Hiring a REPUTABLE Lawyer

I can attest to Guzman Ariza (Vladimir Alonzo). As others said, not the cheapest, but rest assure that the work will be done thoroughly.   It is one of the top firms in DR and well known outside the country as well.

Hi, my name is Monika.  My husband and I plan on discovering Las Terrenas area in person, perhaps even at the end of March if our intentions go as planned.  We are from Canada and are looking for an ideal place to escape our cold winters.  We have visited the North coast area a few years back and stayed at Grand  Bahia Principe El Portillo.  We have always stayed at all inclusive resorts therefore are novice with respect to private rentals.  Having said that, we are looking forward to a short term rental experience within close proximity to Las Terrenas and   Ballenas beach.  I found this forum to have a wealth of information that would be greatly beneficial for anyone contemplating on settling down in DR be it permanent or temporary :-)

I have  a less than stellar reference for Guzman Aritza. Yes they do have a reputation as the best and are the biggest. However squality service really depends on  who they assign to 'help'. Help is is brackets because I found the opposite. The lawyer was really really slow to do anything. I am given to believe that he/she was experiencing personal difficulties. But the delays and misinformation and inability to get in touch were just too much. A firm the size of Guzman Aritza should of had sense enough to assign a new lawyer, but they didn't.  I found a new lawyer. If figured Guzman had completed about 10 Per cent of the file according to our agreement. In areas they billed me for half plus the real estate tranfer tax was not returned even though the transaction was not complete!! Where I come from I would have gone to the bar association but thes guys had me by the short hairs.  So size and reputation are not the be all and end all. Ask about and investigate the individual lawyer!

Thanks everyone :-)

Good advice. Thanks.

I have a very good lawyer in puerto plata he went to schools in New Jersey before returning to the DR so his English is perfect and he told me that 4 out of 10 lawyers are just out and out crooks there and another 3 out of 10 are just incompetent so you have to be very careful when choosing one . He said the new government  is trying to rein it in and it's gotten a little bit better ……. This is a lawyer saying this….. lol

Tippj -  that matches my experience over  18 1/2 years here.    You need to be very very careful when choosing a lawyer.

Hi, can you please share the contact information of the attorney you are referencing ?

I can also attest for Guzmán Ariza as well.  They assisted us in the purchase of land in Cap Cana.  I have been very pleased with their services, but understand they aren't the cheapest option out there.  They are responsive, speak good English, and explained any questions we had along the way.  We also set up a Power of Attorney so they could execute contracts without being there.  They came by recommendation, but I initially just contacted them through the website.  https://drlawyer.com

Alfredo Guzman of Guzman Ariza / DR Lawyers is exceptional and can be trusted. He charges 1% of the purchase price in Casa de Campo

@Freedmeister would you be kind and share this lawyers contact please,thanks

A lot of lawyers write announcements here.  Trust but verify everything get receipts for every penny spent.  Take no one's word for anything.  Demand proof or you to can loose a small fortune.

Ask yourself this do you speak Spanish? Are you capable of seeing a lawyer in there country?  If the deal goes south how much are you going to lose?  Will it hurt just you or hurt your family as well.

I personally lost over 6000.00 and have not been back since, but heard of many many people who lost 5x what I lost.

It's your hard earned money on the line.  Remember your name is not Bezos or musk.
You are correct we have had a few lawyers  come and go.  The only one we highly recommend is Lishali Baez  for all immigration related items, she also does  real estate and family law.  .  And some recommend the firm Guzman Ariza, who are available throughout the country and handle all types of law. 
@mondoux31 That's right.  It's very difficult to find a good lawyer in the DR.  Meaning, trustful, respectful, and strategic.  There might be 2 or 3 in the country...I have one of them.  The others you must be very careful.  They can take your money so easily...and return nothing!  If you are out of the country...then you are out of luck. 

