Elio A. Gallego García (born 1963 in Madrid, Spain) is a distinguished Spanish legal philosopher, professor, and scholar of Legal Theory, Philosophy of Law, and History of Political Thought. Since 1993, he has served as Professor of Theory and Philosophy of Law at Universidad CEU San Pablo in Madrid, where he also leads the Centro CEU de Estudios, Formación y Análisis Social (CEFAS), a think tank dedicated to interdisciplinary reflection on law, politics, and culture. La Vanguardia+1

Gallego earned his Law degree (Licenciatura en Derecho) from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and completed his Doctorate in Law at the National University of Distance Education (UNED) with a thesis on the philosophical and political foundations of family law reforms in the Spanish Civil Code (1931–1981). Universidad de Mayores CEU His academic formation reflects a commitment to integrating historical, philosophical, and normative perspectives in legal thought. Universidad de Mayores CEU

His intellectual work centers on classical legal tradition, legal normativity, family and natural law, constitutionalism, and the interaction between law and political authority. Gallego engages deeply with the Western philosophical canon—especially Aristotelian, Thomistic, and early modern theories—and examines how these traditions illuminate contemporary legal debates. CEFAS Among his numerous publications are monographs such as Tradición jurídica y derecho subjetivo, Norma, normativism and the metaphysics of law, and Fundamentos para una teoría del Derecho, as well as books on common law, representation and political power, and the Western tradition of freedom. La Vanguardia+1

Gallego’s scholarship is characterized by a critical re-reading of legal and political thought, seeking to recover the normative richness of legal traditions often overshadowed by modern positivist approaches. He actively contributes to debates on the nature of law, political authority, and cultural foundations of legal order, often bringing classical insights into conversation with contemporary issues. CEFAS

In addition to his academic work, Gallego is a frequent lecturer and public intellectual, participating in conferences, seminars, and public dialogues on law, culture, and society. His leadership at CEFAS underscores his engagement with both scholarly and civic dimensions of legal philosophy. CEFAS

Gallego’s sustained contribution makes him a significant voice in Spanish legal philosophy, especially in discussions that intersect law, tradition, morality, and public life. La Vanguardia