The powerhouse team at labour boutique BDS Asesores remains a market leader, bringing strength to advising local corporates and major multinationals (including Bridgestone, 3M and Roche) on a diverse spectrum of matters across the practice area. With a client portfolio spanning such sectors as IT, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, manufacturing, healthcare and retail, the practice’s comprehensive service extends to assisting private and public sector clients with compensation schemes, due diligence, disciplinary procedures and internal restructuring, training seminars, labour litigation and complex administrative proceedings. The team is co-led by employment law authority Marco Durante and firm co-founder Francisco Salas (who has expertise in civil service labour law and preventive and corrective labour matters). Other key figures include Alejandro Trejos, a tech sector specialist, and consulting manager Lucía Solórzano Salazar, who brings experience to immigration-related files.

The team at ECIJA draws on the bench strength of its March 2023 alliance with Taylor Wessing LLP and offices throughout Europe and Latin America to provide a comprehensive service to NGOs and national and multinational corporates, including major pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Sanofi. The firm’s active client roster spans sectors ranging from pharmaceuticals, hospitality, logistics, agrochemicals and medical devices to direct sales, real estate, tourism, tech, education, government and telecoms. The group’s full offering covers employment discrimination lawsuits, data privacy, collective bargaining, terminations and employment contract regulation. The department is headed by labour and human rights expert Daniel Valverde, who advises clients on the creation of compensation schemes, review of workdays and work shifts, sexual harassment claims and the application of work-from-home schemes.

The experienced team at BLP channels the combined bench strength of offices in San José, Puntarenas, Guanacaste and Marina Flamingo, in addition to branches across Latin America and Europe, to assist such household-name multinationals as Microsoft and Pepsi on a comprehensive range of labour and employment matters. With an active client base spanning the tech, food and beverages, retail, engineering, education, aviation, motor vehicles, hospitality and building materials industries, the firm’s full service covers preventative advice, due diligence, immigration matters, telework implementation, start-up guidance, employee structure reviews, labour litigation and the handling of extrajudicial negotiations. The team is headed by veteran litigator Randall González, who brings over 28 years of experience in the practice space. Other key figures include senior associate Carla Sánchez, a specialist in judicial and administrative processes, and directors Juan José Montero, who provides expertise in audits and compliance reviews, and Alexandra Aguilar, an experienced mediator who advises clients on risk prevention, benefits for executive staff and internal regulations.

The experienced labour and employment team at Lang & Asociados brings expertise to advising major multinational corporates (including Microsoft and Smart Fit) on day-to-day matters and the establishment of their operations in Costa Rica. With a client base spanning such sectors as medical devices, fitness, life sciences, healthcare, electronics, software, telecoms, tech and tourism, the firm’s full service covers matters ranging from regulatory registrations and due diligence to outsourcing and the structuring of bonuses and incentives. The team is jointly led by managing partner Henry Lang, who has over 30 years’ experience and is an active member of both the Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce and the French-Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce, and immigration specialist Mónica Romero, who has expertise in contractual issues, investigations and terminations, in addition to complex labour litigation, mediation and proceedings before the Ministry of Labour and the Costa Rican Social Security Fund.

Leveraging the regional strength of ten offices in nine countries throughout Latin America, the experienced practice at Aguilar Castillo Love assists major multinational corporates (including Hewlett Packard, Coca-Cola and AstraZeneca) with day-to-day employment issues, regulatory matters and complex labour litigation. With an active client roster spanning such sectors as pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, tobacco, logistics, tech and financial services, the practice’s full service extends to such issues as sexual harassment, discrimination risk analysis and teleworking issues. The team is headed by labour compliance specialist Álvaro Aguilar. Other key figures include seasoned litigator Eric Romero and associate Gloriana Lara Ramos.

The labour team at Arias harnesses the bench strength of seven offices in six countries across Central America, to advise financial institutions, regional corporates and major multinationals (including 3M and Mondelez) on day-to-day operations, and in high-stakes litigation. With an active client base spanning industries ranging from consumer goods, IT and healthcare, chemicals, hospitality and food and beverages, the firm’s extensive offering extends to HR management, labour and human rights, business changes and corporate restructuring, in-house training, internal investigations and alternative dispute resolution. The practice is headed by Carolina Soto, who specialises in conciliation processes and draws on experience of appearing before the Supreme Court of Justice. Other key figures include senior counsel and seasoned litigator Luis Diego Obando and associate Paola Rojas.

The team at Consortium Legal leverages the deep regional bench strength of offices in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua to advise financial institutions and multinational corporates on a broad spectrum of matters across the labour and employment space. The group’s client base spans such sectors as hospitality, building materials, aviation, consumer goods, retail, real estate and manufacturing. The firm’s full offering covers administrative proceedings, litigation, immigration issues, social security regulatory compliance and the labour aspects of M&A transactions. The team is headed by corporate labour law expert Osvaldo Madriz, who specialises in advising on salary and compensation schemes and internal regulation systems. Other key figures include senior associate and experienced labour litigator Gerardo Delgado; and associates Fabiola Alvarado, who draws on a background in human rights law, and Will Lazo.

The Costa Rican labour and employment team at Dentons harnesses the bench strength of its regional network of seven offices in six countries to advise such global household names as Dole, Merck, Amazon and Starbucks, across sectors ranging from food, health, tech and telecoms to hospitality, software, real estate and retail. The team is headed by Anna Karina Jiménez, who brings expertise to negotiating and drafting employment contracts, preventive advice on employee benefits programmes, internal compliance audits, collective employment contracts, and labour litigation and employer representation in administrative processes. Other key figures include senior associate and preventative risk management specialist Silvia Hernández and associate Adriana Fernández.

The labour and employment practice at Facio & Cañas (which in March 2023 opened two new offices in Puntarenas and Guanacaste) brings strength to advising household-name multinationals including Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and IBM on the full range of labour and employment matters. With an active client portfolio spanning such sectors  as hospitality, food and beverages, tech, entertainment, sports, logistics and IT, the team’s full service extends to due diligence, payroll restructuring and human resources queries. The practice is powered by two teams – one led by experienced labour litigator Luis Sánchez and the other headed by senior associate Graciela Soto, who draws on a labour and immigration skill set to advise clients in such sectors as life sciences, energy, manufacturing, financial services, tech and agribusiness. Sánchez is supported by of counsel Mauricio Bolaños, who provides clients with expertise in alternative dispute resolution, compensation packages and termination agreements. Other figures of note include associate Katherine Zamora, who advises on workplace risk management and compliance with social security regulations.

The experienced team at boutique labour and employment law firm Bufete Godinez y Asociados brings expertise to advising NGOs, government bodies, insurers, financial institutions, and national and multinational corporates across such sectors as retail, telecoms, pharmaceuticals, aviation and education on day-to-day operations, and in high-stakes litigation. The practice’s full service covers matters ranging from assistance in corporate restructurings, labour due diligence for mergers and acquisitions, and contract and subcontract review (including outsourcing agreements) to human resources oversight, audits, training and collective bargaining. The team is headed by firm founder Alexander Godínez Vargas, a practice area authority and a former alternate magistrate of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, counselling and advisory coordinator Isabel Jaramillo and litigation practice head José Miguel Granados, a specialist in judicial and administrative labour procedures.

The labour and employment team at BG&A Abogados Corporativos advises investors, financial institutions, NGOs, and local and multinational corporates on matters ranging from labour dispute resolution, internal training, representation in internal and external disciplinary processes, and work regulations to harassment matters, preventative audits, calculation of benefits and wage garnishments, and due diligence. The group’s active client base (which includes Telefónica and Office Depot) spans the transport, telecoms, hospitality, construction, healthcare, and building materials sectors, with the firm displaying particular expertise in retail and education. The team is led by founding partner Benjamín Gutiérrez, who draws on over 20 years of litigation experience. Other key figures include associates María Gabriela Monge, an education sector expert, and Nicole Damha, a specialist in the preparation and management of judicial and administrative hearings.

The labour and employment team at regional firm EY Law Central America draws on the deep bench strength of eight offices in seven countries to advise national corporates and household-name multinationals on a wide range of matters across the practice area. With an active client roster spanning such sectors as consumer goods, IT, tobacco, manufacturing, tech, food, pharmaceuticals and motor vehicles (and including Kimberly Clark, Accenture and Bridgestone), the group’s full offering covers matters ranging from labour assistance related to market entry, due diligence and risk management to compensation scheme and employee policy review and representation in administrative proceedings. The team is led by Fernando Vargas and Laura Navarrete, who is the senior manager of the firm’s employment practices in Central America, Panama and the Caribbean, and who directs multi-jurisdictional projects. Key support at the senior associate level is provided by Guillermo Vargas, who handles the review and preparation of working hours schemes and training in labour issues; Karina Piedra, who provides advice and guidance in the presentation of employer or independent worker registration before the Costa Rican Social Security Fund; and Melany Pérez, who joined from BDS Asesores in July 2023.

The labour law team at Quatro Legal provides a one-stop shop to advise national and multinational corporates such as Enel Green Power, dividing its practice into branches: employment (focused on drafting contracts and work policies), conflict resolution and labour disputes (which includes handling judicial and administrative litigation processes), and social security and workshops (covering internal corporate policies and coaching and training programmes). With a client roster spanning such sectors as tech, energy, tourism and education, the practice’s full offering extends to litigation, workplace labour audits, payroll issues, the structuring of compensation packages, internal disciplinary procedures, collective bargaining agreements and social security compliance. The team is led by Marcela Acosta, a certified conciliator who brings experience in personnel management, hiring, recruitment and terminations.