The second day of the lawyers’ strike by the Justice Ministry in Alicante virtually halted judicial activity. The pauses led to more than 300 suspended proceedings and affected well over 90 percent of planned lawsuits and prosecutions in the Alicante and Elche courts.
In jurisdictions such as Elche, Benidorm, and San Vicente del Raspeig, prosecutions were nearly complete, while in Alicante 51 of 57 lawyers supported the strike. More than 200 cases and proceedings were suspended in Alicante, and there were over eighty suspensions in Elche. Palace of Justice sources note that schedules in these months are often full, which explains why the strike had a clear impact on operations. The Ministry of Justice reported a 31 percent follow-up rate on notices throughout Spain.
This week’s two-day action served as a prelude to resumed mobilizations planned for the following week, specifically on December 14 and 15. If no agreement is reached with the Ministry of Justice, an indefinite strike could be initiated in January. Some organizers believe precaution is warranted in light of this possibility.
Many hearings had already been suspended, forcing the Benalúa Palace of Justice to file new cases under a practically deserted setting. Signs on office doors informed lawyers that hearings would not take place. One attorney described arriving to assist a defendant in court only to be told that the case could not be copied because the LAG had not yet been reinstated. Other witnesses sought to obtain evidence that their trials had been suspended.
Judicial reviews
The same scene repeated across multiple offices, where the work left for the LAG collects on desks waiting to be dispatched. In courtrooms, staff waited for the resumption of activity to resume their duties. The impact extended to several cases affected by reduced sentencing under current law. One Alicante Court case was adjourned, and two other criminal divisions were moved to Elche.
There was a sense of collective focus as legal teams prepared for a return to operations. Onlookers observed a quiet, almost deserted atmosphere in several judicial corridors—workspaces left in a limbo until the strike reached a resolution.
Monday saw a concentration of forensic lawyers in Alicante as part of the ongoing action. The strike was framed as a response to conditions they argue do not reflect their responsibilities in court.
Anything not considered urgent was suspended. Between urgent matters and those covered by the minimum service, prisoner cases, gender-based violence issues, and other precautionary measures were affected.
The Justice Ministry’s legal association pressed for a fee that matches the responsibility carried in court. The union argued that recent reforms granted greater authority to the LAGs, but salaries did not rise in step with new duties. An agreement was reached with the Ministry in April, yet budget allocations did not reflect those commitments, leading the LAGs to proceed with the strike in protest.