Colombia corporate lawyer English speaking
Law Offices of SRIS, P.C., founded in 1997, is a US law firm with an international clientele that assists English-speaking clients—entrepreneurs, executives, investors, and companies—with corporate legal matters that involve both US and Colombian law. What does that mean in practice? If you are an English-speaking businessperson navigating Colombian company formation, cross-border contracts, regulatory compliance, or a joint venture with a Colombian entity, you need counsel who can communicate fluently in English while ensuring that the Colombian-law dimension of your matter is handled by an attorney admitted before the Consejo Superior de la Judicatura. The firm addresses this dual need through its collaboration with Colombia-admitted Of Counsel. Mr. Sris, Owner and Founder of the firm, is admitted in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, and New York and serves as lead US counsel on cross-border corporate engagements. Eric Duport Jaramillo, Of Counsel for Colombia matters—licensed in Colombia and not admitted in any US state bar, and whose practice with the firm is limited to matters of Colombian law and to serving as a liaison for international clients with US-licensed attorneys—handles the Colombian-law side of corporate engagements. The firm’s location in Pereira, Colombia, available by appointment only, further anchors its capacity to coordinate Colombian corporate matters for English-speaking clients. Reach Law Offices of SRIS, P.C. at (888) 437-7747 to discuss your cross-border corporate needs.
What This Cross-Border Corporate Practice Covers
Colombia’s corporate legal framework rests on the Colombian Civil Code of 1887, the Código de Comercio (Commercial Code, Decree 410 of 1971), and the Ley 1258 of 2008 governing simplified stock corporations (Sociedad por Acciones Simplificada, or SAS). An English-speaking corporate lawyer who works across the US-Colombia corridor must understand how these Colombian statutes interact with US federal and state corporate law, US securities regulation administered by the SEC, US anti-money-laundering obligations under the Bank Secrecy Act, and US anti-corruption requirements under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. § 78dd-1 et seq. The practice spans Colombian entity formation (SAS, Ltda., S.A., and branch-office structures), cross-border mergers and acquisitions, shareholder agreements, distribution and agency contracts governed by Colombian commercial law, compliance with OFAC sanctions programs as of 2026, and the intersection of Colombian tax law with US international tax reporting under the Internal Revenue Code.
On the Colombian side, corporate governance and director liability are shaped by Ley 222 of 1995, while foreign investment is principally regulated by the Colombian Central Bank (Banco de la República) under its Foreign Exchange Statute (Régimen Cambiario). On the US side, a US corporation investing in a Colombian subsidiary may face outbound compliance obligations under the FCPA’s anti-bribery provisions, which apply to US issuers, domestic concerns, and certain foreign persons acting within US territory, with criminal penalties for individuals set at up to five years imprisonment per anti-bribery violation under 15 U.S.C. § 78ff. The firm addresses both sets of obligations through a structured division of responsibility: the US-licensed attorney handles US corporate and regulatory law; the Colombian-admitted Of Counsel handles Colombian corporate law. This division respects the distinct licensure frameworks of each jurisdiction while providing the English-speaking client with a single point of contact for the overall cross-border engagement.
How Mr. Sris and the Of Counsel Network Handle Colombian Corporate Matters
A US-Colombia corporate engagement at Law Offices of SRIS, P.C. proceeds with clear jurisdictional boundaries. Mr. Sris, admitted in five US jurisdictions and serving as responsible US attorney for the firm, provides US-side corporate counsel: structuring the US parent or subsidiary entity, advising on FCPA and OFAC compliance as those US statutes apply to the transaction, drafting and reviewing English-language agreements governed by US law, and coordinating US tax and securities considerations. The Colombian-law dimension—entity incorporation before the Cámara de Comercio, drafting of Spanish-language corporate documents compliant with the Código de Comercio, registration of foreign investment with Banco de la República, and Colombian tax and labor law compliance—is handled by Eric Duport Jaramillo, Of Counsel for Colombia practice. Mr. Duport Jaramillo is licensed in Colombia and is not admitted in any US state bar; his practice with Law Offices of SRIS, P.C. is limited to matters of Colombian law and to serving as a liaison for international clients with US-licensed attorneys at the firm. The firm’s location in Pereira, Colombia, by appointment only, serves as a coordination point for Colombian corporate engagements.
This dual-structure model means the English-speaking client communicates in English with the US team, while the Colombian-law work product is prepared by a Colombian-admitted attorney who practices under the regulatory authority of the Consejo Superior de la Judicatura. A typical engagement—for example, establishing a Colombian SAS subsidiary of a US parent company—involves Mr. Sris advising the US parent on corporate authorization and US-law implications, while Mr. Duport Jaramillo prepares the Colombian SAS bylaws, registers the entity with the Colombian commercial registry, and handles the Colombian foreign-investment filing. The two collaborate as needed but maintain strict jurisdictional separation. Fees vary by the scope and complexity of the engagement; consultations are available by appointment.
About Mr. Sris and the Of Counsel Network
Mr. Sris (Atchuthan Sriskandarajah, Esq.), Owner and Founder of Law Offices of SRIS, P.C., founded the firm in 1997. Admitted in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, and New York, he is a former prosecutor who leads the firm’s US-side cross-border corporate practice. Mr. Sris testified before the Virginia House Courts of Justice Committee in support of 2019 HB 635 (chief patron Del. David Bulova), the bill that became the 2019 revision to Va. Code § 20-107.3(g). Through the firm’s cross-border practice portal, Mr. Sris serves as the responsible US attorney for cross-border client engagements, ensuring that US-bar compliance governs all US-law aspects of the firm’s corporate representations.
