The Technical Office and the Supreme Court of Spain

The Technical Office (Gabinete Técnico) of Spain’s Supreme Court is, in practice, its anteroom. The body is key to understanding the Court’s internal workings and the process of giving appeals before it leave to proceed. Nevertheless, few lawyers are aware either of its existence or of its importance. This is why, in his book, La heterogeneidad doctrinal en el Tribunal Supremo, Raúl Cancio affectionately describes the Office as the “great unknown”. The reform of the Jud... The Technical Office (Gabinete Técnico) of Spain’s Supreme Court is, in practice, its anteroom. The body is key to understanding the Court’s internal workings and the process of giving appeals before it leave to proceed. Nevertheless, few lawyers are aware either of its existence or of its importance. This is why, in his book, La heterogeneidad doctrinal en el Tribunal Supremo, Raúl Cancio affectionately describes the Office as the “great unknown”. The reform of the Judiciary Powers Act (Ley Orgánica del Poder Judicial, LOPJ), just approved this July by the Spanish parliament, rightly raises the profile of the Technical Office and governs it in greater detail. The Act gives the body a new makeup and operating procedures and, above all, acknowledges the functions it has been carrying out for some time now. The Supreme Court’s Technical Office was created in 1985 to carry out “information and documentation” functions. On paper at least, it was given instrument-related powers such as the drawing up of case law databases, media communications and relations and archiving, and library and reprographic services. Added to this was “technical legal assistance for the Court’s different Chambers” and any other responsibilities that may be required “for the proper functioning of the Supreme Court in all instrument-related aspects of its jurisdictional powers”. To read the full article by our lawyer Pablo Franquet, please click here. The article is in Spanish.