Our Legacy
Court Agents and litigation support services, grounded in a century-old legal tradition.
For over 120 years, four generations of professionals have been dedicated as Court Agents.
The origins of Anzizu, López & Castellanos date back to January 1904, when José María de Anzizu Morell (1880–1938) was admitted as a qualified member of Barcelona’s Court Agent profesional association (ICPB), after graduating in Law from the University of Barcelona. Thanks to his professionalism and diligent conduct, some of his judicial clients entrusted him with managing their properties—an activity he began in late 1904, combining property management with Court Agent services.
Soon, he gained important clients within Barcelona’s economy of the time, such as La Canadiense and La Maquinista, companies belonging to the Girona family—of which he was a descendant—as well as banking institutions. At that time, the firm consisted of about ten people.
In his roles as both Property Manager and Court Agent, he also took part in now-historic moments in the city of Barcelona. Notably, in 1914, he represented the renowned architect Antoni Gaudí to secure the artistic singularity certification for Casa Milà on Passeig de Gràcia (La Pedrera), thereby preventing certain legal infringements related to excessive construction. Anzizu Morell was also active in civil matters, well connected with jurists and politicians of the era, and played an active role in the founding of the Orfeó Català.
José Ignacio de Anzizu Borrell (1908–1997) began working at the firm in 1924 and, with remarkable precocity, completed his law degree at the University of Barcelona at just 19 years old. The firm’s history became intertwined with the political turmoil of the time, and in 1936 it was collectivized.
The founder passed away in 1938, and the firm reopened in 1939 thanks to employees who had safeguarded all the documentation related to judicial cases and clients whose properties they managed. After a very difficult initial period, Anzizu firm embarked on a new phase of growth, becoming one of the most important firms in Barcelona in both as Court Agents and property management. At that time, the firm employed around twenty people.
In 1947, one of its major clients, La Canadiense (Barcelona Traction, Light and Power Company, Limited), was declared bankrupt. For over twenty years, the firm handled hundreds of lawsuits related to that company, which later became Fecsa and Endesa, marking one of the most significant legal cases in Spanish judicial history.
Anzizu Borrell held various positions in Barcelona institutions: he was treasurer of FC Barcelona, board member of Mutua de Propietarios insurance company, vice dean of the Barcelona’s Court Agent profesional association (ICPB), and in 1958, together with fellow alumni of the Jesuits of Caspe School, he actively participated in founding the Escuela Superior de Administración y Dirección de Empresas (ESADE).
Upon reaching sixty years of age, José Ignacio de Anzizu Borrell began considering his succession. In 1969, he reached an agreement with his fourth son, Antonio Mª de Anzizu Furest, for him to take charge of the Court Agent activities, while he continued overseeing the property management branch. Finally, in 1974, his eldest son, José María de Anzizu Furest—who had served as Secretary General of ESADE—took responsibility for the property management division, as long as he could balance it with his consulting and teaching duties. This marked the third generation’s separation of the firm’s two business lines, with two brothers taking the helm, both clear about the need for change and modernization.
Antonio Mª de Anzizu Furest (1939–2024) was always a benchmark for the entire Court Agents sector. When he took over the firm in 1969, he believed it was best to focus solely on the Court Agent side and to bring a fresh approach to the profession by leveraging new working systems and pioneering software programs of the time for accounting and judicial case management. To this end, he surrounded himself with consultants from ESADE who helped lay the foundations for the firm’s business growth. The firm also began offering internships to university students, eventually training over a hundred individuals who later pursued careers as Court agents or lawyers.
Antonio was ahead of his time and led many of the changes within our profession, also giving a significant boost to the Barcelona’s Court Agent profesional association (ICPB), where he served as the youngest Dean in the early 1980s. Through the Lluis de Peguera Foundation, he facilitated the installation of the first computer in a court in Spain (First Instance Court No. 4 of Barcelona). He was also the first president of the Catalonia’s Council of Court Agents and vice president of the General Council of Court Agents of Spain (CGPE). His extensive contributions were recognized with the highest honors in the fields of Justice and Court Agents.
In 1971, Antonio partnered with Federico Barba Sopeña, founding Anzizu & Barba—a duo that quickly became synonymous with a modern approach to their profession and earned widespread recognition within the sector. The firm expanded its staff and client base, and thanks to computerization and a business-minded approach, it began handling thousands of judicial procedures with surgical precision, all while maintaining the founding values of integrity, professionalism, a passion for order, and genuine care for people. An entire generation of legal professionals remembers the practical expertise in procedural law and the calm with which Antonio and Federico resolved the most complex issues.
In the early 1990s, Ignacio López Chocarro joined the firm, establishing himself as the initiator of the fourth generation of professionals dedicated to Court Agent services. In 1998, he was appointed partner, and the firm became Anzizu, Barba & López.
Ignacio took over with a focus on procedural law and is widely recognized for his legal expertise, reflected in numerous publications, his teaching roles (at UPF and ESADE), and as co-author of procedural law texts. He has also been a strong advocate for quality Court Agent services, holding prominent leadership positions such as Dean of the Barcelona’s Court Agent profesional association (ICPB), President of the Catalonia’s Council of Court Agents (2011–2019), and Deputy Dean of the Presidency of the General Council of Court Agents of Spain (2013–2019).
This period saw intense changes with the advent of the internet and the digital age. The firm expanded its staff and the number of judicial cases handled, participating in some of the most important litigations of the time. The firm launched its website at the turn of the millennium, enabling clients to access case files online, and also started a procedural law journal. All of this occurred under the management of Alberto Burés, an IQS Engineer as CFO.
Following the retirement of Federico Barba and Antonio de Anzizu, the fourth generation dedicated to court representation was consolidated with the arrival of partners Ignacio de Anzizu Pigem (2009) and Eulalia Castellanos Llauger (2014), marking the beginning of a new era as Anzizu, López & Castellanos.
The new challenges involved understanding the needs for new services amid the territorial liberalization of Court Agents services and the advent of data-driven justice. The headquarters was relocated to more modern offices near the Barcelona City of Justice, and new offices were opened in Madrid (2018) and Girona (2024). At the same time, with the invaluable support of Joan Comas as CFO, the firm implemented cutting-edge technology to optimize processes and ensure security and quality. Robotics, machine learning, artificial intelligence—tools we have been developing for years and that are now a reality.
In its fourth generation dedicated to Court Agent services, the firm remains faithful to its century-old history while always looking towards the future.
