtaining legal authorisation for children travelling within Spain; criminal offences associated with family breakdowns, such as failure to make alimony payments; or Javier Carrascosa’s entertaining talk about financial regimes and the way they are determined according on where the marriage takes place or the couple’s nationality, with special mention to the new European Council Ruling 2016/1103 regarding family economic regimes, applicable to marriages taking place as from 20th January 2019; our colleague Elena Agote participated in the ensuing questions and answers session, raising the question about the formal elements which should be respected in a document when a couple select which kind of the law their family economic regime will abide by.
The convention closed with the publication of seven announcements, of which one concerning the closure of borders using the Schengen delimitation area, and another regarding travel documents for minors accompanied by only one parent were especially relevant.
This annual event in Madrid is of special interest as it enables members of this firm to exchange thoughts and experiences with other colleagues and return with new ideas and legal solutions to offer our clients.