Civil, commercial and arbitration litigation · Costa Rica
First it is measured.
Then it is fought.
An assessment of the conflict, its cost and its real prospect before recommending a process.
First it is measured.
A case is not won at the hearing.
It is defined earlier: in the evidence, in the claim and in the decision not to litigate.
A firm ruling.
The decision that admits no further challenge. Every action is directed to it from the first pleading.
Services of the firmU
The threshold is the decision to litigate.
Umbral does not describe a temperament. It names the exact point at which a dispute stops being settled in conversation and enters a process: the decision that costs money, time and relationship.
No one litigates to be right at a hearing. They litigate to reach a decision that can be enforced and that no one can undo. A victory that is overturned on appeal is not a victory: it is a deferred expense.
That is why the work begins at that threshold: measuring what is at stake, what it costs and what real prospect the case has, before crossing it. If it cannot be sustained, that is said before billing for a process. And if it is crossed, the case is built from the first pleading to withstand review.
The objective is to win. The way to win is a decision that does not move.
Services of the firm.
Full litigation and technical support for other firms. The whole matter can be engaged, or a single step.
Litigation
Court representation
A personal service from start to finish: no procedural step is delegated to assistants. From the claim to enforcement, the file is carried by the lawyer you engaged.
Drafting of claims and pleadings
Technical drafting: claim, defence, submissions, incidental matters and cassation, according to the forum and the stage.
Evidence strategy
Defining the evidence that sustains the case and producing it: documentary, expert and witness evidence, with offering and objection.
Examination preparation
Direct and cross-examination, with a mock hearing before the appearance.
Hearings
Conduct of hearings of every kind: preliminary, complementary, single and interim measures.
Negotiation and settlement
Settlement, conciliation and final discharge, in an enforceable instrument.
Back office for law firms
Legal research
Memoranda and reasoned opinions on a specific problem, with case law and doctrine.
Second opinion
Review of strategy and pleadings before filing, commissioned by another firm.
Drafting on commission
Complete pleadings for firms needing technical reinforcement on a given matter.
File management
Control of deadlines, notifications, evidence and procedural follow-up.
Hearing support
Preparation of the case and support at the appearance.
The commissioning firm keeps the client relationship. The firm delivers finished work and does not contact the opposing party without authorisation.
15
years in practice
8
monographs
417
pages of research
3
honours degrees
- Full name
- Manuel Enrique Echeverría Echeverría
- In practice since
- 2011
- Languages
- Spanish, fluent English
- Jurisdiction
- Costa Rica
Founder of UMBRAL
About me
Manuel Echeverría Echeverría
I have practised private and procedural law since 2011, concentrating on civil and commercial litigation, domestic arbitration and contract advisory work. I hold three honours degrees from the University of Costa Rica and had the highest postgraduate averages of my class in 2012.
When you entrust me with your case, you entrust it to me, not to a team of assistants. I listen to you, prepare every pleading and stand with you at every hearing through to the ruling.
I have published eight monographs, one book and two chapters in collective works, and that output underpins each of the areas I take on.
01Academic background
- I am a doctoral candidate in Commercial and Civil Procedural Law at Escuela Libre de Derecho. Coursework completed and final research thesis in progress; the doctoral degree has not been conferred.
- I hold a Specialisation in Notarial and Registry Law from the University of Costa Rica, with honours.
- I am a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Costa Rica, with honours.
- I hold the undergraduate degree in Law from the University of Costa Rica, with honours.
- I trained in domestic arbitration at the Centre for Arbitration and Mediation.
02Academic honours
- I received honours in the undergraduate degree in Law at the University of Costa Rica.
- I received honours in the Bachelor of Laws at the University of Costa Rica.
- I received honours in the Specialisation in Notarial and Registry Law at the University of Costa Rica.
- I obtained the highest average in the Postgraduate Programme in Law at the University of Costa Rica in 2012.
- I obtained the highest average in the Social Sciences specialisation at the University of Costa Rica in 2012.
- I obtained the second highest overall average among postgraduate programmes at the University of Costa Rica in 2012.
03Professional career
- I have practised as an attorney at Interlex Bufete Echeverría, focused on private law and litigation, since 2011.
- I act as of counsel to Simple Legal Consulting.
- I worked as a legal assistant at Interlex Bufete Echeverría, in research and litigation, from 2006 to 2011.
- I completed legal clinics at the Public Defence Office in 2007.
- I served community work at the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic in 2008.
04Publications
Books and chapters
- Iura Novit Curia y Proceso Civil: Los límites de la Sentencia. Investigaciones Jurídicas, 2021.
- Presunciones e Indicios: su valoración en sentencia. El Juez y la Sentencia Oral, Instituto Panamericano de Derecho Procesal, Investigaciones Jurídicas, 2017.
- La doble intestación y el ¿acceso? a la justicia. Derecho societario concursal y del consumo panamericano, Editorial Jurídica Continental, 2017.
Research monographs
- La Demanda Improponible
- La Doctrina de los Actos Propios
- La Propiedad Intelectual en el Marco de las Relaciones Laborales
- Los Acuerdos de Accionistas
05Teaching and conferences
- I have taken part in courses and conferences at the Costa Rican Bar Association, the Costa Rican Institute of Procedural Law, the Federated College of Engineers and Architects and other institutions, from 2008 to date.
- I have studied and taught oral civil procedure, enforcement of judgments and judicial auctions, evidence law, civil liability, corporate law, arbitration and insolvency law.
- I write articles and lecture on private-law litigation.
06Institutional service
- I served on the Civil and Commercial Commission of the Costa Rican Bar Association from 2016 to 2017.
