Address:
The Towers Business Plaza, 3rd Floor, Calle 50 & 66
San Francisco
Panama City 01010
Panama

+5072821400


Key contacts:

Partner: Maria Cristina Fábrega
Contact this lawyer

Quick facts:

Number of lawyers: 12
Number of partners: 3
Network memberships: ASIPI, INTA, IBA, PRAC, NYSBA, AIPPI, WLG, AZFA, FBA, ALAF
Languages: Spanish, English, Portuguese


Arias is the leading global business law firm in Central America and the firm of choice in the region. The firm stands out for providing innovative and effective solutions that help clients achieve their business goals, while enjoying the benefits of working with an integrated firm, with presence in six countries through seven offices, 41 partners, and 130 highly trained and experienced attorneys and offices in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.

Since 1942, Arias has been setting the standards in the region by combining its global reach with local expertise, and providing a visionary outlook on the world’s business environment.

Our team: Among our staff, we have attorneys with many years of experience in several practice areas combined with young lawyers. This means our firm is constantly innovating and adapting to the needs of today’s world, which ensures we are able to offer our clients the best legal talent in the region.

Areas of practice: Arias is a full-service firm, providing advice in over 35 practice areas, with renowned specialists in each jurisdiction. Some of the firm’s main practice areas include: corporate, antitrust, mergers and acquisitions, tax, arbitration and litigation, compliance, banking and finance, intellectual property, labor law, energy, oil and gas, real estate, immigration, and general counsel services, among others.

Our focus: We make things happen. We provide creative and innovative legal solutions that add value to our clients, taking the time to know and understand their business goals, while always focused on providing reliable and accurate legal services, with their best interests in mind.

International reach: The firm advises on local and cross-border transactions, assisting some of the major international corporations doing business in the region, and also providing legal support to local clients going abroad.

Recognitions and awards: Consistently, we have been honored with important recognitions and awards such as “Firm of the Year in Central America”, “Firm of the year” in the countries we operate, “Client Service Award”, “Best Regional Firm for Women in Business Law”, “Deal of the Year”, among other relevant regional and local awards for the firm and our members.

Equal opportunities: We promote diversity within the firm, professional growth is based on each individual’s merit regardless of gender or ethnics.

47% of our partners are women
48% of our associates are women
57% of our management positions are held by women
100% of our managing partners are women

2,000 Pro-bono hours per year: Corporate social responsibility and Pro-bono work have always been an important part of our DNA. We believe that it is everyone’s responsibility to inspire and generate positive changes in our environment in order to achieve and ensure a better future for the next generations.

  • Asset finance
  • Banking
  • Competition
  • Capital markets: Debt
  • Financial restructuring
  • Financial services regulatory
  • M&A
  • PPP/PFI
  • Private equity
  • Project development
  • Project finance
  • Real estate finance
  • Restructuring and insolvency
  • Structured finance/securitisation
  • Securitisation
  • Trade finance

