Public Law, Bidding Procedures and Regulation.

The evolution of Costa Rican democracy and its quest for liberty with equality and solidarity, has resulted in the creation of a highly interventionist State that has generated a vast area of economic regulation. The Costa Rican government has a proactive role in the prudential regulation of several activities in the private sector, and also participates vigorously reserving certain key sectors of economic activity for its sole participation, thus creating State-owned monopolies in the areas of telecommunications, electricity distribution, import of petroleum and its derivatives, insurance, alcohol and liquor production, ports and airports, etc. In this kind of environment, anyone doing business in Costa Rica has to deal almost every day with the State or its agencies and public enterprises. In our quest to meet our corporate client’s needs, our Firm has attained a high degree of expertise not only in commercial and private matters, but also in all legal aspects of the State, or “Public Law”. Our Firm has been often acknowledged as the leader in legal service in this area, and has expanded its practice beyond the national frontiers.

The Firm is also considered to be the leader in legal services related to strategic consulting, development and implementation of large infrastructure projects with the participation of private capital, not only because of its involvement in several major projects, but also because of its success under adverse bureaucratic and regulatory circumstances. Our experience has allowed us to develop a close professional relationship with some of the most important departments, agencies and other instrumentalities of the Costa Rican State, as well as international organizations involved in these issues.

The Firm has also been entrusted with the representation of well known multinational corporations in the fields of petroleum production, refining and commercialization, and development and production of telecommunications, including the sale of equipment and international services in transmission, the privately-owned “co-generation” of electricity (both hydroelectric and wind powered). Our Firm has played an important role generating creative and constructive solutions for the legal problems peculiar to the public/private cooperation.

The Firm has extensive expertise in the area of public procurement and provides on all legal aspects related to contracts with the government and its agencies.

Our Firm has experience on providing counsel to manufacturers of medical, pharmaceutical, food and other products subject to health control and regulations. It also provides assistance on the importing, local advertising and sale of pharmaceutical products, activity in which the regulation is particularly strict.

In taxation matters, the Firm has wide experience and provides services to clients in three primary areas: a) business and tax planning; b) tax controversy; and c) pre-and post- mortem death planning and successions. Our lawyers also advise professionals, executives and other individual clients in all areas of estate and income tax planning matters.

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