- I served on the Subcommittee on Information Technology Requirements of the Judicial Branch of Costa Rica in 2016.
- I am a founding member of the Inter-American Institute of Procedural Law, Costa Rica chapter.
- I was a board member of the National Association for Economic Development.
07Areas of practice
- Civil and commercial litigation
- Domestic arbitration
- Contracts and civil liability
- Corporate law and corporate governance
- Debt collection and enforcement
- Intellectual property
- Individual labour law
Career
2006
I joined Interlex Bufete Echeverría as a legal assistant in research and litigation.
2007
I completed legal clinics at the Public Defence Office, supervised by public defender Mauricio Paniagua.
2008
I served community work at the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic: organisation of the statutory database.
2011
I began practice as an attorney, focused on private law and litigation.
2014
I published my first monographs: insolvency, punitive damages, underwriting and credit cards.
2015
I published four studies: shareholders agreements, intellectual property, own acts and the improper claim.
2016
I joined the Civil and Commercial Commission of the Bar Association and the technology subcommittee of the Judicial Branch.
2017
I published two book chapters in collective works of the Inter-American Institute of Procedural Law.
2021
I published Iura Novit Curia y Proceso Civil: los límites de la sentencia.
2023
I married Johana.
2026
I founded UMBRAL, a practice devoted to civil and commercial litigation.
Practice areas.
Thirteen matters in four fronts, arbitration proceedings included. Select one to see the matters handled.
If your matter is not listed, it can still be assessed.
01
What was agreed, what was built and what was breached.
- Construction contracts and construction defects
- Sale and purchase, latent defects
- Nullity of contractual clauses
- Termination and breach of contract
Doctrine and expertise.
Each area taken on is backed by a research work of his own. The third column opens the corresponding record.
Commercial and financial contracting
Structured finance, underwriting, standard-form contracts, credit cards and collection of obligations.
Corporate law
Shareholders agreements, corporate governance, challenge of meetings and disputes between shareholders.
Civil liability
Compensable damage, professional and directors liability, and the limits of reparation.
Civil procedure and abuse of process
Admissibility of the claim, own acts, procedural good faith and vexatious litigation.
Intellectual property and employment
Ownership of works and inventions in the employment relationship, works for hire and statutory presumptions.
Insolvency and preventive proceedings
Preventive arrangement, court-supervised administration and defence of the debtor against collective enforcement.
Representative matters.
Concluded matters, with the amount in dispute or the economic outcome. Results relate to specific cases and do not guarantee the outcome of others.
See the cases in detail
Arbitration
Construction contract
Arbitration in which the owner of the works was released from a $1.7M claim brought by the construction company.
Arbitration
Latent defects in a sale
Arbitration in which the seller was released from a $500K claim brought by the buyer.
Arbitration
Unilateral early termination
Arbitration in which an award of ¢92M was obtained for loss of profit.
Arbitration
Liability of an accounting firm
Arbitration in which an accounting firm was released from liability for alleged malpractice in the audit of financial statements, with damages claimed at ¢100M.
Debt collection
Promissory note alleged to be forged
Monetary proceedings in which collection of a $400K promissory note was prevented.
Representation of foreign houses
Award to the national representative
Ordinary proceedings in which a $500K award was obtained for the national representative.
Mortgage collection
Mortgage enforcement
Enforcement proceedings above $1M.
Unfair competition
Defence of the company
Ordinary proceedings in which the company was released from claims of ¢50M.
Settlements
Transactions and final discharges
Judicial and extrajudicial settlements with an economic value in the tens of millions of dollars.
Academic work
Eight monographs, one book and two chapters.
Commercial contracting, civil liability, corporate law, intellectual property, insolvency and civil procedure. Each record sets out the thesis and a textual excerpt.
See all publicationsForms of engagement.
Direct representation
Individuals and companies that need to determine whether to litigate and who will act for them. The client deals with the lawyer carrying the file.
Collaboration with firms
Litigation support for lawyers and firms: research, drafting, procedural strategy and hearings. The firm keeps the client relationship.
Fees.
Three models. The client chooses before work begins and the agreement is set out in writing.
01
Hourly
A single rate agreed in advance, with time recorded per action. Suited to consultations, reviews and matters of uncertain scope.
02
Fixed price per stage
A closed fee for a defined deliverable: assessment, pleading, hearing or appeal. The client knows the cost before authorising.
03
Contingency fee
A percentage of the outcome, with no initial payment or a reduced retainer. Set out in writing and within the applicable professional rules.
The contingency fee is subject to the professional and tariff rules in force in Costa Rica. The firm remains open to this model in matters with a verifiable economic outcome.
Every consultation begins with a conversation to establish whether the case can be sustained. If the matter is not for litigation, that is said in the same conversation.
Conditions under which an engagement is accepted.
I
No case is taken without a prior assessment
Representation begins with a reading of the file and a reasoned opinion. Without that analysis the engagement is not accepted.
II
Every recommendation is delivered in writing
Available routes, estimated cost and identified risk. The client decides on a document, not on a conversation.
III
The decision and the file belong to the client
The firm does not replace the client will or withhold information. Every action is reported and documented.
IV
Fees are agreed before work begins
By stage, with a defined deliverable and a written amount. No process is billed that was not previously approved.
Contact
Request an assessment of the case.
The initial assessment establishes what is at stake, what it will cost and what the real prospect is. Replies within one business day.
WhatsApp+506 8384 0285
Emailmanuel@ibe.cr
OfficeSan José, Costa Rica. By appointment.