Tenerife elects new head of the Bar Association: three candidates compete for the position

Around 4,000 lawyers in Tenerife, La Gomera, and El Hierro will elect a new head and team for the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Bar Association (Icaf) on October 17 for the next 5 years.

Three local lawyers with extensive experience are competing for this position. They have different views and proposals, but their opinions coincide on some issues.

José Manuel Niederleytner García-Lliberos, the current head of Icaf since 2015, wants to be re-elected for a third term. Mila Pacheco Pérez, the vice-president of the association, is also running, declaring her management style: "Listen, act quickly, and report." The third candidate is Víctor Martín Álvarez, who proposes "a new perspective on advocacy, dignity, and recognition of our work and rights."

These are challenging times for lawyers due to changes in laws, a new court system, and the introduction of e-justice. In addition, lawyers in Tenerife have to work in 17 different court buildings, which complicates their work. Therefore, they demand the creation of a single City of Justice with modern infrastructure.

Lawyers also need to constantly train due to new ways of resolving disputes and digitalization. They want to be paid better for standby duty and for those types of work that are not currently paid. They also demand a decent pension. Therefore, lawyers will vote for the team they trust most to protect their rights and interests.

José Manuel Niederleytner García-Lliberos

Born in Valencia in 1963, he has been working as a lawyer since 1986. He began his career in the office of Ángel Ripollés, and in 1989 he opened his own office specializing in criminal, civil, and labor cases. He has headed Icaf since 2015.

Why do you want to be the head of the Bar Association for another 5 years?

I love my job and want to complete the projects I started. Many colleagues support me in this.

What are your main proposals?

I want to create an electronic office so that all procedures can be done online. I am in favor of abandoning paper, as required by the judicial system. I also plan to improve the premises of the association.

What problems do lawyers face and how will you solve them?

In Santa Cruz, the courts are located in different places. We need to force the authorities to provide the Auditorium building as soon as possible to gather all the courts there. Also, many people complain about the slow work of the courts. We will put pressure on the judicial authorities to speed up the process. We need more courts, because some hearings are scheduled as late as 2028.

Why should lawyers support you?

I am a reliable person, I have been known for many years. I am an ordinary lawyer who lives by his work. I am dedicated to the Bar Association and devote a lot of time to it. I am supported by a team of honest, hardworking professionals who love their work. The team includes both experienced and young lawyers.

What do you offer to improve standby duty and mediation?

It is necessary to increase the payment for standby duty and demand payment for those actions that are not currently paid. We also want to create a mediation center at the association to help resolve disputes.

Mila Pacheco Pérez

Born in Puerto de la Cruz (1976), she has been working as a lawyer since 2002. She specializes in civil, criminal, and administrative cases. She is a mediator in family, civil, and commercial cases.

Why do you want to be the head of the Bar Association?

This is a difficult time for the legal profession: many changes in laws, new technologies, and unrecognized rights. Strong leadership is needed. I am ready to take on this task, I have experience, energy, and a clear plan: listen, act quickly, and report. I have a team of professionals who know about the problems of lawyers and want to solve them.

What are your main proposals?

Management, transparency, participation, and results are the main thing. I want to protect the rights of lawyers, fight for a decent pension, improve standby duty, and digitize Icaf. Useful training programs are also needed to help adapt to changes in laws and master new technologies. Training should be available not only in the main office, but also in the north and south of the island, as well as online.

What problems do lawyers face and how will you solve them?

We need to protect our rights, adapt to changes in laws, master new technologies, fight for increased fees and reduced workload. I want to improve the working conditions of lawyers.

Why should lawyers support you?

My team has already shown results: we have opened the way for lawyers to lead mediation. During the migration crisis, we organized legal assistance, and no one was left without a lawyer. I am going with a prepared team that works in court every day, has clear ideas, and has the courage to fight for our rights.

What do you offer to improve standby duty and mediation?

It is necessary to speed up the appointment of standby lawyers, digitize the process between the Association and the Commission for the Provision of Free Legal Aid. It is also necessary to provide more funding for mediation services.

Víctor Martín Álvarez

Born in 1960, he was licensed in 1984. He worked as a deputy prosecutor for six years, and in 1995 he opened his own office in La Laguna, specializing in civil, commercial, and criminal cases.

Why do you want to be the head of the Bar Association?

We want to change the legal profession, restore the dignity of the profession. The humanistic character and protection of citizens' rights have been lost. I want to end my career knowing that I have worked to restore these values.

What are your main proposals?

It is necessary to fight for the transition from mutual assistance to RETA, to protect decent standby duty for foreigners, to demand proper payment to lawyers from the authorities. It is unacceptable for lawyers to pay out of their own pockets for per diem and trips to other islands. It is necessary to protect the dignity of the profession, promote training, and create the position of Defender of Lawyers.

What problems do lawyers face and how will you solve them?

The main problems are those that I have already mentioned in my proposals. It is important to change the role of the Icatf board.

Why should lawyers support you?

We have an honest, serious team of professionals with extensive experience. We want to change the situation in the legal profession. I believe that we are the best to protect the rights of lawyers.

What do you offer to improve standby duty and mediation?

I am concerned about mediation. The judicial system has changed, but no measures have been taken to make this possible. Preliminary mediation is not provided with resources and training. The Canary Islands are the least prepared for these changes. Lawyers have not been properly trained in mediation, so cases do not go to court. It is necessary to urgently conduct training, demand the signing of agreements so that the system works. The same applies to standby duty: it is necessary to improve training, the rights of lawyers, and payment.