Criminal Lawyer in Cádiz
Choosing a lawyer when your freedom is at stake is not easy. Most of them say the same thing: that they know the law. And I'm not saying that's a lie.
But you won't hire me for that. You'll hire me because I understand your problem and because I can get you out of the mess you're in.
If I were in your position, I wouldn't wait.
I'm Miriam Rosales,
- Bar no. 11293
- Málaga Bar Association
- Fair Trials
- Legal Experts Advisory Panel (LEAP)
- ECBA
- European Criminal Bar Association
- I work exclusively in criminal law, no other areas, no distractions.
- 90% of my cases involve organised crime, drug trafficking and high-complexity offences.
- My team includes lawyers with over 20 years of service in law enforcement. They know exactly how investigations are built, and where the weaknesses are.
- I have specialists in European criminal law, critical for extraditions and cross-border cases.
- I speak English fluently. You will deal with me directly, no interpreters, no intermediaries.
- You will always speak to me directly, not to a secretary or an associate.
- You will always know my fees in advance. No surprises.
- Available 24 hours, 365 days a year.
Whatever the stage or the offence
Any stage of proceedings
- Immediate assistance upon arrest
- Statement as suspect or witness
- Defence at trial
- Appeals
- Prison law: temporary release, open regime, parole
- Juvenile proceedings
Any type of offence
- Drug trafficking
- Organised crime
- EAW and extraditions
- Money laundering
- EncroChat and encrypted communications
- Sexual assault
- Domestic violence
- Robbery, fraud and scam
- Economic crimes
- Prison law
If your case involves a specific offence, I have dedicated pages explaining how I work at each stage:
If you have been arrested in Cádiz
Cádiz city has four Courts of Instruction and five Criminal Courts (Juzgados de lo Penal), and it is the seat of the Provincial Court of Cádiz (Audiencia Provincial de Cádiz), which tries here the most serious offences from much of the province (those from the Campo de Gibraltar are tried at its section in Algeciras, and those from Jerez at its section in Jerez). I appear before all of them.
If you have been arrested in the old town, La Viña, Puerta Tierra or Cortadura, your case starts in the Cádiz courts, the ones that investigate the offence. If you have been arrested in San Fernando, Chiclana or El Puerto de Santa María, it starts in their own courts, and serious offences are tried at the Provincial Court of Cádiz itself. I will come to you, in the city or anywhere in the province.
Cádiz is a province shaped by its seafront and port activity, with a very high volume of drug trafficking and smuggling cases. These are complex investigations, with surveillance, phone taps and evidence that is worth examining closely from the very first moment.
I work throughout the province of Cádiz, including the Campo de Gibraltar, and I work in English too. If you have been arrested or have an open case, the first days are the ones that weigh most.
- I come straight away, obtain the case file and speak with you.
- Together we decide whether it is better to give a statement (and what to say) or to stay silent.
- I make sure your rights are not breached while you are in custody.
- If you wish, I will keep your family or partner informed throughout.
What happens at the police station in Cádiz
In Cádiz, arrests are mostly made by the National Police (Policía Nacional), whose provincial station is on Calle Santa María Soledad, in the Torre Tavira building (the Telefónica tower). In the port and at sea, the Civil Guard and the Customs Surveillance Service (Vigilancia Aduanera) are also involved. If the Local Police (Policía Local) arrest you, they will normally hand you over to the National Police. The police must tell you straight away, in writing and in a language you understand, why you have been arrested and what your rights are. If you do not speak or understand Spanish well, you are entitled to a free interpreter. As a foreign national, you also have the right to have your consulate informed. Ask them to call me, and do not make a statement until you have spoken to me. You are not obliged to.
- We will prepare your court statement down to the last detail.
- If they push for you to be remanded in custody, we will oppose it, with all the paperwork ready to show that you should remain free.
How the duty court works in Cádiz
You can be held only for as long as is strictly necessary to investigate, and for no more than 72 hours. Within that time you must either be released or brought before the duty judge (juez de guardia), the one on call that day in Cádiz, who deals with cases from the city, as the judicial district of Cádiz is the municipality alone. The duty court sits in the court offices at the Nuevo Mirandilla stadium, on Avenida de la Sanidad Pública. Cases of violence against women go to a separate court, the Cádiz Court for Violence against Women (today, the Violence against Women Section of the Tribunal de Instancia), in the same stadium, which also deals with cases from San Fernando and Puerto Real.
