Labour and employment in Costa Rica

The 'amazing' labour and employment team at BLP provides multinational clients with the full range of services. These include preventative and corrective advice on labour matters, the management of disciplinary processes, assistance in employment litigation and the handling of extrajudicial negotiations, and the review of employment structures. Led by veteran labour litigator Randall González, and backed by Alexandra Aguilar, who provides training in labour matters, Juan José Montero, who specialises in the employment issues relating to company establishment, and Carla Sánchez, an expert in administrative processes, the group’s roster features household names including Amazon, Uber and  Microsoft, covering such sectors as jewellery, tech, retail, education, tourism, sports, hospitality, food and pharmaceuticals.

The employment law team at ECIJA provides key support to clients managing employees at the national and international level. The firm offers assistance in a broad range of matters, including discrimination claims brought by employees, compliance with data privacy law, and collective bargaining and union negotiation. The team is headed by the 'extraordinary' Daniel Valverde and represents high-profile clients including Pfizer and DHL, from such sectors as pharmaceuticals, energy, agroindustry, direct services, education, retail and tourism.

The seasoned team at Aguilar Castillo Love offers 'detailed and practical' advice to multinational and international clients on a diverse span of labour issues, including compliance and claims relating to discrimination, mobbing and sexual harassment. The group’s full service extends to handling litigation and alternative dispute resolution, advising on outsourcing contracts and training programmes, and managing employment relationships. The team includes experienced head Álvaro Aguilar, labour litigation expert Eric Romero,  who joined the firm from Grupo Jurídico Latinomericano in June 2020, María Lucía Fischel, who specialises in corporate reputation issues, and associate Gloriana Lara Rams. The client roster includes household names such as the Coca-Cola Company, Paypal, AstraZeneca and L’Oréal.

Led by labour and social security law expert Carolina Soto, the employment team at Arias advises on a broad range of labour matters. These include preventative risk management, litigation, HR management, compensation schemes, internal investigations, establishing training programmes and the employment aspects of corporate restructurings. The group represents regional and multinational clients across industries including logistics, telecoms, food, IT, digital services, manufacturing and automotive.

BG&A Abogados Corporativos acts for regional and international clients, providing a broad range of employment advice to investors, multinationals and entrepreneurs. The team assists with the preparation and registration of internal labour regulations, preventative audits and training programmes on labour topics. Headed by founding partner Benjamín Gutiérrez, and supported by associates María Gabriela Monge, who is an expert in advising on risk prevention policies, and Nicole Damha, who has expertise in internal procedures for processing complaints, the group’s client portfolio covers a diverse spectrum of sectors, including construction, agribusiness, sports, education, hospitality and retail.

The team at Consortium Legal provides an 'excellent client service' to multinationals in relation to a broad spectrum of labour issues, including administrative and judicial employment proceedings, the creation of internal regulations and labour issues relating to M&A transactions. The team’s services also extend to advising on immigration matters, such as temporary and permanent residencies and assistance with visa renewals and naturalisation processes. The group is led by Osvaldo Madriz and Mario Quesada-Bianchini, and supported by associates Gerardo Delgado and Catalina Rivera Sanabria, who are labour litigation experts. The team’s roster includes clients across the financial services, fitness, tourism, restaurant and hospitality, and construction sectors. It was strengthened by the arrival of associate Jose Andrés Gutiérrez, a specialist in immigration issues, from an in-house role in February 2020.

The labour and immigration practice at Facio & Cañas advises national and multinational clients on matters including immigration, M&A-related labour issues, dismissals, and the design and restructuring of compensation packages. The team is headed by experienced labour litigator Luis Sánchez Montero and senior associate Nelson Loaiza. Other key contacts in the team include associates Roberto Carmona Pérez, María José Soto Gutiérrez, who has particular expertise in sports-related employment arbitration proceedings,  and Erick Rojas Solórzano, an immigration expert. The group’s client portfolio contains household names such as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and IBM, and covers sectors including construction, agriculture, food and beverages, tech, automotive and sports.

The labour and employment team at EY Law Central America is led by Fernando Vargas and senior manager Laura Navarrete, who heads the firm's labour and employment practice in Central America, Panama and the Caribbean. Managers María Paula Solórzano and Fiorella Flores, who have expertise in labour litigation, are also noted. The team assists national and multinational companies with a broad span of matters, from structuring employment policies and compensation schemes and drafting employment contracts to handling administrative procedures. The team’s client roster covers such sectors as automotive, telecoms, tobacco, tech, education and hospitality.