I discovered Pacific Coast Legal Services through my friend and realtor. She suggested that Rossario and her team handle the due diligence and administrative process of my home purchase in Ojochal. As I have lived in the area before, I was at first hesitant. I already had a relationship with a different attorney who had previously handled all my affairs. Although the work had been excellent, communication had been a problem. As a result I took my realitors advise, giving Pacific Coast Legal the authority to act as my agent. The relationship grew quickly as the communication flowed smoothly. All my questions were quickly answered, often with expanded answers. As part of the process my needs were discussed leading me to opening a corporation and structuring appropriately, such that was able to file an application for residency. All these necessary steps and documentation was managed by PCLS who insured the process was accomplished in a timely and appropriate manner. I have since expanded my base in Costa Rica with an additional property purchase. Without a second thought I turned to Pacific Coast Legal Services. The process was more complicated than my prior transaction. Rossario showed her expertise by uncovering and explaining the many issues that arose. This provided a strong negotiation position and ultimately a very satisfying contract followed by smooth closing. I will look to Rossario and her team at Pacific Coast Legal for any of my future legal needs and highly recommend them.

We had the privilege of meeting Rosario Araya a number of years ago and have followed her career closely. She is one of the hardest-working individuals we have ever known, and her energy level is legendary! She equipped herself through her studies and law school to be at the top of her game. We have bought property and built a house in Costa Rica with her help and advice, and without her, it is likely that we would not have purchased. Rosario treats her clients’ business as if it were her very own, and it is extremely rare to meet and do business with someone like that. In case someone thinks that this is too good to be true, it is not. Her diligence and concern for us and for our receiving fair treatment made all the difference in our comfort level and in the end result. Because of Rosario, we have done and continue to do business in Costa Rica with a high level of confidence and very positive experiences! Her husband Tim is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of Costa Rica and is an asset to anyone doing business with the team. We highly recommend Rosario and the team as the very best in Costa Rica!

It is with great pleasure that I write this unsolicited letter of appreciation for Rosario Araya, who, along with her retired judge partner don Fernando, helped me and 45 other shareholders of a Southern Pacific Coast development in Costa Rica save our homes from an almost certain foreclosure. Rosario impressed us with her uncanny ability to zero in on the essence of the legal complexities of the case, of which there were an abundance. She speaks excellent English and was able to articulate a very complicated situation in terms we lay people could easily understand.  Don Fernando and she came up with a solid strategy on our behalf which they pursued with diligence, research and creativity. There were a number of obstacles that arose along the way, but Rosario kept at it and found workable solutions in every instance. As her clients, we could not have found a better guide and spokesperson to navigate the legal minefields of Costa Rica. And there can be no better recommendation for a lawyer than for the client to reach a conclusion where we could declare with disbelief and gratitude: Mission Accomplished!

I discovered Rosario through a family member in Panama, and was immediately impressed with her professional demeanor and her English skills. She has helped me with numerous legal transactions such as the formation of a company, set up of bank accounts, purchase of a car, and advice and research of local real estate. What I’ve found most advantageous about working with her is her rapid turnaround, straightforward explanation of the law and consistent follow-up. Doing business in Costa Rica – especially on the coast – can be complicated when you don’t know the culture or the law, and it’s important to have someone local that you can trust representing you. Rosario was an integral part of me getting settled in this country and I wholeheartedly recommend her.

Rosario was by far the best lawyer that I have worked with in the entire country – she is incredibly smart, detail oriented, attentive, and analytical. I always highly recommend her to everyone I know.

I am happy to recommend Rosario Araya as a skilled bilingual attorney.  She is very professional, prompt with communication, listens carefully to understand your needs and helps you evaluate your options.

