Throughout this time the value of the structure, 200 meters long, is doubled and the cost went from $ 23 million to $ 52 million.

Besides that the State does not accept the price, still not resolved how it will compensate the Company Bulk Boiler difference in value.

Several possibilities are being considered: an extension of the concession, moving from 20 to 25 years, a hike in the fees or the government provides the difference: $ 29 million.

However, on this point there is no white smoke.

The construction was initiated in February 2006 but the work was postponed while the Sala IV resolved actions by the National Association of Public and Private Employees (ANEP).

The Board took two years to rule and were fired during that time the prices of construction materials.

Ricardo Ospina, the new manager of the Company, is unlikely that the problem is solved with an extension in the concession. It argues, that forced the company to recoup the investment in the very long term, banks lend to a maximum of 12 years.

He also noted that this is a pre-election years and that the Government finds it difficult to increase the rates charged by the dealership that loading and unloading ships.

Ospina suggested the country use the $ 850 million loan from the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) to finance the difference.

However, Uriah Ugalde, president of Incop, said that the alternative is “new” and has not been discussed.

The new terminal will have a two-story building, four boarding bridges, a commercial area and more space for immigration and customs.
The project is carried out by the consortium Coriport SA, which yesterday signed a concession contract with the government of Costa Rica.

For the new building of 23,000 square meters of construction, Coriport requires $ 35 million.

Part or all of that money obtained through a credit to the consortium which won the work (Coriport SA) and negotiate.

The information was confirmed yesterday Wogbe Ofori, Coriport group representative at the signing of the concession contract at the Presidential House, Zapote.

The businessman said that financial support negotiated with several banks, “but chose not to mention their names. Neither said how much of that money comes from and how much equity a loan.

Coriport is composed of firms MMM Group SA Aviation, Houston Airport System, Emperador Pez Espada SRL Brad and Ted and Cocobolo Inversiones SRL Corporation.

Investors are U.S. and Costa Rican capital, which will expand the terminal and managed over 20 years.

For now, the contract was sent to endorsement at the General Accounting Office, a process that can take up to 25 days.

Then the operator has five months to complete the design of two-story building to house the passengers and to obtain financial closure.

This closure is the signing of the financing contract between the concessionaire and the bank selected.

If the deadlines are met, construction should start in December and ending six months later.

Characteristics

Karla González, Minister of Transport, confirmed that the new air terminal will have 23,000 square meters of construction.

On the first floor (18,000 square meters) will be located positions of migration and customs, baggage handling, the area for passengers entering the country and the offices of airlines and airport management.

On the second floor (5,000 square meters) will be waiting for passengers leaving the country, the four gates and offices for government officials.

The $ 35 million project will not include the cost of the four bridges of access to aircraft. Such structures shall be borne by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

When opening the new building (in late May or early June of 2010, as planned), the terminal will have capacity for 1,500 passengers simultaneously.

Currently the airport only has the potential to serve 900 passengers at a time.

These are the malls Avenida Escazú, Plaza Multicentro Desamparados Grecia and El Ingenio, which a total of more than 133,000 square meters (m²) building.

Overall building projects made available to visitors more than 240 shops, 16 cinemas, 38 restaurants, a supermarket and parking 3500.

Only the building of malls in Grecia and Desamparados require an investment of close to $ 34 million (about ¢ 17,000 million). In the case of Avenida Escazú, developers did not want to publicize the exact amount it will cost to construction.

At the same time, malls Multiplaza Escazú, in Escazú, Plaza and Bratsi in Heredia, are in an expansion of its facilities. Both projects aim to increase attendance of your audience by creating new business services.

The new phase of Escazú Multiplaza for the opening of 100 stores, a big store of 11,000 m² and a parking area. While the new Bratsi phase includes an expansion of 3190 sq meters will be installed where restaurants and shops.

In the capital. Escazú has become the favorite site for real estate developers to build residential and commercial projects. Large buildings such as Multiplaza Escazú, Cima Hospital and the Forum have been Oficentro product of this boom.

Data from the Costa Rica Chamber of Construction (CCC) show that in the past five years there were a total of 822,165 square meters of construction. This makes Escazú one of the cantons with the highest structural development that is recorded in the capital.

It is precisely here that is built today Avenida Escazú, a work which will bring together hotels, residences, and Oficentro an urban mall.

The property is developed by the Real Estate Portfolio (Pinmsa) and is located on the side of the Cima Hospital, in an eight-hectare property.

