Lawyer & mediator in Barcelona, for lives that cross borders.
One practice, built around one kind of client: people and families whose lives cross borders. A divorce, an inheritance, a visa, a business dispute: whatever the matter, it is handled with deep knowledge of both the Spanish and U.S. legal systems and with the client's whole situation in view.
Separation, divorce, and custody carry enormous emotional weight, and the work here reflects that. From pre- and post-nuptial agreements to spousal and child support, your family's situation is handled with the sensitivity it deserves and defended firmly where matters are contested.
When a family's life crosses borders, the legal picture gets complicated fast. Each country has its own rules and procedures, often built on fundamentally different assumptions. Knowing how those frameworks interact makes it possible to anticipate problems and solve them.
Business disputes and contractual disagreements rarely need to end in court. Since 2025, Spanish law requires an attempt at out-of-court resolution (a "MASC") before most civil and commercial claims can be filed, so negotiation is now a formal stage of nearly every case. Experience as a registered mediator, seeing firsthand why settlements succeed or fail, strengthens your hand in that stage, with firm advocacy ready when court is the right path.
Family petitions and marriage-based green cards, K-1 fiancé(e) visas, E-2 and E-1 treaty visas, naturalization, and consular processing at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, all handled from Barcelona by a New York-licensed attorney.
Residence and work permits, the digital nomad visa, arraigo, family reunification, and Spanish nationality applications. Dylan has been through this process himself and knows firsthand what it means to build a life in a new country.
Wills, powers of attorney, and inheritance planning across multiple countries. You'll be guided through the process with care, so that your wishes are clear and your assets protected, wherever they are.
Recognition of marriages, parental rights, and legal self-determination varies dramatically between jurisdictions. When your family makes cross-border moves or plans for the future, you need an attorney who understands those gaps and knows how to bridge them.
Ready to discuss your situation?
A different kind of service
If you are looking for a way to resolve a disagreement without going to court, mediation offers a structured, confidential space to do so. Compared to litigation, mediation is significantly faster and less costly, and it keeps the outcome in the parties' hands. And since 2025, Spanish law requires parties to attempt an appropriate dispute-resolution process (a "MASC") before most civil and commercial lawsuits can be filed. Mediation is the most complete way to meet that requirement.
Mediation here is conducted by a lawyer-mediator: a practicing attorney in Barcelona and New York, registered as a mediator with the Spanish Ministry of Justice, actively engaged in helping the parties understand each other's positions and reach an agreement that works. Sessions run in English, Spanish, or Catalan, and the record of a MASC attempt is prepared to the standard the courts expect.
Lawyers: looking for a mediator for a client's matter?
Information for Legal ProfessionalsMost of the people who come to this practice have lives that span two countries: an American building a life in Barcelona, a Spanish and American couple planning a marriage or untangling one, a family with a parent on each side of the Atlantic. Their legal questions rarely belong to a single system, and answering them well takes someone who has lived that reality, not just studied it.
A native New Yorker, Dylan Cerbini began his legal career working in the courts of the State of New York, advising judges and drafting their decisions across a wide range of civil and family matters. It was an education in how courts actually decide cases, and that experience shapes how he builds every case today. In 2019 he moved to Barcelona and, rather than practice at arm's length from a foreign system, he requalified from scratch: a full Spanish law degree and the Máster de Abogacía, earned in Spanish and Catalan, followed by admission to the Barcelona bar. He has stood in the immigration lines himself, from residence permits to the paperwork of starting over in a new country.
Today, the practice runs in both directions: Spanish- and U.S.-related matters for private clients, of-counsel consultations on cases for law firms in Europe and the United States, and mediation as a registered mediator with the Spanish Ministry of Justice. Everything is handled in English, Spanish, or Catalan, whichever language the client prefers, and explained plainly, because a client who understands their own case makes better decisions at every step.
Outside the office, Dylan studies and dances ball de bot, the traditional folk dances of Mallorca.
Admissions
Il·lustre Col·legi de l'Advocacia de Barcelona (2025)
State of New York (2015)
Registered Mediator, Spanish Ministry of Justice (2026)
Education
Máster de Abogacía y Procura, Universitat de Barcelona (2025)
Grado en Derecho, Universitat de Barcelona (2023)
Juris Doctor, City University of New York (2014)
Bachelor of Arts, New York University (2008)
Plaça Francesc Macià, 7, 12º
08029 Barcelona
Catalunya, Spain
+34 639 79 3313
+1 914 810-3781
WhatsApp
+34 639 79 3313
By submitting this form, you consent to the processing of your personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
You'll hear back within one business day.
