Mr Diego Gallegos > Arias > San Jose, Costa Rica > Lawyer Profile

The banking and finance practice at regional firm Arias brings strength to advising multinational law firms and local and global banks and financial institutions (including HSBC, JP Morgan, Citibank and BNP Paribas) on day-to-day matters and high-value, multi-jurisdictional transactions. The group’s comprehensive services range from debt restructuring, the structuring of local security documents, debt financing and loan security packages to equity investments, insolvency and bankruptcy law, the issuance of negotiable instruments, regulatory compliance and asset securitisation. The team is led by Diego Gallegos, an expert in asset and project finance, and Vicente Lines, who brings decades of experience in adversarial negotiations, acquisitions and financing matters in regulated industries. Senior counsel Mariella Quirós joined in January 2023.

The experienced corporate team at regional firm Arias brings strength to advising major multinationals (including Telefónica and Mondelez) across such sectors as telecoms, pharmaceuticals, sports, food and beverages, professional services, chemicals and energy on day-to-day matters and complex, cross-border transactions. The team is headed by due diligence and contract negotiation specialist Andrey Dorado; energy sector expert Melania Dittel; Vicente Lines, who assists telecoms infrastructure and service providers with establishment in the Costa Rican market; Víctor Manuel Garita, who brings expertise to multi-jurisdictional M&A; and international trade authority (and former consul for the Costa Rican Consulate General in New York) Carlos Camacho. Diego Gallegos employs a project and asset finance skill set and provides support with political risk mitigation. Senior counsel Tracy Valera advises on shareholders’, stock purchase and asset purchase agreements and senior associate Sebastián Solano also provides key support.

Specialising in regulatory insurance matters, the multidisciplinary team at the San José office of regional firm Arias brings strength to advising major insurers and multinational corporates across such sectors as infrastructure, tourism and tech. The firm’s comprehensive service covers high-value transactions, agreement drafting and interactions with the General Superintendency of Insurance (SUGESE). The team is headed by former consul for the Costa Rican Consulate General in New York Carlos Camacho and Diego Gallegos. Key support is provided by senior counsel Rolando García, who brings strength to complex contractual negotiations.

The team at Arias utilises its regional presence to advise investors, government agencies, NGOs and multinationals including Telefónica and McKinsey & Company on a diverse spectrum of matters, ranging from administrative procedures, lawsuits against the government and government procurement proceedings to public works, infrastructure concessions, public project financing, and claims before the Costa Rican Constitutional Court. The firm’s active client base spans such sectors as telecoms, construction, pharmaceuticals, tech, energy, and hospitality. The team is led by Carlos Ubico, who brings experience in administrative procedures, work concessions and project finance, along with Vicente Lines (an expert in energy and infrastructure), Carlos Camacho, Andrey Dorado and Diego Gallegos (who brings expertise to asset finance transactions). Other key figures include senior counsel Luis Diego Obando and associate Mónica Espinoza, both seasoned international litigators.

Formed following the split of pioneering Central American firm Arias & Munoz, Arias has a well-established network of seven offices in the region, spread across Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras (where it has branches in both Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula), Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. The firm has a long history of handling high-profile local and international M&A and financial transactions, acting for an impressive roster of multinationals, global financial institutions and leading regional banks. Diego Gallegos, who has expertise in asset and project finance, and Vicente Lines, an expert in the infrastructure and telecoms spaces, lead the finance practice in Costa Rica and are also key figures in the corporate team, where energy specialist Melania Dittel is also noted. In El Salvador, Mario Lozano is sought after for his advice on fintech and cryptocurrency issues, while Lilian Arias, the M&A-focused Roberta Gallardo and Luisa Rivas are among the key contacts for corporate matters. In Guatemala, Luis Pedro del Valle, who has a strong track record in cross-border M&A, took over leadership of the corporate and finance practices in April 2023. The highly experienced Evangelina Lardizábal steers the corporate and finance teams in Honduras alongside Mario Agüero, while in Nicaragua Ana Teresa Rizo, a go-to partner for foreign investments, Bertha Argüello, Gustavo-Adolfo Vargas and Rodrigo Ibarra, a specialist in the energy sector, are the names to note. María Cristina Fábrega takes the lead on M&A and financial transactions in Panama.