Carlos Hernández Contreras

Practice Areas

Since the firm was founded, LABOR & EMPLOYMENT LAW has been at the forefront of the legal services offered by the firm, which include preventive legal advice for human resources managers in companies, as well as for small and medium-sized business owners. At the same time, the firm represents and defends clients in labor an employment courts in labor lawsuits throughout the country.

The firm's success in LABOR & EMPLOYMENT LAW lies in its holistic management and knowledge of the application of the country's labor and employment regulations: in companies, in courts, and in official institutions; in the main cities of Santo Domingo and Santiago, but also in the most remote provinces of the country; in small family businesses, as well as in large companies with unions and multinationals based in the country. In short, in companies of all sectors and sizes: free trade zones, supermarkets, pharmaceutical companies, hotels and restaurants, cinemas, airports, airlines, shipping companies, mining companies, banks, pharmacies, fuel distributors, outsourcing companies, transportation companies, etc.

The second legal area that currently occupies the firm's legal services is IMMIGRATION LAW, and this has been the case especially since 2012, with the entry into force of a new immigration legal regime in the country, coupled with the massive influx of immigrants from Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia, and other Latin American countries, but also with the increase in expatriate personnel who have been settling in the country as a result of the country's economic growth in recent years.

Another factor that has influenced the firm's foray into IMMIGRATION LAW is its close link to LABOR & EMPLOYMENT LAW, a legal area that the firm has handled since its founding. In short, our firm has developed the capacity to process residencies and work visas of all kinds, for workers and their dependents, in an efficient, fast, and high-volume manner.

The third pillar of the firm's services is FAMILY LAW, specifically the handling of inheritances, partitions, and family successions, both amicable and contentious.

These FAMILY LAW cases, in most cases, constitute a cross-cutting legal service, covering CORPORATE LAW, since often part of the family estate belongs to a commercial company; REAL ESTATE LAW, since in 90% of cases the estate consists of real estate, some pending demarcation, others subject to a lease with a city council, others part of a building without a condominium regime, and other properties with delinquent tenants who must be evicted. Added to all this is TAX LAW or CONTENTIOUS-ADMINISTRATIVE LAW, as in many cases discrepancies arise with the DGII (Directorate General of Internal Revenue) regarding tax payments.

There are other legal services that have had to be taken on, as they are consequences of primary services in LABOR & EMPLOYMENT LAW, such as criminal-labor cases before the Justice of the Peace in criminal proceedings for labor violations; contentious cases against decisions of official institutions, such as the Social Security Treasury or the Ministry of Labor.

Finally, REAL ESTATE LAW is another area in which the firm has been increasingly involved in recent years. Not only are cases arising from the handling of FAMILY LAW cases being taken on, but the firm is also representing and defending clients in cases of litigation over registered land, contentious demarcation processes, among others.

In short, the firm's practice areas have expanded over the years and have evolved as the market and the needs of our clients have been required. We began with LABOR & EMPLOYMENT LAW in the 1990s, and at the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century, we expanded to include IMMIGRATION LAW. Also in the 1990s, we began offering legal services in FAMILY LAW, and over the years, we have expanded to include cases and legal services in REAL ESTATE LAW.

Languages Spoken

Spanish (native language), English (level C1), French (level C1), and German (level B1)

Industry Sector Expertise

 Practicing lawyer since 1990 and founding partner of law firm HernándezContreras, since April 1992.

 Arbitrator for Chapter 16 of the DR-CAFTA Free Trade Agreement (since 2008).

 Legal Advisor to the National Social Security Council, CNSS (2002-2004).

 Vice President for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean of the International Society for Labor Law and Social Security (SIDTSS) (2005-2009).

 Organizer of the VII American Regional Congress of the International Society for Labor Law and Social Security, SIDTSS, Santo Domingo (2007).

 General Rapporteur for Topic III at the XIX World Congress of the International Society for Labor Law and Social Security, SIDTSS, Sydney, Australia (2009).

Professional Memberships

Bar Association of the Dominican Republic, Dominican Association of Notaries, Latin-American Academy of Labor and Social Security Law (since 2018); former Vice President for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean of the International Society for Labor and Social Security Law (2006-2009), and former President of the Dominican Association of Labor and Social Security Law (2010-2012).

Publications

Access to all publications can be found on the blog www.carloshernandezcontreras.com.

Education