The powerhouse compliance and investigations practice at Aguilar Castillo Love remains a market leader, leveraging the bench strength of nine offices throughout the region to advise public figures (including former Costa Rican presidents Carlos Alvarado Quesada and Óscar Arias Sánchez) and such major household names as BMW, DHL and Hewlett Packard, across the pharmaceuticals, food, logistics, tech, construction, automotive and education sectors. The team’s comprehensive service covers matters involving anti-money laundering, compliance, anti-bribery and corruption investigations, risk management and corporate defence strategy. The team is led by experienced criminal litigator Rodolfo Brenes Vargas and Tatiana Rojas Hernández, the president of the Costa Rican Chapter of the World Compliance Association, who assists clients with free trade zone matters. Key support is provided by associate Sergio Herra Rodríguez, a white-collar crime specialist.

The team at BLP remains a leader in the market, creating, implementing, and monitoring compliance programmes and risk management strategies for domestic and household-name multinational corporates such as Microsoft, Colgate-Palmolive and Samsung, across the tech, electronics, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, construction and hospitality sectors. The group advises clients on matters ranging from anti-money laundering, consumer protection and antitrust to corporate human rights, data privacy, corporate regulatory frameworks and ESG. Juan Carlos Tristán, who brings strength to investigations, training and the drafting and implementation of ethics and anti-corruption programmes, leads the team, along with Uri Weinstok, a specialist in conducting audits and compliance programmes. Other key figures include Andrés López, who brings AML expertise; experienced litigator and special counsel Alejandro Rojas; and San José office director and data privacy expert León Weinstok.

The San José office of regional firm Arias leverages the experience of its team to design programmes to address national and international compliance regulations for such major multinational corporates as Coca-Cola FEMSA and Dos Pinos, across the food and beverages, tech, consumer goods and financial services sectors. The group’s full service covers matters ranging from risk identification and status analysis to anti-money laundering and anti-corruption policies, the preparation and drafting of regulatory compliance policies and the preparation of monitoring, auditing and periodic compliance assessments. The team is headed by senior counsel German Rojas, who also leads the firm’s Costa Rican litigation practice. Key support is provided by senior counsel Abraham Balzer, a specialist in civil liability and consumer rights, who brings experience in judicial and arbitral procedures.

The Costa Rican compliance team at Dentons co-ordinates with offices in Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala to design risk assessment strategies and corporate governance programmes for multinationals operating in such sectors as logistics, pharmaceuticals, health, tourism and telecoms. The group’s full service includes assistance with internal investigations, due diligence, training, and anti-corruption and anti-money laundering strategies. The team is led by practice area expert Tatiana Reuben, who brings more than 20 years of experience and specialises in compliance with the US Corrupt Practices Abroad Act, the UK Bribery Act, antitrust laws, export control and trade and Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions. Key support is provided by associate Josué Blen, who previously served as legal adviser to the Ministry of Public Education and the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation of Costa Rica.