Costa Rica · Overview
The legal system of Costa Rica
A civil-law system whose defining feature is the Sala Constitucional — the Fourth Chamber of the Supreme Court, created in 1989 — which hears amparo petitions with almost no formality: a letter, in any language, without a lawyer, is enough. That accessibility made Costa Rica one of the most heavily constitutionalised legal orders in the Americas, and the chamber's rulings bind everyone except itself.
Legal tradition
Costa Rica belongs to the civil law tradition. A civil-law system whose defining feature is the Sala Constitucional — the Fourth Chamber of the Supreme Court, created in 1989 — which hears amparo petitions with almost no formality: a letter, in any language, without a lawyer, is enough. That accessibility made Costa Rica one of the most heavily constitutionalised legal orders in the Americas, and the chamber's rulings bind everyone except itself.
How power is divided
Unitary, with seven provinces that have no legislative power. Municipalities have constitutionally guaranteed autonomy over local services and land use.
Where law comes from
- Constitution
- Supreme; Article 7 places ratified treaties above ordinary statutes.
- Statutes of the Legislative Assembly
- Single-chamber legislation.
- Codes
- Civil Code 1888, Labour Code 1943, Criminal Code 1970.
- Sala Constitucional precedent
- Article 13 of the Jurisdiction Act makes it binding erga omnes.
The legal profession
Practice requires enrolment with the Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Costa Rica, which holds disciplinary power. Notaries are lawyers holding a separate notarial licence supervised by the Dirección Nacional de Notariado.
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