Arias, Fábrega & Fábrega (ARIFA) is one of the pacesetters for the Panamanian legal market. With more than a century of experience advising clients, it remains one of the top law firms in this chapter, particularly when it comes to cross-border, transactional matters.
ARIFA’s renowned strength in corporate, M&A and banking mandates means that it represents some big-name companies in the region and advises on some of the largest transactions in the region as well. As evidence of this firm’s transactional prowess, it worked on not one, but two of Latin Lawyer’s Deals of the Year in 2022 in the banking and finance, and private equity categories. These two award-winning deals demonstrate ARIFA’s impeccable ability to work on multijurisdictional deals.
Its transactional excellence is supported by thriving disputes, real estate and IP practices, allowing for a multifaceted service offering where clients can turn for a one-stop-shop approach.
The firm’s senior members have highly coveted regulatory experience; the younger generation of partners take advantage of this expertise and can speak directly to the authors of key Panamanian legislation. This wealth of experience is reflected in the high number of lawyers at all levels within the firm who have studied at leading US universities. Education overseas is an integral part of the firm’s strategy to ensure that a high-quality service offer will be preserved for generations to come. The firm regularly rewards its talent in promotion rounds, including at the start of 2023 when it elevated an associate to partner in its M&A and finance practices.
The firm’s leaders have invested in state-of-the-art software to ensure the smooth running of this top-tier outfit. ARIFA’s management includes a CEO, a firm manager and the heads of HR, marketing and accounting. These employees collaborate with an executive committee that steers strategy and policy. The resulting highly advanced business management platform provides a solid foundation that allows ARIFA’s lawyers to focus on what they do best: providing quality legal advice.
Management
The firm’s leadership is shared among partners Ricardo Arango, Fernando A Arias and Rodrigo Cardoze. They form part of an executive committee which includes partners María del Carmen Zúñiga, María Carolina Arroyo, Estif Aparicio and Federico Alfaro.
Offices
In addition to its headquarters in Panama, the firm has offices in London, Hong Kong, the British Virgin Islands, Belize and Uruguay.
Alliances & networks
ARIFA is a member of international law networks Lex Mundi, Interlaw and the Pacific Rim Advisory Council.