ALTA Batalla

Number of partners: 11

Number of professionals worldwide: 67

Firm Overview:

Alta Batalla is proud to be considered Costa Rica’s highest-quality law firm and the first choice for the most challenging legal, tax and accounting matters. Clients retain the firm because they don’t want surprises — they want peace of mind. Alta Batalla makes a difference in Central America by being experts in its clients’ business. Such focus is enabled by a team of internationally trained professionals with sophisticated technical expertise, deep understanding of the region and a solid reputation in industry sectors. Alta Batalla’s partners are authorities in their fields, have an active presence in international fora and client boardrooms, and are recognised for their outstanding impact as faculty members and academic journal contributors in the most prestigious law and business schools in the region.

Main Areas of Practice:

Business:

From a single hub in San José, Alta Batalla serves Pan-Central American engagements for large clients, including M&A cross-border transactions and franchising projects in consumer, retail, real estate and regulated industry sectors. The firm is widely considered the leader in private equity and venture capital transactions in Central America. This reputation has enabled Alta Batalla to repeatedly serve clients outside the region, especially in deals as lead counsel in Colombia, Dominican Republic and Peru.

Dispute Resolution:

Alta Batalla is widely considered the leading litigation and dispute resolution firm in the country, having handled most of the high-profile disputes and precedent-setting decisions in the last ten years. Since its inception, the firm has served leading international companies and major financial institutions in a variety of industries and currently represents several Fortune 500 companies as lead trial counsel in pending litigation. The practice has excellent legal and industry-specific technical knowledge and is designed to advise their clients on how to ensure regulatory compliance while achieving their business objectives.

International Trade & Logistics:

The firm’s one-of-a-kind multidisciplinary international trade practice keeps a close eye on ever-evolving regulations and assists clients with proactive trade strategies, risk management and trade litigation. Alta Batalla’s practice is focused on designing export, import and customs strategies, including minimisation of custom duties, rule-of-origin matters, implementing internal compliance programs, training, obtaining licenses and enforcement proceedings.

Public & Environmental:

Alta Batalla’s extensive track record in regulatory and environmental matters stands out for knowledge, dedication and persistence. Every year, the firm acts on the highest-profile contentious and non-contentious matters related to energy, utilities and infrastructure. The practice is also designed to advise its clients on how to ensure regulatory compliance while achieving their business strategy in large projects involving electric power generation, hydrocarbon commercialisation and waste management. The firm has notable experience in public work concession processes, environmental, health and safety hazard prevention and public entity contracts.

Tax:

The firm has the leading tax practice in Costa Rica. Its proactive approach to complex fiscal and regulatory matters has been consistently praised by national and international clients for over a decade. The team serves clients throughout Central America in international tax consulting, planning, diagnosis, transfer pricing and due diligence services, assist in designing and implementing a more efficient tax structure, and determining a company’s formal and material level of compliance.

International Work:

Alta Batalla provides services throughout Central America from its main hub in San José and leveraged by its affiliation with worldwide networks and regional experience in Latin America.

Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish.