Costa Rica- Choosing an attorney for legal representation

Based on the Spanish system of judicial proceedings, attorneys of Costa Rica have a more fundamental role to play than the English Legal system. The biggest difference between the system of law in England and Costa Rica is, in Costa Rica an attorney is only eligible to become a Public Notary.

The Public Notary in Costa Rica has a variety of responsibilities to perform. In Costa Rica even basic business activities are supervised by a Public Notary. Hence, selecting that attorney is of immense importance who will gain enough of your confidence to help you out in every sphere of your life. Even the simplest of activities like opening a bank account, obtaining a cell phone, purchasing a vehicle, and purchase of a land require the aid of an attorney.

We have found out that it helps immensely when you go about asking people who will be a dependable attorney. As every person has their personal attorney it wouldn’t be a problem to find one out who will answer your requirements. Having two or three attorney with special knowledge in diverse areas also might help. A number of attorneys are available like the real estate attorney, criminal attorneys, and litigators whom you might have to interview before zeroing on the best among them.

When choosing an attorney, make sure that he/she can speak in your native tongue if you are not conversant with Spanish. All the legal notices and contracts are to be in Spanish even if both the parties speak English.

The appointed attorney should have a good understanding of the subject especially in the field of real estate where the laws are changing and developing each and every day. As a result of the boom experienced in the real estate market in Costa Rica many not-so-qualified people are increasingly taking to real estate as “Real Estate Expert” to exploit foreign clientele.  

Most of the deals are finalized by your attorney, who is affiliated to a corporation or a L.L.C. The attorney provides the corporations and you buy them at US$700 approx. This cost in addition with the legal closing fee of 1.5%, becomes a profitable sum for a Costa Rican Attorney. In all probability criminal and litigation attorneys would have you believe in their Real Estate expertise and try to make you trust him completely. These attorneys may be able to carry out basic processes but would not be able to help you out in complicated situations.