Jose Carter is the managing partner of Bufete Carter *, is a graduate of the prestigious University of Costa Rica, considered by most people to be the best law school in the country. Mr. Carter speaks English and of course Spanish, and has server as legal advisor the The Association of residents of Costa Rica, an association of mostly expatriates living in Costa Rica. He is enormously well respected in both the Costa Rican and the expatriate community.
The Carter law firm has been a fixture in San José, Costa Rica for over thirty years. The firm was started by Jose’s father, now semi-retired.Jose Carter is not only an attorney (abogado), he is also a notary (Notario) and this is a very important distinction. Notaries in many countries, exert little of no real power or authority. That is not the case in Costa Rica where a Notary has enormous power, and thus enormous responsibility, under the law.
Notaries here can do everything from transfer property, enter records and documents directly to the national registrars, establish corporations, perform marriages and many other services. Their signatures on legal documents are seldom questioned. Attorneys who are not notaries have little or no real power in Costa Rica.
All attorney in Costa Rica must be members in good standing Colegio de Abogados. If the attorney is also a Notary, he must be registered at the Dirección Nacional de Notariado, which is actually administered by the court system. Jose Cater is a member in good standing of both organizations.