Its construction has already begun and it is expected that by 2011 the works had been completed. Sylene Campos, marketing manager of the company, explained that the mall will feature 20 restaurants, 110 local, seven movie theaters, an IMAX technology with it, and a parking with capacity for 2500 vehicles.

Another of the areas has increased the creation of rooms and commercial Desamparados. Statistics show that in 2007 there were 139,040 square meters of construction, 57% more than in 2006, the year in which 88,677 m² are built.

Guangzhou’s real estate growth will incorporate a new participant: the multicenter Desamparados. This mall is to open its doors in October and aims to offer options trading to 300 thousand residents in the cantons of Desamparados and Aserrí.

“When we did the market study noted that there was little supply of commercial premises in the area and a dissatisfied customer, so look there to seize an opportunity,” said Eduardo Feoli, manager of Biscay Constructora del Sur, the construction company responsible for the project.

This new shopping complex will have 70 stores, six movie theaters, a restaurant meal for ten, 10 quisco lanes and 500 spaces for parking. All these are housed in a local area measuring 23,500 m².

Regional character

Randall Murillo, executive director of CCC, explained that the shopping centers are leaving the capital, to seek opportunities in remote areas.

This is the case of Grecia, an area which is becoming attractive for project developers and trading rooms. And it is that over the past five years the building has tripled in the area. In 2007 there were 83,358 m² building, while in 2003 the measure was only 29,104 sq meters, according to the CCC.

Today the area is built in Grecia Plaza El Ingenio, a project that aims to meet the commercial needs of 200 thousand people living in surrounding areas such as oranges and Sarchi.

“The decision to build here under the huge real estate development and population growth that has taken the area,” said Mario Barzuna, director of marketing and sales of the mall.

The complex will comprise a supermarket, three cinemas, eight restaurants, two and Drive over 65 shops. The total investment of the project amounts to more than $ 14 million.

Expansion.

While some venture firms to build new shopping centers, others opt to remodel or expand facilities.

The Oak Group, owner of Multi Escazú, will debut in mid-2009 an expansion of the mall. This is the fifth stage of the establishment, which will have 100 shops, several restaurants and kiosks.

Another shopping center that is working on its expansion Bratsi Plaza, an establishment that was built in 2005 to collect Oficentro, shops and restaurants.

The project is developed by Pinma and third phase of the mall include the opening of an area of several local restaurants and a total of 3190 m². The opening is scheduled for December 2009.

This company also has plans to build a shopping center in Los Colegios, Moravia, where the school was located before Lincoln. The project is in design phase, while obtaining the necessary municipal authorizations. The mall will be located in an area of 33,420 square meters and will have shops, restaurants and cinemas.

85% of the ticos were happy to be successful in this country.

Costa Rica tops the list in the happiness index of the British organization The New Economics Foundation, an agency that publishes every two years a report that measures the happiness of people in 143 countries who meet 99% of world population.

Second place is occupied by Dominican Republic, followed by Australia. United States won the 114 and place Zimbabwe, the last post-143 -.

In the previous report, conducted in 2006, Costa Rica ranked second, after Vanuatu, an archipelago in the continent of Oceania.

The index uses three variables for classification: life expectancy at birth, level of satisfaction expressed by residents of each country and environmental practices.

“In Costa Rica, life expectancy at birth is 78.5 years, 85% of Costa Ricans polled claimed to be happy and satisfied with their life, and the country is very close to achieving balance between what is consumed and what’s available natural resources, “said Nic Mars, one of the authors of the report.

The paper added that the ticos were an average grade of 8.5 to the country in which they live and from 9.2 to life, the second highest in the study after it granted the Icelanders.

The research highlighted that the life expectancy in Costa Rica is also the second highest in the world, surpassed only by Canada.

On happiness. To the sociologist Andrea Fonseca, the country with tools to make citizens happy, but happiness can not be measured only by the life expectancy of a country and its environmental practices.

She explained: “Much has to do with the social imagination that Costa Rica is a country of peace and wealth of flora and fauna, protected areas, where people are ‘pure life’ is, kind, respectful and caring .

“Although in reality things are not so rosy: kill sharks and full of cocaine, the high rate of crime and insecurity, they see that not everything is happiness.”

His colleague Montserrat Sagot is the same criterion.

