RBS Abogados

Enviroment Law
Our firm provides legal advice on environmental regulation, particularly in respect of the following matters:
Environmental activity licences; Legal questions arising from the assessment of environmental impact; Legal certifications and authorizations related to the assessment of environmental waste;	Legal advice in respect of criminal, civil and administrative law concerning environmental liabilities; negotiation with different authorities; legal reports on both local or general current environmental regulations;

Criminal Law

The experience achieved by our firm concerning criminal law allows us to provide defense, representation and advice to clients on the following matters:

Criminal liability arising from business and industrial activities;
Criminal actions concerning corporate matters; including director’s liabilities; bankruptcy, etc.
Fraud;
Counterfeit;
Defamatory liability; criminal actions concerning honor and image issues;
Liabilities concerning taxes and tributary issues
Criminal liability arising from traffic accidentes

In respect of further areas of criminal law our firm has established a solid collaboration with external professionals having a specific expertise for each particular case.

RBS ABOGADOS (RBS LAWYERS) is an international law firm integrated by lawyers and consultants providing multidisciplinary and global legal advice to companies and individuals at national and international framework.
The firm was founded by practicing attorney Jose Carlos Ruiz-Berdejo y Sigurtà, Honorary Consul of Italy for Andalusia Occidental and Extremadura since 1996 as well as Delegate of the Italian Chamber of Commerce for those regions in Spain.
The Firm is integrated by a team of highly qualified professionals, specialized in the different areas of Law practice and Economy, having a solid experience in legal advice for national and foreign companies and providing their services in several languages as Spanish, Italian, English and French.
In addition to its experience in consultancy, RBS ABOGADOS (RBS LAWYERS) has achieved a consolidated position and ‘know how’ in institutional relations with local, regional, national and international public entities, all which enables us to offer not only specialized services but also the best possible defense for our clients’ interests before any authorities.
RBS ABOGADOS (RBS LAWYERS) is solidly established in different countries mainly in Spain and Italy, but also in countries as Portugal and the Kingdom of Morocco, offering privileged advice to companies or individuals having interests related to those geographic areas.	The professional experience of our firm is focused in the legal, economic and financial advising in business, civil, litigation, labor and financial areas, in any contract issues, like national and international agency agreements, joint ventures, mergers and acquisition and fusions of companies, international businesses, tax advice and others.

Finances and Taxes

The objective of our firm concerning finance law and tributary and tax advice is to offer clients the best understanding and general counsel in order to minimize and rationalize the tax or tributary burden.

Among others, our services include consultancy on the following matters:

Advice on tributary issues or taxes at regional, national and/or international level;
Tax planning advice on national and international transactions;
Planning and design of the most efficient corporate structures; tax planning advice on foreign investments in Spain and Spanish investment abroad;
Non resident taxation advice;
Legal assistance and advice in respect of tax enquiries, tax claims before the authorities and tax litigation procedures;
Assessment of tax features involved in corporate operations and commercial transactions;
Tax planning and follow up in respect of real estates and family-owned business;

Comercial and Corporate Law
The core professional practice of RBS ABOGADOS is the legal and tax-economic counsel to companies; both domestic and foreign, at any tread of the corporate development, as well as the management of the business; including the company’s legal incorporation under any corporate form and the different restructuring operations and the bankruptcy situations.
Our services include the management of corporate legal issues (secretary position of the Board of Directors; preparation or amendments of the Corporate By Laws, shareholders agreements, Directors liabilities, minutes of the meetings, powers of attorney, etc…).
The legal advice includes our direct participation in the negotiation process and enforcement supervision of contracts and business transactions. Our firm has substantial experience in the following matters:
Distribution and agency agreements at national and international level; International business transactions; National and international joint-ventures; Restructuring corporate operations; Mergers and acquisitions; companies undertakings; Licenses and outsourcing agreements; Warranties issues; Insolvency and bankruptcy.

Civil Law
RBS ABOGADOS has a solid experience on civil law, focusing on the advice, defense and legal representation of both national and foreign clients and with particular regard to the following matters:
Divorce settlements, minors custody, tutorship regime and maintenance; economic marriage agreements; Inheritance issues, testamentary matters; legacies, ect…; Damage and Injury claims; Credit claims; payment requirements; enquires related to debtor solvency and further assessment, as well as related procedures; Civil liabilities; Negotiation and drafting of private agreements and advice on any matter concerning bank issues and warranties

Dispute Resolution Practice
Our consultancy philosophy defends Court litigation as the last option to resolve a legal conflict. With this aim, any alternative dispute resolution is considered before undertaking any litigation action.
Nonetheless, the Litigation department of RBS ABOGADOS is integrated by a team of lawyers with large experience in trial procedures.
Our litigation work is enriched with deep knowledge on different law areas related to the substantial law questions. Therefore, our firm not only provides a deep understanding of the facts and law questions arising from the core of litigation, but also large experience in the most appropriate trial procedures for each case.
Our team work aims to offer support from the needed specialists in each matter concerning the litigation case and at any stage of the trial.
RBS ABOGADOS has extensive experience in the following proceedings:
Contract claims (civil and commercial) and liability actions: credit claims; agency and distribution agreements, franchising; contract termination; procedures arising from the interpretation and enforcement of the contracts.; real state conflicts; national and international business; renting; contract liabilities; civil liabilities, etc. Procedures concerning corporate issues (legal actions concerning shareholders and the Board of Directors agreements and liabilities; request of preventive measures; etc.). Contentious-administrative (appeals against administrative decisions and penalties, administrative concessions and public bids, etc.).	Legal actions concerning intellectual property (copyright, trademarks, patents, commercial names, etc). Criminal and civil procedures regarding honor, personal intimacy, image rights and advertising. Criminal procedures concerning fraud, illegal appropriation, counterfeit, bankruptcy, etc. Family procedures: divorces, marriage settlements, minors custody and tutorship regime; heritage issues; testamentary claims; etc... Enforcement procedures concerning court decisions, bills of Exchange, cheques, promissory notes, international exequatur and arbitration procedures.

