Cristina Nieto Enriquez

Cristina Nieto Enriquez is a partner at NIETO ENRIQUEZ Abogados Penalistas, a Spanish law firm that concentrates exclusively on criminal law and criminal compliance. Working from offices in Barcelona and Madrid, she defends both individuals and companies across the full range of criminal proceedings. Her standing in this demanding field is reflected in her recognition as Criminal Law Expert of the Year in Spain at the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2026.

A dedicated criminal-law boutique

NIETO ENRIQUEZ describes itself as a specialist in criminal law and compliance — "especialistas en derecho penal y compliance" — and that single-minded focus defines the firm. Rather than treating criminal defence as one service among many, the practice is built entirely around it, from Barcelona offices in the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district and a Madrid presence in the Salamanca district. The firm emphasises personalised attention, round-the-clock availability, strategic defence and professional rigour, and it highlights a team experience of more than two decades and thousands of matters handled. This concentration allows its lawyers to develop the deep, current knowledge of criminal procedure and doctrine that serious cases require.

Defence across the full criminal process

Criminal proceedings move through distinct phases, and the strategy adopted at each stage can decisively affect the outcome. NIETO ENRIQUEZ acts for clients throughout, from the investigation stage through to trial and appeal, and its work spans a wide array of offences and specialisms, including:

• Criminal defence at all phases, from investigation to appeal
• Crimes against persons, sexual freedom, privacy and family relations
• Property crimes and crimes against public administration
• Corporate and commercial (white-collar) crime
• Environmental and urban-planning offences
• Penitentiary law and international criminal matters

Alongside contentious defence, the firm designs and implements criminal compliance programmes. Under Spanish law, companies can bear criminal liability, and a properly designed compliance programme is a central tool for preventing offences and mitigating corporate exposure. The pairing of courtroom defence with preventive compliance advice is a natural one: the same understanding of how criminal liability arises that informs a defence also informs the controls that help a business avoid liability in the first place. The firm also offers emergency assistance around the clock, recognising that criminal matters — an arrest, a search, a sudden investigation — often arise without warning and demand an immediate, informed response.

Serving clients across Spain and beyond

With offices in Barcelona and Madrid, NIETO ENRIQUEZ is positioned in two of Spain's principal legal centres and states that it handles defence work across Spain and internationally, in several languages. Criminal defence is among the most consequential areas of legal practice, since the liberty, reputation and livelihood of the client are frequently at stake. It calls for an adviser who combines technical command of the criminal code and procedure with the strategic judgement to build the strongest possible defence, and the discretion to handle sensitive matters with care. The firm's stated commitment to personalised attention and constant availability reflects an understanding that clients facing criminal jeopardy need not only legal skill but reassurance and a clear line of communication.

Because criminal jeopardy can arise at any hour, the firm's round-the-clock availability and phased, strategic approach are central to the service it offers. From the first moments of an investigation through to any appeal, the decisions taken early can prove decisive, and clients benefit from a team whose sole focus is criminal law and compliance rather than one for whom such work is an occasional sideline.

As a partner in the firm, Cristina Nieto Enriquez contributes to this exclusively criminal practice, representing individuals and corporate clients and advising on the compliance frameworks that help prevent criminal risk. For those confronting criminal investigations or proceedings in Spain, she and NIETO ENRIQUEZ Abogados Penalistas offer focused, experienced and strategically minded defence. Her recognition as Criminal Law Expert of the Year in Spain at the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2026 underlines her prominence in this specialised field.