Andorra Lawyers Overloaded by Surging Family and Labour Cases
Sharp rise in civil disputes overwhelms attorneys, slashing court duty volunteers and risking service collapse amid new procedural demands.
Key Points
- Civil duty lawyers now handle 3 cases/month, up from 1 every 1.5-2 months.
- Duty list dwindled below 30 lawyers, warning of civil service collapse.
- New procedural code mandates oral hearings, slowing courts and intensifying backlog.
- Labour queries rise in free consultations; family issues like separations dominate.
Andorra's lawyers are facing a sharp rise in civil and administrative cases, particularly family disputes and labour issues, leading to heavier workloads and fewer volunteers for court-appointed duty.
The Col·legi d’Advocats d’Andorra (CADA) reports that lawyers on the civil duty roster now handle an average of three cases per month, up from one every one-and-a-half to two months just a few months ago. Some matters, such as marital separations and related custody battles, can stretch over two years, fuelling disillusionment among practitioners. This has shrunk the duty list to below 30 lawyers, prompting CADA to warn of a collapse in civil and administrative duty services, including guard shifts.
A new procedural code mandating oral hearings has intensified the demands, shifting the nature of legal tasks and slowing judicial processes. Courts are struggling to keep pace, creating a vicious cycle that exacerbates the backlog.
Free consultations offered weekly by CADA—described as the only professional group providing such a service—offer insight into public concerns. These one-hour sessions, attended by all lawyers annually, frequently evolve into duty cases. In 2025, they hit a low not seen since 2022, dipping below 2024 levels, with family matters like separations, divorces, child custody, and alimony remaining dominant despite the decline. Labour queries have risen, often focusing on whether dismissals are unfair or company actions abusive.
CADA does not track formal data on duty or guard cases, noting that while penal matters remain busy but better managed, civil-administrative work is the current pressure point. Following their alert on the overload, some new sign-ups have paused plans to make legal assistance mandatory again.
Lawyers emphasise that free consultations pose no burden and serve as a barometer of societal strains, especially among lower-middle-class residents navigating economic and family challenges in today's complex environment.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: