Author Archive

WILLIAMS & WILLIAMS acts as an advisor in all necessary legal matters to secure your investments, offering the legal solution that best suit our client’s needs.

We assist you to turn an idea into a successful business. We work with clever and resourceful professionals, who propose original solutions through discreet approaches, and that is only achieved with a great understanding of the laws and your business environment. We give you advice based on feasibility studies, legal structuring from its early stages, to financial advice.

We give advice on the establishment of companies in the Colon Free Zone, Panamá Pacífico, City of Knowledge, as well as in other areas with special economic regimes. Likewise, we assist in all procedures to procure physical space, import and export permits, customs matters, representation, registration and all the necessary procedures with Panamanian governmental administrative authorities.

Our specialized lawyers and financial experts fully understand the needs and requirements of investors in this sector, therefore we are completely focused on ensuring the best possible visiting experience, relocation and/or investment in Panama.

We have experience in all matters related to the investment of real estate, which include: financial feasibility studies, management project management and development of real estate, negotiation and drafting the Promise to Purchase and the final Purchase Agreement, drafting and registration of the Purchase Public Deeds and other related services.

We assist you in every stage your real estate project, from the acquisition of the property on to the approval of the master plan, to the granting the financial support for the project, segregation of the property, registry of the tourism permit before the Authority of Tourism of Panama (ATP, for its Spanish acronym), the constitution of horizontal property regime and elaboration of the co-ownership regulations, drafting of the promise of purchase models and purchase agreements, and tax planning.

We have experience on the technical managing of matters related to environmental and commercial issues. We give advice on the different stages of the development and planning of residential urbanization, ecotourism and commercial projects, among others.

WILLIAMS & WILLIAMS offers all kinds of advice and assistance concerning environmental regulation, climate change, clean development and renewable energies, where the most predominant are, among others:

• Regulatory compliance with environmental legislation
• Procedures, applications, permits and administrative-environmental processes
• Advice on the identification of applicable legal requirements in the implementation of Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001) and legal-environmental audits
• Legal aspects of the generation and treatment of hazardous waste, materials and high-risk activities
• Advice on Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol
• Legal advice on the design and execution of alternative power projects, including solar, wind and hydro power.
• Other ecologically sustainable projects, including green real estate developments and real estate projects subject to LEED Certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

WILLIAMS & WILLIAMS has accumulated invaluable experience in the financial, banking and securities field, representing very important clients, local and internationally; including commercial and investment banks, multilateral organizations, government agencies, investment houses, accounting firms, insurance companies, fund managers, corporations and trusts.

We give advice on legal and regulatory aspects as well as on all types of contracts, licenses, legal opinions and transnational operations including:

• Transactions in the securities markets, including public offers or sale of securities before the Superintendency of the Securities Market, registration of companies before the Stock Exchange of Panama and advice regarding the registry of securities in Panama.
• Constitution, operation and functioning of financial and banking entities in Panama, especially, the establishment of representative offices of foreign banks and obtaining permits and licenses required for their operation. In the same way, we carry out the evaluation and preparation of the legal and operational documentation required for the proper operation of the corresponding financial intermediary.
• Obtaining an investor or securities broker’s license.
• Preparation, drafting and negotiation of loan agreements, credit agreements, secured and unsecured financing, structured financing and other types of financial facilities.
• Review of loan agreements prepared by external lawyers of an international bank (in particular those under the New York or England Law), especially when it comes to international syndicated loans.
• Advice on all legal aspects related to the financing of projects, intervening in the design and structuring of the different contracting schemes that are required for each particular case.
• Due diligence processes for the acquisition of entities in the financial sector.
• Transactions with derivatives of the securities market.

We ensure that the rights of our clients are duly protected, regarding issues of Copyright and Industrial Property, covering the registration of trademarks and slogans (commercial slogans) of products and services, the deposit of trade names, administrative oppositions and litigation of intellectual property.

Additionally, our firm takes care of the procuring of sanitary and pharmaceutical records before the competent authorities for products that must comply with this requirement prior to their import, distribution and sale; as well as obtaining the licenses required for its production.

Our specialists have deep experience in litigation and resolution of all types of civil, administrative procedures, commercial disputes, national and international arbitrations, labor and family claims.

We routinely handle complex cases and our attorneys are qualified to work with all the documentation and investigation procedures.

Our experience includes numerous sectors and economic areas, such as real estate, construction, labor, banking, intellectual and industrial property, telecommunications and technology, investments and contracts with the state.