Every stage of your business. One legal team that knows it.
Corporate and business law covers the full lifecycle — from incorporation, governance, and contracts through growth, restructuring, compliance, and exit. At CHANIS, that full scope is handled by the same partner-led team throughout, drawing on the same institutional knowledge of your business at every stage. The lawyer who helped you structure the company is the one who advises on the sale.
- Corporate Advisory & Governance
- Commercial Contracts & B2B
- Corporate Restructuring
- Employment & Immigration
- Intellectual Property
- Corporate Compliance AML/CFT
- Commercial Disputes & White Collar
From startup to exit — and every stage in between.
CORPORATE ADVISORY & GOVERNANCE
Good governance is the legal foundation that every business decision rests on. We advise on governance frameworks, board structures, shareholder agreements, and corporate housekeeping — so your company operates with clarity, authority, and the right structure for where it is going.
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- Corporate governance frameworks and best practices
- Board meetings, shareholder meetings, and corporate resolutions
- Shareholder agreements and governance documentation
- Corporate housekeeping and minute books
- Strategic legal planning and corporate structure optimization
- Advice on fiduciary duties and corporate decision-making
- Corporate secretary services
COMMERCIAL CONTRACTS & B2B AGREEMENTS
Precision is what makes a contract useful — not just at signing, but when it is tested. We draft, negotiate, and review the commercial agreements that govern your business relationships — distribution, supply, services, licensing, joint ventures — built to reflect the deal and hold up under it.
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- Distribution and supply agreements
- Commercial agency and franchise agreements
- Service agreements and professional services contracts
- Manufacturing and procurement contracts
- Licensing agreements (technology, brand, content)
- Joint venture agreements and strategic partnerships
- Non-disclosure agreements and confidentiality provisions
- Master service agreements and framework contracts
- Terms and conditions for B2B transactions
- Cross-border commercial agreements
CORPORATE RESTRUCTURING & REORGANIZATION
Growth changes structure. So does strategy. We advise on mergers, spin-offs, capital changes, and corporate simplifications — for companies evolving within Panama and for regional operations across jurisdictions.
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- Mergers of related entities and consolidations
- Spin-offs, carve-outs, and divisional separations
- Capital increases and reductions
- Share transfers and internal reorganizations
- Changes in corporate structure and jurisdiction
- Simplification of corporate groups
- Regional reorganizations within Latin America
EMPLOYMENT LAW & CORPORATE IMMIGRATION
The people who build your business create legal obligations at every stage — from hiring through management, compliance, and transition. We advise on employment contracts, labor compliance, executive arrangements, and corporate immigration — work permits, investor visas, and residency structuring for companies and their teams.
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- Employment contracts (executives, managers, staff)
- Internal policies and employee handbooks
- Terminations, severance, and workforce reductions
- Labor disputes and Ministry of Labor proceedings
- Expatriate hiring and international assignments
- Work permits for foreign employees
- Business visas and temporary permits
- Permanent residency applications for key personnel
- Investor visas and entrepreneur permits
- Qualified Investor Visa
REAL ESTATE, CONDOMINIUM LAW & PROJECTS
Real estate is part of the corporate lifecycle — whether the business is acquiring or leasing operational premises, developing a project, or structuring a real estate investment vehicle. We advise developers, investors, and administrators on transactions, governance, and compliance from first structure to final transfer.
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- Project lifecycle & development (greenfield through construction)
- Commercial transactions & advisory (acquisition, sale, leasing)
- Horizontal Property (P.H.) & governance — regime creation and management
- Regulatory & administrative strategy (MIVIOT, ANATI, Registro Público, DGI, Municipios)
- Financing & security structures (guarantee trusts, institutional lenders)
- Distressed asset & registry resolution (desafectación, segregation, corrections)
TAX & BUSINESS PLANNING
Tax efficiency is most valuable when it is built into the structure from the start — not retrofitted after the decision has been made. We advise on corporate tax planning for Panama operations, structuring entities, transactions, and reorganizations with tax efficiency as a foundational element of the design.
