Mr Vicente Lines > 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, IDB Invest, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs and Banco Santander) on day-to-day matters and high-value, cross-border transactions. The group’s comprehensive service covers matters ranging 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 headed by Diego Gallegos, an expert in asset and project finance, and Vicente Lines, who brings decades of experience in acquisitions and financing matters in regulated industries. Key support is provided by senior associate Arianne Silva on the financing and refinancing of companies and financial projects.

The San José office of Arias leverages regional strength and the experience of its team to design programmes to address national and international compliance regulations for such major multinational corporates as Essity and 3M, across the pharmaceuticals, agriculture, healthcare, professional services and consumer goods sectors. The group’s full offering 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 practice is headed by regional managing partner Vicente Lines, who draws on experience as a regulatory counsel to competitive carriers and infrastructure developers in the telecoms sector, and senior counsel German Rojas, who co-leads the firm’s dispute resolution practice.

The experienced corporate team at Arias harnesses regional strength to advise major multinationals across such sectors as entertainment, hospitality, tech, energy, pharmaceuticals, professional services, and food and beverages on day-to-day matters and complex, multi-jurisdictional transactions. The group also draws on support from the firm’s labour and tax practices. The team is led by M&A and contract negotiation specialist Andrey Dorado; major transaction and corporate governance expert Melania Dittel; and Vicente Lines, who brings over 25 years’ experience in the practice area to assisting companies with entry into the Costa Rican market. Other key figures include senior counsel Tracy Valera, who advises on shareholders’, stock purchase and asset purchase agreements, and senior associate Sebastián Solano.

The team at Arias leverages the strength of locations in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama and Costa Rica to advise energy investment groups, generators and developers on major energy projects at every phase – from initial investment to operations. The practice’s full service covers regulatory compliance issues, bidding processes and advisory services to large energy consumers in relation to the development of contracts of sale or supply. The team is headed by project finance expert Carlos Ubico, who brings strength to administrative procedures and litigation proceedings, the creation of public-private partnerships, public works concessions and challenges before the Constitutional Court. Other key figures include Vicente Lines, who draws on over 25 years of experience in regulated industry matters, and senior counsel Luis Diego Obando, an administrative law specialist with both national and international experience.

With locations in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama and Costa Rica, the team at Arias utilises its regional footprint to advise investors, government agencies, NGOs and multinationals 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 practice’s active client base spans such sectors as manufacturing, construction, energy, healthcare, hospitality and tech. The practice is headed by Carlos Ubico, who brings experience to project finance, administrative procedures and work concessions. Other key figures include Vicente Lines, an expert in energy and infrastructure; Carlos Camacho, who manages complex free trade zone matters; M&A specialist Andrey Dorado; Diego Gallegos, who brings expertise to asset finance transactions; and senior counsel Luis Diego Obando, a seasoned litigator.

The real estate practice at Arias employs regional strength and a multidisciplinary approach, coordinating with its tax and free trade zone teams to advise private investors, developers, and national and multinational corporates (including 3M and Accenture) across such sectors as consumer goods, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and tech on high-value transactions involving the expansion of their facilities in Costa Rica. The firm’s full practice covers the negotiation and drafting of share purchase agreements and construction contracts, concession rights, lease and services agreements, mortgages, title verification and due diligence. The practice is headed by former consul for the Costa Rican Consulate General in New York Carlos Camacho, who brings expertise to developments and acquisition projects, and regional managing partner and experienced regulatory adviser Vicente Lines, who draws on over 20 years of transactional experience. Other key figures include senior counsels Vivian Gazel and Rolando García.

Formed after the separation of Arias & Muñoz, the first Central American law firm, Arias fields a 39-partner-strong offering across seven offices located in Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Panama. The firm is renowned for its advice to major global and regional banks, multilateral development institutions and household-name multinationals regarding complex, region-wide transactions, along with syndicated loans, project and acquisition finance, and local and cross-border M&A. Fintech specialist Mario Lozano, managing partner Lilian Arias, M&A expert Roberta Gallardo and Luisa Rivas are among the key names from the sizeable corporate and finance teams in El Salvador. In Costa Rica, Diego Gallegos and Vicente Lines lead the banking practice; Linares, who frequently advises clients on market entry, also heads up the corporate team alongside Andrey Dorado and Melania Dittel. Foreign investment expert Ana Teresa Rizo, Bertha Arguello, Gustavo-Adolfo Vargas (who is a key adviser to multilaterals), and Rodrigo Ibarra are the names to note in Nicaragua. In Guatemala, Luis Pedro Del Valle is the “go-to” figure for corporate and finance matters; Evangelina Lardizábal and Mario Agüero head the practice in Honduras (where the firm has offices in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula); and Yuri Moreno and M&A specialist María Cristina Fábrega lead the team in Panama.