The Law Offices of SRIS, P.C. Of Counsel network includes foreign-jurisdiction-admitted attorneys who collaborate with the firm on matters involving their respective countries’ law. Eric Duport Jaramillo, Of Counsel for Colombia practice—licensed in Colombia and not admitted in any US state bar, and whose practice with the firm is limited to matters of Colombian law and to serving as a liaison for international clients with US-licensed attorneys—brings significant experience to the Colombia corporate desk. A graduate of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana with prior service as Minister Counselor at the Embassy of Colombia to the European Union and as Executive President of the Pereira Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Duport Jaramillo advises on Colombian corporate formation, commercial contracts, and regulatory matters. Together, Mr. Sris and his Of Counsel bring extensive combined legal experience to cross-border corporate matters, though past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any particular case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need both a US lawyer and a Colombian lawyer to set up a company in Colombia?
Yes—if your business has both a US-law dimension and a Colombian-law dimension, you should engage counsel admitted in each jurisdiction for the respective side of the matter. A US-licensed attorney handles US corporate structuring, FCPA and OFAC compliance under US law, and US tax considerations; a Colombian-admitted attorney handles Colombian entity formation, Colombian commercial registry filings, and Colombian regulatory compliance. Law Offices of SRIS, P.C. addresses both needs through Mr. Sris (US-admitted) and Eric Duport Jaramillo (Colombian-admitted), who collaborate on the engagement while maintaining jurisdictional separation. For guidance on your specific cross-border situation, reach the firm at (888) 437-7747.
What is a Colombian SAS and why is it popular with foreign investors?
The Sociedad por Acciones Simplificada (SAS), governed by Ley 1258 of 2008, is Colombia’s simplified stock corporation—a flexible entity form widely used by foreign investors entering the Colombian market. The SAS can be formed by a single shareholder, requires no minimum capital (beyond what is necessary for the business purpose), and offers limited liability to shareholders. Its streamlined incorporation process and operational flexibility make it the vehicle of choice for US and other foreign companies establishing Colombian subsidiaries. A Colombian-admitted attorney prepares the SAS bylaws and registers the entity; a US-licensed attorney advises the parent on US-side implications.
Does the FCPA apply to my Colombian business operations?
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. § 78dd-1 et seq., applies to US issuers, US domestic concerns, and certain foreign persons acting within US territory, and can reach conduct in Colombia when the jurisdictional nexus is present. The FCPA’s anti-bribery provisions (15 U.S.C. §§ 78dd-1 through 78dd-3) prohibit corrupt payments to foreign officials to obtain or retain business, while its books-and-records provisions impose accounting obligations on US issuers. Criminal penalties for individuals are set at up to five years imprisonment per anti-bribery violation under 15 U.S.C. § 78ff. Colombia also has its own anti-corruption framework under the Estatuto Anticorrupción (Ley 1474 of 2011). A cross-border corporate counsel can help structure compliance across both frameworks.
How do I authenticate Colombian corporate documents for use in the US?
Colombia is a contracting party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention (Hague Convention of 5 October 1961), which means Colombian public documents—including corporate registry certificates from the Cámara de Comercio—can be authenticated by apostille rather than consular legalization for use in the United States. The apostille is affixed by the Colombian competent authority designated under the Convention. Once apostilled, the document is presumptively authentic for use before US courts and agencies, subject to any additional translation requirements that may apply. The apostille procedure is considerably faster than chain-legalization. An English-speaking corporate lawyer familiar with both Colombian and US document practices can coordinate the authentication process.
What should I bring to an initial consultation about a US-Colombia corporate matter?
For an initial consultation on a US-Colombia corporate matter, it is helpful to bring any existing corporate documents (articles of incorporation, bylaws, operating agreements), a summary of the proposed cross-border transaction, information about the parties and their jurisdictions of organization, and any correspondence with Colombian or US regulatory bodies. If you are exploring a Colombian entity formation, details about the proposed business purpose, capital structure, and shareholder composition will help the Colombian-admitted Of Counsel assess the appropriate entity type and regulatory pathway. If the matter involves an existing Colombian entity, relevant Colombian commercial registry certificates and tax filings are useful. Consultations are by appointment; reach the firm at (888) 437-7747 to schedule.
How do US and Colombian corporate governance frameworks differ?
Colombian corporate governance, rooted in the civil-law tradition under the Código de Comercio and Ley 222 of 1995, differs from US corporate governance in several respects, including director liability standards, shareholder-protection mechanisms, and regulatory oversight structure. Colombian corporations are supervised by the Superintendencia de Sociedades, which exercises regulatory and adjudicatory authority over corporate disputes, a function that has no direct US analogue at the federal level. US corporate governance, by contrast, is shaped by state corporation law (often Delaware’s General Corporation Law), federal securities regulation under the SEC, and extensive case law. A cross-border engagement involving entities in both countries requires sensitivity to these structural differences.
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Mr. Sris (Atchuthan Sriskandarajah, Esq.) is Owner and Founder of Law Offices of SRIS, P.C., founded in 1997. He is admitted to practice in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, and New York. He serves as the responsible US attorney for the firm’s cross-border practice portal and leads the firm’s US-side cross-border corporate practice.