Telecomunications and New Technologies

The Telecommunications and New Technology Department has a particular expertise in new legal features arising from the convergence of telecommunications, audiovisual, internet and other media technologies. Such services include legal advice on electronic commerce and data protection, as well as different procedures before the authorities to obtain licenses, administrative authorizations, public bids/tenders and procedures before concerned authorities.

Telecomunicaciones y Nuevas Tecnologías

Our expertise is not limited to regulatory framework, but also covers contractual and corporate features, as well as direct support in negotiating international transactions and joint ventures within this sector.

Institutionals Relations

Direct participation and support concerning meetings with institutions or authorities in order to negotiate agreements or requests.
Presentation and follow up of files concerning financing issues and privileged regional credits for industrial projects.
Preparation, presentation and follow up of files before the administrative authorities and institutions.

Our firm has an outstanding expertise in providing advice, support and representation services before local, regional, national and international institutions or entities.

Such support is mainly focused on the following matters:

Preparation and follow up of license requests procedures before the urbanism authorities.
Advice and support in tenders and public bids; including construction tenders.

Telecomunicaciones y Nuevas Tecnologías

Nuestro departamento de Telecomunicaciones y Nuevas Tecnologías ofrece una experiencia específica en el asesoramiento sobre la legislación vigente en la materia, así como en la problemática jurídica relativa a Internet, Comercio Electrónico, protección de datos; y procedimientos ante las autoridades correspondientes.

Telecomunicaciones y Nuevas Tecnologías

Se ofrece asistencia en los aspectos contractuales relativos a la negociación de alianzas o consorcios, convergencia de las diferentes tecnologías de telecomunicaciones, audiovisuales y otros medios de comunicación, constitución de sociedades y seguimiento corporativo de los operadores de estos sectores.

Real State and Urbanism Law

The experience and practice, together with deep understanding of the market place, allow our firm to offer a complete range of legal advice on Real State, Construction, Urbanism and environmental law to clients who may be affected or interested in operating within these areas.

In particular our legal services include the preparation and negotiation of contracts concerning international real state transactions, land purchase; options agreements; renting and construction agreements as well as negotiation with authorities which may be necessary to obtain licenses and urbanism authorizations.

Intelectual Property and Medial Law
The Intellectual Property and Media Law Department in RBS ABOGADOS provides specialized services to clients operating within the entertainment, media, information technology and related sectors.
Further to the general advice on the legal framework regarding this sector, our Department offers direct support in negotiating agreements, legal representation, conflict resolution; copyright issues; patents and trademark registration services; among others.
In relation to media and entertainment, our firm has a large experience in public bids or tenders related to exploitation rights of local and regional TV channels; technical and artistic production agreements; artistic direction agreements; licensing and distribution agreements for audiovisual materials. The firm may also provide direct support in negotiating with Public Administrations or Institutions to obtain licenses for audiovisual production.
The firm offers council to clients in respect of different General Associations for the management of author’s copyright (in Spain “Sociedad General de Autores”); artists copyrights, software copyright, etc.

Legal Framework for the Production of Events
With the aim of offering a full range of services to foreign production companies our firm has developed an innovative and practical global legal advice package coordinated with companies organizing huge production events, like conventions, congresses, festivals and huge cultural events, among others.
Our services are mainly addressed to producers, managers and organizers of any kind of cultural events. Such services include legal advice to create the best suitable corporate structure for the production in respect of the following different issues:
Corporate, labor and tax questions related with the production of the events; Technical and artistic production agreements; Artist agreements; image rights and intellectual property; Marketing, promotional and merchandising agreements; Selling of production rights to the Media; Commercialization agreement and ticket selling agreements in respect of the events; Production insurance agreements; Legal advice in respect of ticket selling through internet; Data protection; Sponsoring agreements; barter agreements; Charity collaboration agreements, among others.
In addition, our firm offers support in respect of any authorization or license requested before local, regional, national and international authorities and administrative institutions which may be necessary to start up the production of the events, as well as the support during negotiations with public entities.

The professional practice of RBS ABOGADOS in Spain also stands out for specialized legal council in the following areas:
Commercial and Corporate Law: International transitions- commercial representation – International agency agreements- International Joint Ventures – Mergers and Acquisitions; Litigation;
Civil Law; Industrial and Intellectual property; Media and audiovisual; Telecommunications and New Technology; Real State and urbanism; Environmental law; Finance and Tax; Institutional relations; Legal framework for the production of international events.

PUBLISHED ARTICLES

	TIEPOLO Magazine	Interview to Jose Carlos Ruiz-Berdejo y Sigurtà

	Nº 67 October 2003
	ITALIA-ESPAÑA Magazine	Interview to Jose Carlos Ruiz-Berdejo y Sigurtà

	Nº 46 March 1997
	CIAO Magazine	Interview to Jose Carlos Ruiz-Berdejo y Sigurtà

	Nº 0 Autumn 1999
	AGENTI Magazine

	Nº 3/2002 Año VII
	INFO ITALIASPAGNA Magazine

	Nº 3 Year I