“This reflects a historical tico a long time. We are proud to be a different country, the Switzerland of Central America that says we are a beautiful country of beautiful people and peace, we are proud because the Costa Rican believe that this country is better than others in Central America. Also, seeing the reality of other countries, where coups, terrorist attacks and gangs, and more job losses, the tico feels to live in peaceful Costa Rica, “Sagot said.

The professional said that Costa Rica is not so happy because I feel that all their goals are met or they feel that Costa Rica has more good things, but because he feels that comparatively in the country there are fewer bad things than elsewhere.

“We must also take into account that a double standard handles ticos: sometimes we say ‘pura vida’, although we have problems at home or fired from our job.”

Measuring happiness. Although sociologists have indicated that the criteria are not sufficient to measure the happiness of the inhabitants of a country, and it takes other variables, such as levels of health and access to education, the authors of that study said they measuring conditions for better quality of life for people.

This is not about economic development, Haiti and Cuba were happier than United States or France, although the per capita income of these two countries is much higher,” the researcher emphasized Nic Mars.

Enrique Calamarde, corporate director of Feria Valencia, knows that 90 years of experience in the development of international conventions, it is the best introduction to undertake a project in Costa Rica, where it plans to invest $ 250 million in five years.

The Spanish, who visited Costa Rica last week, said it was a private initiative led by Feria Valencia and the corporation in the country: Feria de Costa Rica.

In this firm partner’s ticos and Spanish, among the latter group are high and the architect José María Tomás.

Secure financing

Following the crisis, the project was postponed, partly because those interested in funding the center requested additional time to rearrange their schedules of investments.

“Never has paralyzed the work was entered rather in an effort to search for investors. Undoubtedly, the project remains as profitable as before, “said Calamarde.

The idea is to start work in July next year once the proceedings before the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (Setena) and others will release, said Roberto Esquivel, a partner at Alta Group.

Esquivel admitted that technical issues relating to the purchase of land will be completed in the coming weeks.

23 hectares property that is fair Costa Rica acquired to develop the fairgrounds.

11,000 square feet is the space that would have a pavilion for exhibitions in the country.

This is a property of some 23 hectares located in Cariari de Heredia. Because it is a great addition to the fairgrounds, the site will have two hotels, offices and commerce.

The first part will cover the construction of the center of events with a flag of 11,000 square meters exhibition area, with multifunctional.

También se levantaría una parte del centro comercial, algunas oficinas y los hoteles. It also lifted part of a shopping mall, offices and hotels.

Calamarde estimated that the plan could take four or all five years.

Feria de Valencia was invited to come to Costa Rica four years ago by the Chamber of Exporters of Costa Rica (CADEXCO), given its experience in the development and organization of fairs, exhibitions and conventions.

At that time, both sides signed an agreement to encourage the conduct of commercial activities between Europe and Costa Rica, recalled Sergio Navas, executive director of the chamber.

It was then that the Spanish firm was interested in assessing the potential of Central America to build an exhibition center.

Were given the task, said Calamarde to make a diagnosis in each of the countries of the region and found that Costa Rica is the ideal place for such a project.

Representatives of the company confirmed that they have the support of municipalities, the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity and Public Services Company of Heredia.

“Everyone has seen the need and magnitude of the project,” said Esquivel.

Both Sergio Navas, in CADEXCO as Minister of Tourism, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, said they realized this would be an advantage for the country to have a place for international activities in the region currently is negotiating new trade agreements with Europe and china.

“There is an exhibition complex with world-class services and is a fact that the country needs it,” said Navas.

The development of large tourism projects and acquisition of luxury residences by foreigners is what is stimulating the flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) to our country.

The country received $ 328 million investment in the tourism sector last year, more than double what it received in 2006. While in the real estate sector received $ 638 million, 71% more than in the previous period.

The performance of both sectors leads to the belief that the momentum will be maintained this year; although the flow of foreign exchange will be a bit lower than 2007.

These are the main findings of the latest study on FDI in Costa Rica 2007-2008, prepared by the Interagency Group on FDI and published by the Central Bank last week.

The report indicates that the country received $ 1.884 million in investment last year, 28% more than in 2006. In addition to projected $ 1640 million this year, a figure that is consistent with the estimate made by the Central and at the end of January.

This reduction is justified, according to the document that are not considering major acquisitions of domestic companies by foreigners and the fact that the United States financial crisis and slowing economy that would reduce the flow of FDI into the country.

