Computer Forensics Expert in Madrid: In-Person and Remote

Madrid concentrates a very large share of Spanish judicial activity: the courts at Plaza de Castilla, the Audiencia Nacional (National High Court), the Supreme Court and an enormous volume of civil and commercial proceedings that require technical experts every year. Forenlab operates in Madrid with its own office on Paseo de los Melancólicos and registered experts deployed to handle in-person and remote cases.

This article explains how we work in Madrid, which types of cases are most frequent and when in-person expert work is preferable to remote work.

What cases we handle in Madrid

By volume, the cases we are asked for most often in the capital are:

• Corporate and commercial disputes — information leaks between partners, intellectual property claims over source code, expert reports in business separations.
• Civil proceedings — digital evidence in divorces (misuse of accounts, geolocation, access to devices), monetary claims backed by electronic evidence.
• Criminal proceedings — online business fraud, identity theft, expert reports on seized phones, counter-expert analysis.
• Labor proceedings — misuse of IT resources by employees, disciplinary dismissals backed by digital evidence.

If you want to better understand the types of engagement, see: what a computer forensics expert is and party-appointed vs. court-appointed expert.

In-person coverage: when it makes sense

For work in Madrid we recommend in-person intervention when:

• Evidence has to be acquired on site — hard drives, phones, physical servers. The chain of custody requires the copy to be made with the device in the presence of the expert and, where appropriate, a notary.
• You have to appear in court — ratification of the expert report, especially in criminal cases, usually requires the expert to be physically present before the court and the parties.
• There are in-person meetings with the client or the lawyer to review methodology and scope before starting.

Forenlab sends the expert to any court in the Community of Madrid with two service metrics:

• 24 hours’ notice for courts in the capital.
• 48 hours’ notice for the rest of the judicial districts (Móstoles, Alcalá, Getafe, Leganés, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, etc.).

Remote coverage: when it is enough

A significant proportion of the expert engagements we carry out for Madrid clients are handled entirely remotely. It works very well when:

• The client delivers evidence by certified courier (cloned drives, mobile devices, USB drives with the documentation).
• The analysis concerns evidence that is already digital — emails, files, access logs.
• The case is at the investigation or claim stage and does not require an immediate court appearance.

The typical process is:

1. Initial video call with the lawyer to define scope, hypotheses and deadlines.
2. Evidence collection — physical delivery by courier with chain of custody, or supervised remote connection.
3. Analysis in the Forenlab laboratory.
4. Delivery of the report, digitally signed and, where appropriate, in-person ratification in court on the day of the trial.

The time factor in Madrid

Timelines in Madrid courts vary enormously. In general:

• Notice from the court to submit an expert report: 5 to 15 business days.
• Court appointment: 10 to 20 days until the appointment is made.
• Oral hearing: 6 to 18 months from admission of the case (depends on the court and the subject matter).

That is why we recommend getting in touch as soon as possible when you know there will be digital evidence. More on appointment: how a court-appointed computer expert is designated.

Indicative rates in Madrid

Rates in Madrid are in line with the national average. As a reference (more detail in how much a computer forensics expert costs):

• Forensic analysis of a phone (iOS or Android): €1,200 – 2,500
• Forensic analysis of a computer: €1,500 – 4,000
• Analysis of cloud / corporate email evidence: €1,000 – 3,000
• Counter-expert report on another expert’s report: €800 – 2,000
• Court appearance (per day): €350 – 600

These ranges are indicative and depend on complexity. Forenlab always provides a fixed written quote after the first technical meeting.

Special cases: a company with several sites

When the client is a company headquartered in Madrid but with distributed operations (Barcelona, Seville, Valencia…), Forenlab coordinates simultaneous acquisition at different locations with registered experts on site. This matters in information-leak cases at companies with several branches, where it is critical to clone all the devices at the same time to avoid cross-contamination of evidence.

More on this scenario: information leaks at the company.

How to get started

If you already know you need an expert in Madrid:

1. Call us at +34 924 09 06 08 or write to us through the form.
2. On the first call the expert will ask you for a technical briefing on the case (which devices, which hypotheses, which deadlines).
3. Within 24 business hours you will receive a fixed quote by signed email.
4. Once accepted, the expert work begins with a detailed schedule.

More information about computer forensics expert work and the geographic coverage we offer.