Civil litigation in the Dominican Republic, for clients who live somewhere else
You cannot walk into a Dominican courtroom, sit through a hearing in Spanish or keep track of deadlines that run from the moment a bailiff serves a document. We do. Caribbean Counsel represents foreign investors, residents and companies before the civil and commercial courts of the Dominican Republic, from the first formal demand to the enforcement of the judgment.
Breach of contract
A seller who did not deliver, a partner who did not pay, a service that was not provided. Claims for performance, termination of the contract, refund of what you paid and damages.
Debt recovery and enforcement
Collection of debts owed to you in the Dominican Republic, enforcement of Dominican and foreign judgments, and seizure of a debtor’s bank accounts, property or receivables when the debtor does not pay.
Disputes with developers
Late delivery, missing permits, deposits not returned on pre-construction purchases. This has its own page.
Defense
If you are the one being sued, or a developer, a contractor or a former partner has made a claim against you.
Property and co-ownership disputes
Conflicts between co-owners, with a condominium or over a boundary or a right of way.
Every case follows the same stages. The timing below is what we see in practice; the courts set their own pace, and we tell you when it changes.
Written legal opinion
Where you stand, what you can claim and what it will take, in writing. Typically within five business days of receiving your documents. This is the point at which we tell you if the case is not worth pursuing.
Formal demand
A notice served by a court bailiff that puts the other side on record and starts the legal clock. Typically within one to two weeks.
Negotiation window
Most recoveries that can be had are had here, on the strength of the record, not of goodwill. Typically two to six weeks.
Lawsuit
The claim is filed and served; the court sets its first hearing. Dominican civil procedure is written and moves in stages: hearings, submission of evidence, written conclusions.
Judgment and enforcement
A first-instance judgment, which either side may appeal, and then, if the other side does not pay, seizure of assets. Typically twelve to twenty-four months from filing to a first-instance judgment.
You do not travel. A power of attorney, signed where you live and apostilled, allows us to act. Hearings are attended by the attorney responsible for your file; you receive a written report after each one. Documents you sign are bilingual, side by side. Court filings are in Spanish, as the law requires, and we explain each one before it is filed.
Our reading of your case draws on a database of court decisions from La Altagracia and the eastern region that we maintain and update: how judges here have treated force majeure excuses, penalty clauses, refund claims and enforcement. When we tell you how a clause is likely to be read, it is grounded in how these courts have ruled.
You will always know what the next phase costs before you decide to enter it. Fees are flat, quoted in writing per phase, before work begins. That is deliberate: you know the cost from day one, and what you recover is yours in full, with no percentage taken. Where a client prefers it and the nature of the matter suits it, a contingency structure can be discussed.
Can a foreigner sue in the Dominican Republic?+
Do I need to be in the country for the hearings?+
How long does a civil case take?+
Can a foreign judgment be enforced in the Dominican Republic?+
Send the contract, the correspondence or the judgment you have. Within 24 hours you will have our reading of it and a proposed course of action, in writing.