The document stresses that the historical flow of foreign exchange that the country received in 2007 enabled him to finance 1.2 times the current account deficit (difference between entry and exit of U.S. dollars).

But this element creates a headache for the management of monetary policy of the Central as requiring the entity to buy more dollars and colones drop to the economy, causing inflation.

Engines

In the case of the real estate sector, the report highlights the investment they make in foreign homes, condos, villas, land and commercial premises, mainly in coastal areas.

$1640 million which is expected to receive foreign direct investment in the country this year.

If a revision is made by province, it is noted that Puntarenas ($ 214 million), Guanacaste ($ 127 million) and Alajuela ($ 103 million) received the largest flows of foreign exchange.

In Puntarenas, is considered the Hacienda El Dorado project in Golfito. In Guanacaste, the movement is related to real estate development in areas like Hermosa, El Coco, Ocotal, Conchal, Tamarindo, Samara and the Gulf of Papagayo, linked to major tourism projects.

Alajuela, striking the purchase of land in La Fortuna de San Carlos.

Meanwhile, the paper highlights the developments on a smaller scale in Escazú and Santa Ana, San José.

It should be noted that the main buyers of property from United States (55%), followed by Canada (7.5%), Germany (4.8%), Italy (3.9%), Portugal (2.9 %) and France (2.7%).

In the case of tourism, the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) in 2007 indicated that the projects handled channeled $ 325 million. These include the arrival of new international hotel chains (including Hilton and Hyatt) and the renewal of local hotels.

It includes the opening of the Natural de la Cultura Agropecuaria (Panace) in San Mateo de Alajuela.

The dynamism in this sector is closely linked to the increased number of visitors that the country receives. Last year reached about 1.9 million tourists (175,000 more than in 2006), which made revenues of $ 1.921 million.

Unit USA

Seeing the total FDI, the report confirms that the main source of these resources continues to be North America, as it provides nearly 60% of the amount received last year. De esa cifra, Estados Unidos mandó el 90%. Of that figure, the United States sent 90%.

Europe, meanwhile, contributed 26%, with Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, France and England the main sources.

Highlights the case of Holland, who was the supplier of 50% of that figure due to the acquisition made by the signing of Aliaxis Durman Esquivel.

In this sense, the industrial sector remains one of the most dynamic in attracting FDI, with $ 691 million.

To sell a title involving a real estate fund at this time is necessary to have a little patience, and if the urgency is great, be prepared to decrease in price.

The negotiation of this type of security has undergone a drastic fall in the last five months, attributed to reduced liquidity in the secondary market.

Data from the National Stock Exchange (BNV) indicate that the average daily transactions fell 73% since October 2008. This decline is particularly evident in the trading month.

Since before the shares of real estate funds were not among the most liquid instruments. However, something that added pressure to the market is that there’s a waiting list for sale.

For example, on Monday, March 30, during the session bag, were for sale 350 titles of the different funds available, in 38 deals. That day just closed 6 transactions in 50 securities.

The governor general values, Eddy Rodriguez, explained that this is due to tensions caused by a lack of liquidity in the stock market, following the crisis in the United States and other developed markets.
However, even if the total amount negotiated in the BNV has tended to improve since last December, the transaction of shares fell 11.6% in the same period.

Row output

In some cases, investors who have come to sell these shares have had to rely on real estate prices lower than those observed a few months ago.

In the case of Banco de Costa Rica Real Estate fund, the titles went from an average price of $ 6114 in March 2008 to $ 4893 in March 2009, 20% less. In the Fund Crestones of Improsa SAFI, the reduction was 30%.

The involvement of the latter fund was negotiated for $ 3800 in late March, that price is below $ 5011 which indicates their book value.

500 shares were sold on April 2. La ofertas de compra llegaban a 50.

The offer came to buy 50.

1 complaint received on real estate funds over the past six months.

For the manager of the BNV, Jose Rafael Brenes, funds closed, and in particular the real estate are affected by the preference of investors to short-term instruments and greater liquidity.

“This situation will further affect the values that under normal conditions tend to be less liquid, such as stocks and shares of funds,” said Brenes.

Behind the deals for buying and selling every day appear on the screens, there could be a greater number of investors lining up.

Allan Rodriguez, manager of investment advisory E3 Corp, said that what goes into the system is only part of the intentions that drive investors.

This specialist agreed that the product could lose competitiveness in relation to other alternative investments less risky and more liquid.

The question is whether the deterioration of that attraction is permanent or temporary. Fernando Estrada, INS Securities analyst, said that following the crisis some investors have lost faith in real estate funds.

“They worry that the valuations are unreasonable, but if you ask the managers, they say they have been conservative,” he said.

He added that they are not recommending the purchase of real estate funds because there are instruments with comparable yields and improved liquidity, yet they see no cause for alarm if someone has the funds.

The fact is that more people are pushed out of their holdings need for urgent cash, and then exposed to a capital loss if you bought at high prices.

However, Estrada believes for those long term investors could be an opportunity to glimpse a bargain.

The executive president of the Costa Rica Tourism Institute (ICT) Carlos Ricardo Benavides has two big concerns weighing on him: how to curtail the possible drop in foreign tourists this summer and how to reorient the Papagayo development.

Why Papagayo? Because the Comptroller General (CGR) instructed the Polo Turístico Golfo Papagayo (PGPT), an entity ascribed to the ICT, to mend a series of mistakes found during a study whose results don’t favor the State’s administrative management in the subject, at all?
Among other aspects, it questions the planning, controls, deadlines, royalty payments and data bases of the development.

Initially, the period granted by the Comptroller to present a report with the measures to be taken expired last October, but an extension was granted at the ICT’s request.

Benavides admits that there are deficiencies (many of which are being corrected), but he challenges many of the criticisms.

For him, Papagayo has played a vital role in the province’s development but this doesn’t depend solely on the Polo. The project, he says, was conceived carefully but like any other investment, depends on market conditions.

Where are the rooms?

The Comptroller’s Office conducted a study that covered a period between 1991 and February this year.

One of the aspects questioned was that 16 years after the first concession was granted, in order for businessmen to invest in hotels and tourism services, nine parcels of land have yet to be allotted.

The Comptroller’s Office also questions why 13 concessionaires, many of whom were allocated land over 10 years ago, still haven’t begun their tourism projects and haven’t been sanctioned for it.

Among these are Monte del Barco, Mediateck, Cielo Azul, Le Wafou and Costa Azul del Pacífico.

Others were granted extensions by the ICT for up to 30 years.

On this subject, Benavides clarified that in order to execute the guarantees, a due process is necessary to determine the responsibilities: some could be the State´s and others could belong to investors.

Another important point refers to the rooms that were supposed to be built according to the Master Plan that has been approved since 1995.

The document indicates that of the 26,450 rooms expected, to this day only 1,196 have been built.

Among those rooms are the ones operated by the Hotel Occidental chain with Grand Papagayo (169 rooms), the Four Seasons (153) and those that belong to Grupo Papagayo with its Nakuti Hotel (80 rooms).

The ICT appealed this point because it considers that a maximum limit of 20 rooms per acre would we absurd.

The Polo is attempting to be a low intensity location and wants so substitute buildings with more nature.

The execution office is also being questioned about why they have taken so long, even years, between the date in which they sign the concession contract and the time they collect the money.

This pattern, according to the Comptroller’s Office, is detrimental to public finances because it reduces income from royalty payments for several years.

This aspect has already been rectified by the ICT now that all the missing contracts have been signed.

A vote in favor

Two of the old concessionaires already began their projects: Monte del Barco is building 600 residential units and Rancho Manzanillo, property of the Chinese company Mandarín Oriental, has joined Costa Azul del Pacífico to erect 130 rooms.

Marcela Fernández, manager of Aldesa Inmobiliaria, firm in charge of Monte del Barco, says she is unaware of the report contents, however denied ever having trouble with the Polo Turístico office.

Manuel Ardón, head of operations of Ecodesarrollo Papagayo, shared her opinion.

He says that they have complied with the commitments defined in the concession contract, which include the hotel infrastructure for Four Seasons, Exclusive Resort and the Playa Prieta Club, the first golf course, 16 apartments and 11 residences.

The marina is expected to begin operations now that it received permission from the Inter- Institutional Commission for Marinas and Tourism Docks (Cimat) last week, says its director Roberto Kopper.

More time

Through the Comptroller’s press office we confirmed that the entity has verified the ICT’s actions.

For example, it contracted a consulting firm to suggest improvements in administrative management.

It is necessary, says the Minister, to grow and integrate new professionals. This is why they have requested more resources from the Budget Authority.

A draft to reform the regulations is also ready and could be processed during the first months of 2009.