My husband John and I first came to know Rosario Araya in the late 90’s when she was John’s Spanish teacher in Costa Rica. Over time, we developed a friendship and encouraged Rosario to go to law school. We have followed her career through real estate, construction, and law. We have purchased property and built a house in Costa Rica, with Rosario at our side advising us. Without her assistance, we would likely not have been comfortable with real estate in Costa Rica and would not have purchased. She possesses a keen legal mind and uses her ability to see the big picture as well as the small details. She is one of the hardest workers we have ever met, and her energy level is extraordinary. But the most important thing Rosario offers her clients is her integrity and her capacity to honestly inspire trust. She treats her clients’ business as if it is her own, and we have seen this over and over again as we have referred other people to her. She works to understand each client’s situation and then offers her best advice, working to achieve the client’s goals in the most successful way possible. She has put together an outstanding legal team, with each member sharing her values and contributing to full service for their clients. Her husband Tim is an invaluable asset to the team and uses his knowledge of Costa Rica real estate to the advantage of the firm’s clients. We highly and without reservation recommend Rosario Araya and her team to anyone needing legal assistance in Costa Rica, and we are happy to have anyone considering Pacific Coast Law contact us for additional thoughts and to answer questions.

What a trustworthy couple! I and my husband ‘Shahir” have 100% trust on both of them. Very friendly, very knowledgable and very happy couple. Wish them all the best, they deserve it.

We met Attorney Rosario Araya thru a real estate agent that we were working with in Dominical. Our plan was to buy a residence in Costa Rica and move there. While we were looking at houses from Palmar Sur north to Lake Arenal and west to the Pacific on the Nicoya Peninsula, she was preparing our Costa Rican corporation so that we could transfer any residence into it. By mid December we had our corporation. We did not find anything we really wanted until April when we came to an agreement to buy a house just south of Jaco thru unfortunately a different real estate agent. We were excited to get things rolling. Rosario drew up the SPA (agreement to purchase) and started her end of the “due diligence” period (she can explain what that means). We likewise started our due diligence in getting the requisite inspections done while Rosario was gathering the necessary information and documentation. (Just a note: in Costa Rica, house buying can be more complicated because you have to verify things like who provides the water, electricity, etc) Subsequently, the inspection came back negative and it was something that we didn’t feel we could overcome since we could not initially spend the time to guarantee the repairs would be done in a timely and quality manner. We decided not to proceed with the sale. This is the point at which you hope you have a good attorney. We notified Rosario. Rosario notified the sellers and the real estate agent. We notified the escrow agent about the procedure to get our down payment reimbursed. Rosario did the same. We were eventually sent a form to sign and return. We were told the sellers needed to sign and send also. The sellers balked. They did not think we were operating in good faith and didn’t have a valid reason for not proceeding with the sale. They thought they should be reimbursed for taking the time to sell us a house. STALEMATE! Rosario wrote an outstanding notice to the sellers and also the escrow agent stating that the buyers (us) had complied with the terms of the SPA which allows us to terminate the agreement if during the period of due diligence that any negative results are found that in our opinion we did not want to go forward. She also clearly stated that it was only the opinion of the buyers and that the sellers opinion at this point was irrelevant by the language of the SPA. We had an outstanding attorney and we have been reimbursed the full amount of our down payment less wiring costs by the escrow agent. We recommend the use of your own attorney if you wish to purchase or sell a house in Costa Rica. The process can be daunting enough but when you deal in another language the nuances of the language require a local expert. If we relied only on the sellers attorney to close the house above, we would not have had the results we did. Get your own attorney. They represent you. What is the best recommendation and testimonial we can make for Rosario? Simply this, she is the ultimate professional. She listens, protects and acts in the best interest of her clients. Most of all, we will use her again and again.

In the past we have spent significant time, money and energy on lawyers in Costa Rica. Rosario was able to help us on very short notice and we look forward to more transactions with her in the future as our lawyer. She was extremely helpful, accommodating and understanding. We definitely recommend her and only wish we would have known her sooner.

Thank you for all of your valued professional help in the sale [of my] house. I truly appreciate all of your attention to detail which is so rare to find in today’s society.