His paternal grandfather Lorenzo Alier originated from Vich[2] but he settled in Barcelona and briefly served as corregidor in alcaldia of the city;[3] however, he made his name mostly as an entrepreneur.

[7] Alier Sala early engaged in the legitimist cause; in the late 1860s he set up Amigos del Pueblo, a society intended to counter secular influence, and founded a weekly of the same name; in 1872 he published El Partido carlista y la revolución española, a Traditionalist political pamphlet.

At the turn of the centuries he grew to high positions in the Catalan Carlist structures; as treasurer[9] he became member of the regional executive[10] and vice-president of Círculo Tradicionalista of the city, noted also as “fundador é impulsor de muchas sociedades y periódicos”.

[30] According to some authors he was climbing the party hierarchy ladder fast and already in the mid-1900s grew to president of Círculo Tradicionalista de Barcelona;[31] the information is by no means certain as other sources suggest that the person in question might have been rather his father, also “Lorenzo Alier”.

[32] In the mid-1900s the Catalan Carlists were divided by the question of would-be partnership with republicans and nationalists; the coalition, named Solidaritat Catalana, was supposed to oppose government-sponsored legislation which curtailed some press liberties and in the region was widely perceived as aimed against Catalonia.

In unclear circumstances Alier Cassi, at the time a relatively junior party politician known mostly as the son of his father, was nominated by the Carlist regional jefatura to run for the Cortes ticket in Cervera, where he stood as a joint Solidaritat candidate.

[33] In the chamber Alier joined the 14-member Carlist minority yet he remained a rather passive MP; neither the official Cortes service nor the press of the era listed his name in relation to any legislation or debate.

[40] He gained his name also as a theorist of jurisprudence; in 1909 he published Manual jurídico-canónico, político-administrativo, civil y penal,[41] a popular textbook and practical guidance intended for the Roman Catholic clergy.

Though he remained marginally involved in Traditionalist cultural rather than political activity[45] and at times spoke at Jaimista rallies with the likes of Luis Hernando de Larramendi or Bartolomé Trías,[46] no historiographic work dealing with Carlism of the late Restoration mentions his name, be it as a protagonist or even as a minor figure.

[49] He was occasionally noted in societé columns as a prestigious practicing lawyer[50] with office at Calle Vilamari;[51] at times he was acknowledged as participant in religious ceremonies, e.g. in 1918 when taking part in assumption of duties of a new canónigo, Carlos Cardó.

However, some sources suggest that he represented the line close to this pursued by the regional leader Miguel Junyent; it steered clear of sectarian intransigence, let alone conspiracy and violence.

Some authors claim that due to internal opposition Sivatte has never fully taken over or that he exercised his jefatura provisionally;[63] others maintain that the moderates stroke back[64] and convinced their king to revert to previous line, this time represented by Alier.

Revamp of female branch proved easy,[67] but integration of Requeté militia into the nationwide framework caused significant resistance; Alier overcame it with a number of firm circulars.

[75] He also nominated Alier to Consejo de Comunión Tradicionalista,[76] a newly formed 5-member[77] advisory body supposed to assist Fal Conde;[78] at this position he supported the regentialist solution, contemplated by Don Alfonso Carlos.

According to one scholar Alier was involved in the Carlist conspiracy against the Republic; in immediate aftermath of the February 1936 elections he reportedly remained in touch with military conspirators from UME and spent 3 days in his secret headquarters waiting for the order to rise.

In November 1939 he created Comisión de Abogados Ex-Combatientes y Ex-Cautivos, a sub-section of the corporation; its objective was to build sort of a trusted elite of lawyers, who would later enjoy various types of privileges, including financial ones.

Apart from professional activity in Colegio he limited his public appearances to religious events, at times flavored with Traditionalism, e.g. in 1940 he was noted as taking part in a sermon to honor the Traditionalist dead.