In GonzaloVarga’s opinion, president of the National Tourism Chamber (Canatur), the study revealed longstanding planning, execution, coordination, information verification, and control and project follow-up deficiencies.

Canatur supports the ICT’s decision to restructure the project administration, which so far has been small and understaffed when the size of the task is considered.

But it also criticizes the Comptroller’s intention to add more procedures to the already existent ones.

One of these is demanding that the project plans be approved by the Housing and Urban Development Institute (INVU) when the office already has a special authority, granted by the Attorney General’s Office, to avoid going through municipalities and the INVU.

Chewed out

Lack: Of a planning system, absence of policies from the Director’s Council as basic guides, weak project control and follow-up system, weak information system.

Criticism: After 25 years of having begun the project, there are still parcels of land to be allotted and 13 of the tourism projects that the concessionaires committed to accomplishing haven’t been executed and don’t have any projections as to when they will be.

Regulations: The Comptroller General’s Office initial document gave the PTGP board of directors six months (that concluded last October) to investigate who was responsible for the administrative management and apply sanctions. They requested a study to determine why 13 concessions haven’t even begun.

Master Plan: Must be revised and updated and the ICT must submit a diagnosis of all the concessions that have been made. Execution periods must be clearly defined and a program to orient development must be established.

Extensions: For concession periods must be eliminated. They must identify in which of the 13 cases they can apply the guarantees and they must define adequate planning, control and follow-up systems.

This condominium complex is a building of 10 floors with 34 units of about 260 square meters. Located near the boulevard of Pavas.

This is the first draft of the housing LarSol, a group of professionals and national and European investors operating in Costa Rica.

This area was built four apartment towers that will add in 2009 a total of 190 apartments.

The buildings is near downtown San Jose was led by the municipality with the proposed San José Posible, which attempts to repopulate the city center.

In KPMG, the economic crisis caused a dual effect: a decline in demand for legal services and at the same time, increase in other work-related companies that are in a difficult economic situation.

Alonso Arroyo, a partner in this venture, he acknowledged that those most affected by economic contractions also require legal services. For example, to a restructuring in return and even to carry out a liquidation process.

The services have had a drop in demand are those related to tourism and real estate transactions.

However, a balance sheet of the firms consulted a sample from a stable business with an increase in services since the crisis creates new legal requirements on businesses.

According to Arroyo, the amount of tax litigation is maintained as an economic contraction in the state reinforces the search for resources by tax claims to the taxpayers and they have to defend themselves.

Other lawyers, as Rodolfo Alvarado, feel a greater impact. For him, customers now demand less in all types of services.

It is in these situations when the slowness of the legal process has a double weight, as people discover they have more costs than benefits when conducting a trial that may take seven or eight years, said Alvarado.

There is always demand

19,061 Total professionals gathered at the Colegio de Abogados de Costa Rica.

Marco Durante, Managing Partner of BDS Advisors, said it had an atypical behavior in demand for their services, since increased in recent months.

He added that their clients need help to make decisions related to savings in the cost of human resources, for example, in suggesting new compensation schemes.

“We have also experienced an increase in our practice of dispute because some companies have made changes in industrial relations can be considered illegal, mainly under the inalienability of labor rights,” said Durante.

Another of the effects of this migration is firm in the type of payment from customers, because we prefer to cancel packages advice instead of permanent hires for specific projects.

Guanacaste is maintained

Since before 2006, several law firms in San Jose decided to open offices in Guanacaste, in particular by the housing boom that was the area.

Firms like Coto Pacheco, FA Arias & Muñoz, Cordero and Cordero, Montejo and Associates, and André Tinoco y Abogados and BLP were among those who left the coast in search of more customers.

Currently, however, some analysis if they continue with this operation or closed.

KPMG decided to retain that office for the remainder of 2009 and assess whether the keep in 2010.

Pacheco Coto closed its operation in Tamarindo to merge it with another that is in Liberia. Its managing partner, Alejandro Antillon, said that for now remain involved, but explained that close and re-open it later, it’s a simple job that does not require a great investment.

Various effects

Actions taken by legal services firms in the crisis:
Pacheco Coto: Increased litigation because companies face, for example, over breaches of contract. He also asked its customers better payment terms.

Arias & Muñoz: Increase your business disputes and disputes, including demands for administrative law. Internal reorganization implemented and maintained the office in Guanacaste.