Global Product Liability

Overview

Product liability is a multifaceted subject in Spain, encompassing several legal areas including civil law, criminal law and public law. This basic challenge is multiplied by the peculiar political structure of the country, one of the most de-centralized nations in the world, with 17 autonomous regions and 2 autonomous citys – each self-governed, with its own legislative and enforcement powers in many liability-related areas.

DLA Piper has a large team of over 80 lawyers in Spain, many who focus on and have litigation experience in product liability matters. A particular advantage our lawyers bring is their deep personal business knowledge of specific industries, allowing them to combine legal experience with strategic and business guidance. Some of our core areas include:

Pharmaceuticals
and medical devices

DLA Piper represents many of the leading manufacturers of pharmaceutical and biological products as national coordinating counsel, national resolution counsel, on national steering committees and special teams and as litigation counsel. We also have experience reviewing and auditing clients' compliance with requirements governing promotional activities.

Consumer
products

Spain has one of the most stringent regulatory frameworks regarding consumer protection in the world. Product liability claims, although normally in the form of individual claims rather than class actions, are serious and relatively frequent. Our team has decades of practical multidisciplinary experience representing consumer product manufacturers and distributors in Spain. We offer a combination of leading practices in areas of critical importance to consumer product manufacturers. We stay abreast of, and promptly advise on, important developments affecting the consumer products sector. 

Regulatory

We offer full-service support on product liability compliance and defense through our team of dispute resolution and regulatory lawyers, some of them former officials, judges and regulators, who are well equipped to work with local regulators and law enforcement agencies to get the best outcome for our clients. Our regulatory lawyers have deep experience advising on the requirements of national and regional regulatory authorities, including the implementation of directives in local markets and ensuring compliance in multi-market and multi-product operations. We formulate compliance solutions that can satisfy the most demanding requirements and cover the widest range of risks, while still promoting consistency across all business activities and geographic regions.

Office locations

Map

Key contacts