Mergers & Acquisitions and Banking

María Cristina Fábrega
mariacristina.fabrega@ariaslaw.com

Yuri Moreno
yuri.moreno@ariaslaw.com

Arias expert´s team advised Banco Santander in the acquisition financing by H.I.G., Capital of several entities engaged in the logistics business in Latin America. Banco Santander and Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior (Bladex) granted a loan of up to $54,375,000.00, in favour of RANSA CORP S.L., a sociedad limitada organized under the laws of Spain as the Borrower, to acquire a group of corporations in the logistics business in Latin America, free of any material liability or contingency and repayment of financial debt. As a part of the transaction, some subsidiaries, such as the one in Mexico, Colombia, and Costa Rica, became Guarantors of the Loan. This financing was part of a complex acquisition structure that involved various stakeholders, parties, and jurisdictions.
Univar Solutions Inc, is a global chemical and chemical ingredients distributor interested in acquiring regional Chemical company Chemsol. Chemsol's main companies are in Panama and have affiliates in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The M&A Arias regional team assisted the Buyer with identifying risks and coordinating corporate, labor, and tax matters essential to the transaction. Also, with antitrust assessments. The deal consisted of a share purchase of the entire company including the affiliate target companies. Arias led the Panamanian part of this work. RelaDyne, Inc., USA's established leader in lubricant, bulk oil, and fuel distributor, acquired Lucalza, a company with operations in Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico, and one of Chevron's principal distributors. The acquisition of Lucalza represents the entry of RelaDyne into new markets. Arias acted as regional counsel and led the coordination of due diligence and transactional counselling and local support in all six jurisdictions we operate, including collaboration with Garrigues Mexico, Myers Fletcher Gordon in Jamaica, and Pellerano Nadal in the Dominican Republic.
Arias adviced RelaDyne Inc. in conducting the due diligence to Lucalza Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries, complete due diligence report and SPA.
The regional team of expert attorneys at Arias acted as legal advisor to Hoshizaki during the acquisition of a 25% stake in Fogel. This transaction is a significant achievement for all stakeholders involved, especially for Hoshizaki, as it marks the beginning of its business growth strategy. ARIAS served as the lead counsel for Hoshizaki, offering legal guidance in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Our team ensured the protection of Hoshizaki's rights during the shares acquisition process.
Arias Panama represented PRB in the upsize of its existing credit facility with Goldman Sachs, for US$20 million dollar. Arias Panama assisted PRB in negotiating and formalization of the restructuring the local collateral.
We have acted as counsel to Corporación Interamericana para el Financiamiento de Infraestructura, S.A., as borrower (the “Borrower”) existing under the laws of the Republic of Panama, in a Loan Agreement with CARGILL FINANCIAL SERVICES INTERNATIONAL, INC., a Delaware corporation
Arias represented PRB as coffee franchisee in the sale of its business in Panama to a Jamaican counterparty, for US$8,000,000. Arias Panama assisted PRB in drafting the ancillary documents of the SPA, the applicable authorizations, among other legal paperwork.

  • Accounting
  • Agriculture
  • Automotive
  • Aviation
  • Banking
  • Construction and materials
  • Consumer goods and services
  • Energy
  • Financial services
  • Fisheries and aquaculture
  • Food and beverage
  • Forestry
  • Gaming
  • Government and public policy
  • Healthcare
  • Industrials
  • Insurance
  • Investment management
  • Media
  • Mining
  • Natural resources
  • Oil and gas
  • Pharm and life sciences
  • Real estate
  • Shipping
  • Social infrastructure
  • Tech and telecoms
  • Tourism
  • Transport
  • Utilities

ARIAS GUATEMALA:
6ª. Avenida 12-24 zona 10, Edificio HQ Fontabella, Nivel 8,
Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala. C. A.
T: +(502) 22401600
F: +(502) 22401600
E: contact.guatemala@ariaslaw.com
W: www.ariaslaw.com

ARIAS EL SALVADOR
Calle La Mascota #533,
Colonia San Benito. San Salvador,
El Salvador, C. A.
T:+(503) 22570900
F:+(503) 22570901
E: contact.elsalvador@ariaslaw.com
W: www.ariaslaw.com

ARIAS HONDURAS:
Centro Comercial El Dorado 6° Piso,
Boulevard Morazán. Tegucigalpa,
Honduras, C. A.
T: +(504) 22214505
F: +(504) 22214522
E: contact.honduras@ariaslaw.com
W: www.ariaslaw.com

ARIAS NICARAGUA:
Pista Jean Paul Genie,
Edificio Escala, 3er piso,
Managua, Nicaragua, C. A.
T+(505) 22981360
E: contact.nicaragua@ariaslaw.com
w: www.ariaslaw.com

ARIAS COSTA RICA:
CLS Business Center, 9th floor.
Sabana, San José,
Costa Rica, C.A.
T: +(506) 40362800
F: +(506) 40361268
E: contact.costarica@ariaslaw.com
W: www.ariaslaw.com