Maria de Castro
CEO and founder
Founder and CEO of
CostaLuz Lawyers , a Spanish law firm assisting international clients with legal matters throughout Spain through a team of specialised professionals, which she leads and coordinates.
Specialist in off-plan property purchases for international clients in Spain
María qualified as a lawyer in 1998 and founded Costaluz Lawyers in 2006. She is a practising member of the Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Cádiz (ICA Cádiz), membership no. 2745. Since then, she has made it her mission to help foreigners understand Spanish law and to achieve better consumer protection. Maria is internationally renowned for getting better protection for consumers at Spanish banks, having won several landmark cases.
More recently, she has focused on off-plan property purchases.
María oversees the general management of the firm and continually develops new legal services to meet the evolving needs of international clients. She maintains close, direct contact with clients and regularly contributes to online forums, radio interviews, academic publications and press articles in Spain, the UK and Ireland. Her work focuses on developing legal strategies, case law analysis and consumer-protection precedents, particularly in matters affecting foreign buyers and expatriates in Spain.
Specialist platforms, legal directories & expat media
Maria de Castro’s work is reflected in a wide range of specialist and expat-focused platforms:
- Uglobal – Featured as a verified Spain immigration consultant and expert on investor residency.
- Expatra – Listed as Expatra’s Spain legal expert within its international network of overseas living advisors, contributing legal insight on relocation, residency and property matters.
- EyeOnSpain (Law 57/68 blog & forums) – Ongoing analysis of bank liability and consumer protection in off-plan property cases, including the landmark Finca Parcs litigation, alongside regular contributions addressing wider expat legal issues:
- Blog: https://www.eyeonspain.com/blogs/costaluz.aspx
- Forums: https://www.eyeonspain.com/forums/ForumLast20Threads.aspx
- Confilegal – Spanish legal news outlet where her work on real-estate consumer protection and the Finca Parcs case has been analysed.
- Legal Today – Aranzadi LA LEY – Regular contributor on banking responsibility in off-plan property developments and related civil-law issues, within one of Spain’s leading professional portals for lawyers.
- General Council of Spanish Lawyers (Consejo General de la Abogacía Española) – Articles addressing bank liability and due diligence obligations in off-plan property purchases.
⚠️ Important: Spain’s investor residence visa closed to new applicants on 3 April 2025 and is no longer available in any modality. Our team can advise on the most suitable alternative based on your profile, such as the Digital Nomad Visa, Non-Lucrative Visa, or Entrepreneur Visa.
Her pioneering work in recovering off-plan deposits and defending foreign buyers has also been highlighted in expat and niche media such as The Olive Press, The Local, and other international retirement and relocation publications.
International & Spanish media recognition
Maria de Castro’s legal work — particularly CostaLuz Lawyers’ litigation in the Finca Parcs Action Group case under Law 57/1968 — has attracted extensive coverage in both international and Spanish media. This includes features, reports or references in:
- The Telegraph
- The Times
- BBC – Including BBC Radio 4’s “You and Yours” consumer-affairs programme, which covered the Finca Parcs judgment and interviewed the legal team.
- El País and El País English – Reporting on Spanish real-estate consumer protection and the consequences of failed developments such as Finca Parcs.
- Inventive.es
- The Irish Examiner
Through these cases, CostaLuz Lawyers has contributed to shaping legal understanding and case law on bank liability in off-plan property purchases, influencing how courts, regulators and media address consumer protection in Spain.
Recognition by British and Irish authorities
CostaLuz Lawyers is also recognised in official English-speaking lawyer resources published by British and Irish authorities:
- British Embassy in Spain / UK Foreign Office – CostaLuz Lawyers appears in the official List of English-speaking lawyers in Spain published on GOV.UK, used by British nationals seeking independent legal advice.
- Embassy of Ireland in Spain – CostaLuz Lawyers is referenced within Irish official resources for citizens in Spain, alongside consular and administrative guidance.
This dual recognition by both British and Irish authorities reflects CostaLuz Lawyers’ long-standing commitment to transparency, consumer protection and genuinely independent legal advice for international clients in Spain.
You can read verified client feedback on Google Reviews.
Expertise & Authority
Since 2008, Maria de Castro has been a regular legal contributor on EyeOnSpain, the leading platform for international property buyers in Spain. Over more than 15 years, she has published hundreds of articles on off-plan protection, property law, consumer rights, immigration, estate planning and wills, international tax and company mobility to Spain, guiding thousands of foreign clients with clear, independent legal insight.
Her legal work has also been featured in respected international and Spanish media, including: The Telegraph, The Times, Financial Times, BBC, Forbes, El País, El Mundo and other reputable outlets.
CostaLuz Lawyers is also included in the official lists of recommended legal professionals by the British Embassy and the Irish Embassy in Spain — a recognition that reflects our long-standing commitment to transparency, consumer protection and independent legal advice for international clients.
- Immigration & visas for non-EU nationals
- Property law and conveyancing in Spain
- Inheritance and estate planning
- International taxation and residency
- Business and corporate legal advice
View the full CostaLuz Lawyers team → here
For a complete overview of property law and conveyancing in Spain, see our Buying Property in Spain Complete Legal Guide 2026.
Call us (EN/ES): +34 919 499 342
Legal Notice: The content on this page is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. No action should be taken based solely on this content without first seeking independent professional legal counsel. Each case requires individual assessment based on its specific circumstances. CostaLuz Lawyers accepts no liability for actions taken or not taken based on this content.
Planning your residency in Spain?
We handle visas, residency and renewals end to end for foreign nationals. Bilingual help across southern Spain since 2006.