The judge cannot remand you in custody unless someone asks for it. If the prosecutor or another accusing party asks for pre-trial detention or bail, there is a hearing at which your defence can oppose it. If nobody asks, the judge must release you. Release may come with conditions, such as reporting to the court when required or handing over your passport. At that hearing it helps a great deal to show your ties to Spain, such as a home, a job, family and how long you have lived here.
The Cádiz judge investigates the case. Offences carrying up to five years are tried by a Criminal Court (Juzgado de lo Penal) in Cádiz. Offences punishable by more than five years in prison are tried by the Provincial Court of Cádiz (Audiencia Provincial), except cases that fall to the National Court. Minor offences, and fast-track trials that end in an agreed guilty plea, are dealt with in Cádiz.
Many drug trafficking cases in the province start in the courts of other towns, such as Sanlúcar or Barbate, where the drugs are intercepted. If the offence is serious, the trial reaches the Provincial Court in the city. Cases from the Campo de Gibraltar are tried at its section in Algeciras. If the investigation targets an organised group and the trafficking has effects in more than one province, the case can move to the National Court.
- I can tell you where your family member is held and how visits work.
- I can help with temporary release, open regime and parole, and with the appeal if they are refused.
Which prison you would be taken to from Cádiz
There is no prison in Cádiz city. If the judge orders you to be held in prison until trial (remand in custody), you will usually be taken to one of the prisons in El Puerto de Santa María.
Temporary release, open regime and parole are requested through the prison, and appeals go to the prison supervision judge in El Puerto de Santa María or, if the sentence was handed down by the National Court, to the supervision judge at the National Court in Madrid. More on my prison law page.
- I find out straight away which country is asking for you, for what offence, and whether it is a European Arrest Warrant or an extradition request.
- I prepare your defence with you for the National Court in Madrid, including the grounds to oppose surrender or to ask for it to carry conditions.
If you are arrested in Cádiz on a European Arrest Warrant or an extradition request
If you are arrested in Cádiz because another country wants you, your case is not handled by the Cádiz judge. It goes to the National Court (Audiencia Nacional) in Madrid. You will not normally have to go there, as hearings are usually held by video link.
If the request comes from an EU country, it is a European Arrest Warrant (EAW). You must be brought before the central investigating judge (since 2025, the investigating section of the Tribunal Central de Instancia) within 72 hours, and the hearing takes place within a further 72 hours. You will be asked whether you consent to surrender. Consent cannot be withdrawn, and if the judge sees no grounds to refuse, surrender is ordered with no right of appeal. If you do not consent, a hearing is held within three days, at which your lawyer can argue that you should not be surrendered, or only on conditions. The judge decides within ten days, and that decision can be appealed (Law 23/2014, Articles 50 and 51).
If the request comes from outside the EU, it is usually an extradition. It has two stages, one before the judges of the National Court and another before the Spanish Government, which has the final say. If you are arrested on an urgent request, you must be brought before the central duty judge within 24 hours and, if you are remanded in custody, the requesting country has 40 days, which can be extended, to submit the formal request (Law 4/1985, Articles 8 and 10). If the request comes from the United Kingdom, there has been no European Arrest Warrant since Brexit. Since 2021, surrender follows a separate agreement between the EU and the UK, which is similar to the EAW but has its own rules.
Do not agree to anything before speaking to me. More on my extradition page.
Whether you have just been arrested or want to change your lawyer in a case that is already under way, you will deal with me directly.
Don't leave it: call me now.
If you want me as your lawyer, follow these steps:
- 1.
Contact me by phone, WhatsApp or email.
- 2.
I review your case, answer your immediate questions and give you a detailed quote.
- 3.
If you decide to hire me, we start your defence immediately.
How would you like to reach me?
Frequently asked questions
I also work in
If your case is not in this city, I travel wherever necessary: