Sunset over the Pacific Ocean at Jacó Beach, Costa Rica

Costa Rica · United States · International

Your bridge to investing & retiring in Costa Rica

Dare to dream — we handle reality.

Landworks Business Law is a bilingual firm guiding North American investors, retirees, and families through every legal step of acquiring property, building wealth, and establishing residency in Costa Rica.

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0
Senior Partners
0+
Years Combined
Fully
Bilingual
English & Spanish
360°
Personal Counsel

The Firm

Costa Rica counsel,
spoken in English.

Landworks Business Law was founded on a simple conviction: that North Americans investing or retiring in Costa Rica deserve legal counsel as fluent in U.S. expectations as it is in Costa Rican law. Our partners advise American and Canadian clients through every milestone — from the first property visit to permanent residency, estate planning, and beyond.

We serve a discerning client base of high-net-worth individuals, family offices, retiring professionals, and investors entering Costa Rica's real estate, hospitality, and emerging-business sectors. With cross-border experience spanning the United States, Costa Rica, Panama, and the United Kingdom, we deliver the senior attention of a boutique with the breadth of a regional firm.

Bilingual Practice

Every engagement is led in English and Spanish, with senior bilingual counsel from first meeting to closing.

U.S.–C.R. Expertise

Cross-border tax, trust, and FATCA awareness, coordinated with your home-country advisors — never against them.

Real Estate Depth

Hundreds of foreign-buyer transactions across beachfront, condominium, and development properties.

Partner-Led

A senior attorney is your principal contact and counsel — not a supervisor of junior teams.

Why Costa Rica

Paradise
with stability.

Costa Rica offers what few destinations can: world-class natural beauty, a stable democracy with no standing army since 1948, a sophisticated business environment, and an economy running on nearly 100% renewable energy. A place where retirement, investment, and conscience can coexist.

Costa Rican cloud forest with misty mountains and lush canopy

No. 01

Pristine Nature

More than a quarter of Costa Rica's territory is protected in national parks and reserves — home to nearly 5% of the world's biodiversity on less than 0.03% of its surface.

A golden-sand beach on Costa Rica's Pacific coast at Santa Teresa

No. 02

Two Coastlines

From Guanacaste's golden Pacific to the lush Caribbean coast, more than 800 miles of shoreline — much of it pristine, all of it within a few hours' drive.

The San José skyline at golden hour with the Central Valley mountains

No. 03

Modern Economy

Regional headquarters of Intel, Microsoft, and Amazon. A sophisticated banking sector, OECD member, and a growing tech-export hub for the Americas.

Wind turbines on a green mountain ridge in Costa Rica

No. 04

Sustainable Future

Its electricity grid runs on ~99% renewable energy, with a national plan for net-zero emissions by 2050. One of the first tropical nations to halt and reverse deforestation — a country that takes its future seriously.

How We Help

Practice
Areas.

Our work is organized around the milestones that matter most to North Americans building a life or a portfolio in Costa Rica — each area led personally by a partner with the cross-border experience these matters demand.

01

Real Estate & Property

Beachfront homes, condominiums, farms, and development properties — full due diligence, title verification, escrow, and closing for every type of Costa Rican real estate transaction.

02

Residency & Immigration

Pensionado, rentista, and inversionista programs; permanent residency, citizenship pathways, and family reunification — guided end-to-end with the immigration authorities.

03

Cross-Border Wealth

Asset-protection structures, holding companies, and estate planning designed to coordinate with U.S. tax counsel and your existing wealth plan — never to conflict with it.

04

Corporate Formation

Costa Rican S.A. and S.R.L. corporations, trust structures, governance, annual compliance, and registration of foreign beneficial owners under current regulations.

05

Estate Planning & Trusts

Wills recognized in Costa Rica, succession planning for foreign-owned assets, trust formation, and probate avoidance — coordinated with your home-country estate plan.

06

Investor Counsel

Hospitality, vacation-rental, agribusiness, and private-equity ventures. We structure entry, joint ventures with local partners, and ongoing regulatory compliance for foreign investors.

Our Team

The
Partners.

Landworks is led by four senior partners who collectively bring decades of practice across corporate law, real estate, international transactions, and commercial litigation. Each partner serves as primary counsel — not a supervisor of junior teams.

José Ramón Chavarría Saxea

Founding Partner

A senior corporate and business-law practitioner with extensive cross-border experience advising clients across Costa Rica, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Panama. José Ramón leads complex multi-jurisdictional structures, governance matters, and international transactions for the firm's most sophisticated clients.

CorporateCross-BorderU.S.–C.R.

rchavarria@landworkslaw.com
Portrait of Enrique Alfonso Berrocal Salazar

Enrique Alfonso Berrocal Salazar

Senior Partner

Enrique brings deep expertise in commercial law, contract structuring, and regulatory compliance to North American clients establishing or operating businesses in Costa Rica. He guides foreign investors through every operational legal matter — from formation through day-to-day commercial agreements.

CommercialContractsCompliance

eberrocal@landworkslaw.com

Alberto Gurdián Arango

Senior Partner

A Costa Rican attorney and entrepreneur, Alberto combines legal practice with hands-on business management in real estate, hospitality, and agribusiness. For North American clients, his dual perspective as both lawyer and operator translates into uniquely practical, market-tested counsel.

Real EstateHospitalityAgribusiness

agurdian@landworkslaw.com

Paul Portuguez Aguilar

Senior Partner

Paul brings a multijurisdictional practice with active corporate experience across Costa Rica, the United States, and the United Kingdom. He focuses on real estate transactions for foreign buyers, cross-border holding structures, and the practical needs of international investors in Costa Rica.

Real EstateForeign BuyersCross-Border

pportuguez@landworkslaw.com

How We Work

The Landworks Approach.

i.

Deep Initial Understanding

Every engagement begins with a thorough analysis of your context, objectives, risk tolerance, and timeline — before any legal advice is rendered.

ii.

Partner-Led Strategy

A senior partner personally designs the legal strategy and remains your primary contact throughout the engagement — never delegated.

iii.

Precision Execution

Rigorous drafting, negotiation, and regulatory management — executed with the speed and efficiency commercial matters demand.

iv.

Ongoing Advisory

We build long-term relationships, serving as trusted counsel across your evolving legal and business landscape — not transaction-by-transaction.

What we stand for

IntegrityResponsivenessExcellencePartnership

Get in Touch

Let's start your
Costa Rica chapter.

Whether you're exploring a property purchase, planning your retirement, structuring an investment, or simply weighing the move — we'd be glad to discuss your goals confidentially. Initial consultations are complimentary and conducted in English.

Office

San José, Costa Rica

Enquiries

info@landworkslaw.com

Website

landworkslaw.com

Jurisdictions

Costa Rica · United States · United Kingdom · Panama

This message does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. All information submitted is treated with strict confidentiality.