If you know of no one then Planner's recommendation is right on track...
I am currently using Lishali Baez and we are very impressed.
Straight to the point and may I say better than some lawyers here  in the US.
@jdah411 I also had a bad experience with Guzman lawyers. I was looking into options after being victim of a serious crime. They asked for the story and wanted to know who had committed the crime to see if they were "known". Then said they would transfer my case to their other office and that someone would reach out to me to book an appointment. That was basically the end of that.
I never ended up having that appointment to get things started and when I tried to follow up, I wasn't even given a reply.
I went to them because of their "reputation" in being one of the top 3 in the country, but to me they are incompetent and didn't even have the decency to transfer my case to somebody else. Instead it was ignored!
It's normal they think Americans are all rich and spoiled.  You can not sue if you try that attorney will take you for a ride to.

Education can be very expensive in my case 6000 worth.  I never went back again.  I don't recommend dr if someone chooses dr I say trust but verify and get receipts for everything.

It was a painful experience
First welcome to the forums. I am  sorry you had that experience!   And sorry  for whatever  bad  happened!

@mondoux31 I know. It's so sad to have this kind of mentality towards North Americans because of our currency. You get scammed left right and center, even if you are dying. The country itself is beautiful but I wouldn't purchase anything there because you can't trust anybody.

@planner Thank you señora :)
Yes I've had a really hard time with what happened. It was several crimes planned on me. I couldn't find a reliable lawyer, and forget the police. I was contacted by someone claiming to be authority who gave me misleading information and tried to set me up again. I used to love going there but there is such a dark side to the country that I won't waste my money going there again, unfortunately.

I have bought foreign homes and land over many  many years.  Dr is beautiful great people but your right.

@Reyna3 . Ideally, you will need someone with some foreign exposure and the understanding of professionalism as well as integrity. Yes there some folks who see only dollar bills looking at you yet it is not right to stereotype a people or race. Honestly, I will say do not give up. Because you fall from a bike several times does not mean you should get rid of the bike. Get up, shake off the dust and get wiser. Good luck

@rfmaurone

Hi I just saw your post , sorry for the delay
      My attorney's name is Milton Jimenez Guindin
                          Phone. #  ***
Tell him the American from NY with the house in puerto plata
Gave you the # if he asks
Moderated by Cheryl last year
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@whitelite I have an excellent attorney I use all the time in POP especially for Realestate
Milton Jimenez Guindin  #***** , he did all the filings for me  the paper work was spot on
He also speaks perfect English , he also knows everybody in POP and I mean everyone ,  so l personally use him for everything  and your not going off a second hand Recommendation …. You can message me if you have any questions…. 👍
Moderated by Yoginee last year
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In case this can save someone in the future.
Got scam by "dofaspro" before in santo domingo.
Took my deposit and never did any work.

Like everyone said be careful who you hire, lawyers in DR are something else.
***
Moderated by Bhavna last year
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@planner great, I have immigration issue, thank you

Has anyone here purchased a property with Casa Linda in Sosua? I met with several owners and visited the area. Everything seemed very professional. We met and picked out all of our materials etc. However, our villa's completion date was November 23rd and they are nowhere near completion. We have paid up to phase three and the lawyer is supposedly holding the money. Although, now that the contact date is up the lawyer has stopped responding.  I am hoping someone can give us some advise that has purchased through them before.  The law firm we used was Gratereaux Delva & Associates.

I don't know the particulars of your situation, however, construction being behind is normal! Absolutely normal. 


Keep reaching out to the parties involved at this point. 

Ask the representative from the housing development to also reach out to the attorney because of  your concerns about the next step moving forward….

planner is right about delays in construction

add another 3 months to it  , I would consider suspending any fees owe to the developers or Development until  all expectations are met ….

@planner

I need a recommended Real Estate/Title Lawyer in Puerto Plata, DR

@planner

Contact email:***


Thank you

Moderated by Cheryl 9 months ago
Reason : Contact details
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You cannot post your personal contact info on a public forum. I am having it removed

Wrong button.

Dlawyers you have been warned about self promotion. It's not allowed so stop! I am having this removed. You have been warned

I have used Eloy Bello numerous times in the past with great results.  He has done so many favors for us.  He is in Punta Cana.

Great recommendation!  This is how we do it!

Hello everyone,


I would like to remind everyone that self-promotion is not allowed on this forum.


I kindly request that you refrain from promoting your own products, services, or personal ventures in your future posts.


Thank you,


Cheryl

Expat.com team