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- Panama territorial tax system and foreign-source income planning
- Entity structuring for tax efficiency across jurisdictions
- Transaction tax analysis in M&A and reorganizations
- Transfer pricing considerations for multinational operations
- Tax planning for investment vehicles and holding structures
- Law 526 of 2026 — economic substance requirements for passive income
- Coordination with tax authorities and DGI compliance
- Tax due diligence for acquisitions
COMMERCIAL & ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
Operating in Panama means engaging actively with its regulatory and administrative framework — permits, licenses, government contracts, and administrative proceedings. We manage that interface with public authorities so your business keeps moving and your approvals arrive on time.
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- Business permits and operating licenses
- Regulatory proceedings before administrative authorities
- Government contracts, concessions, and PPAs
- Administrative appeals and judicial review
- Regulatory compliance for specific industries
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & BRAND PROTECTION
The assets that define your business — trademarks, technology, content, and know-how — are among its most valuable and most exposed. We advise on IP registration, protection, licensing, and enforcement for companies that treat their intangibles as the core business assets they are.
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- Trademark registration and enforcement in Panama
- IP due diligence in corporate transactions
- Technology licensing and IP agreements
- Brand protection strategies
- Copyright and trade secret protection
- Domain name disputes
- IP portfolio management for companies
CORPORATE COMPLIANCE & AML/CFT
Panama’s AML/CFT framework imposes real supervisory obligations on non-financial entities — obligations that require active compliance programs, not passive acknowledgment. We design compliance programs, conduct risk assessments, and advise on regulatory engagement for real estate companies, professional service providers, and other regulated sectors.
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- Compliance programs for SSNF under Law 23/2015
- Risk assessments and risk-based approach implementation
- AML policies and procedures manuals
- KYC/CDD frameworks and beneficial ownership identification
- Transaction monitoring and suspicious activity reporting
- Officer training and ongoing compliance education
- Representation before the Superintendencia de Sujetos No Financieros (SSNF)
- Remediation and response to supervision findings
- Compliance with FATF standards and recommendations
COMMERCIAL DISPUTES & WHITE COLLAR
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- Commercial dispute resolution and negotiation
- Extrajudicial negotiation and settlement
- Arbitration proceedings (domestic and international)
- Shareholder disputes and derivative actions
- Contract disputes and breach claims
- Corporate investigations (fraud, compliance)
- White collar matters and regulatory investigations
- Representation before commercial courts
- Alternative dispute resolution (mediation, expert determination)
Corporate counsel that grows with your business — from the first decision to the last.
We work with your team regularly enough to know where the risks are before they materialize – and to structure your legal layer so it supports your business objectives, not just your compliance checklist. Senior attention on every matter. No junior handoffs.
PREVENTIVE BY DESIGN
Ahead of the matter, not behind it
Ongoing counsel means building genuine familiarity with your business — your structure, your contracts, your regulatory exposure, and where the risk is developing. That familiarity is what allows us to act before gaps become liabilities and keep the legal layer aligned with where the business is going.
COMMERCIAL DISPUTES
One team — from advisory through litigation
When a corporate matter becomes contentious, the team that knows your business handles it — through negotiation, and through litigation in our areas of expertise when that is what the matter requires. The lawyer who advised on the contract is the one who disputes it.
FULL OPERATING LIFECYCLE
From incorporation to exit — and every stage in between
Governance, contracts, compliance, employment, tax, real estate, intellectual property, and commercial disputes — the full scope and depth of corporate law in Panama, handled by the same partner-led team from the company’s first decision to its last. That continuity is not a feature. It is the practice model.
Let’s talk about your business.
Schedule a consultation with us — a direct conversation about your business, where it is going, and how the right legal foundation supports getting it there.
