Morgan & Morgan

Francisco Arias G. is currently a Partner at Morgan & Morgan and heads the Mergers and Acquisitions, Securities and Capital Markets, Intellectual Property, and Real Estate practice groups of the firm. Mr. Arias has over 20 years of legal experience, first in New York as an associate at Kronish, Lieb, Weiner & Hellman (today Cooley Kronish); and then in Panama as an associate and then a partner of Arias, Fábrega & Fábrega. He regularly advises clients in connection with the sale and purchase of businesses as well as joint ventures. During the last years, he has participated in transactions in several industries, including electricity generation, insurance, construction, real estate, hospitality, banking related services, shrimp farms, restaurants, retail, printing and editing, and non-alcoholic beverages, some with cross border components. Mr. Arias also has extensive experience in capital markets transactions including but not limited to capital raising through public and private offerings, capital markets regulatory work and listings on the Panama Stock Exchange. Furthermore, he has consolidated himself as a leading project finance lawyer in Panama, participating in the country’s most important transactions representing institutions involved in the principal projects in Panama such as the Panama Canal Expansion project. Chambers & Partners, IFLR 1000, Latin Lawyer, Legal 500 and LACCA have recognized Mr. Arias as a leading lawyer in banking and finance, corporate and M&A, capital markets and government contracts. Mr. Arias has been also involved in the pro bono activities of the firm playing an active role advising various NGOs on their legal issues. Mr. Arias obtained a B.A. in Economics from Ohio Wesleyan University (1986) and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center (1989). Francisco Arias is currently admitted to practice law in the Republic of Panama and was admitted to the bar of New York.

Inocencio Galindo is a Senior Partner at Morgan & Morgan Legal and heads the Mining & Natural Resources, Project Development & Public Procurement, and Corporate Investigations, Compliance & Ethics practice groups. Inocencio is also highly recognized in the areas of Corporate & Commercial Law; Banking & Finance; and Mergers & Acquisitions. Prior to joining the Firm, Inocencio was an Associate at a major international law firm. He has over 25 years of experience and he has played a significant role in the development and financing of large infrastructure projects, such as Line 1, 2 and 3 of the Metro of Panama, the public transportation system Metro Bus, road projects including toll roads, electricity generation, potable water, and sanitation, among others. He has also served as external legal advisor of Minera Panamá, S.A. for over two decades and led the legal team in negotiating a Refreshed Concession Agreement with the Government of Panama for the Cobre Panamá project, which represents an investment of over US$10 billion, making it the largest private investment in Panama's history. Inocencio has also led legal teams in some of the major mergers and acquisitions that have taken place in the Republic of Panama, spanning industries such as banking, insurance, mining, beverages, electricity, automotive, cement, among others. He also possesses extensive experience in negotiation, mediation, and arbitration related to the projects he advices in. After holding other prominent positions within the organization, Inocencio was elected President of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce, Industries, and Agriculture of Panama for the 2017-2018 period (the Chamber of Commerce is the most important association of the private sector in Panama with a membership of over 1700 companies); he served as Secretary of the Board of Directors of the National Council of the Private Enterprise (CONEP) for the period 2018-2019, and he is a board member in companies from the banking, construction and related services, as well as pharmaceutical and consumer product distribution industries.

Ramon Varela is currently a Partner and heads the Energy and Projects practices of the firm. He also has a leading role in the Corporate Law practice, counseling clients in matters related to mergers and acquisitions, joint-ventures, securities, corporate governance and regulatory law. Prior to joining Morgan & Morgan, Mr. Varela served as an associate in the Commercial Law Department of a well-known local firm, reviewing matters related to mergers and acquisitions, project finance, contracts, environmental law and securities. With almost 20 years’ background in corporate law, including project finance matters, Mr. Varela’s experience includes major areas of infrastructure projects, including transportation, ports and energy. His practice focuses advising clients involved in the generation of energy, including hydro, wind, natural gas and solar projects. He led the Morgan & Morgan team that represented The AES Corporation in the development of the Changuinola I Hydroelectric Project, one of the most important private investments in the country. He also led the Morgan & Morgan team advising a group of lenders in a credit facility of up to US$300 million for the financing of four wind farms, with an aggregate capacity of 215 MW, in Coclé Province; Republic of Panama, expected to be the largest wind farm in Central America. In addition, Mr. Varela is currently advising The AES Corporation in the development of an integrated gas to power facility in the Telfers Islands in the province of Colon, at the North Coast of the Republic of Panama. The project consist of a 380MW net combined cycle gas-fired power plant and an onshore LNG import terminal with an 180,000 m3 storage tank, as well as the construction of power evacuation facilities to interconnect the generation plant with the existing electricity transmission network. Mr. Varela has also served as speaker at conferences and workshops related to the energy market in the country, to discuss the investment needs of the energy sector and new energy projects in Panama. His client portfolio includes developers, operators, EPC contractors, investors and government authorities who are actively involved in the energy sector. Chambers & Partners, IFLR 1000 and Legal 500 have recognized Mr. Varela as a leading lawyer in corporate and M&A, project finance, government contracts, energy and infrastructure. Mr. Varela obtained a B.A. in 1995 from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. and a J.D. in 1998 from The George Washington University Law School, Washington, D.C. Mr. Varela is admitted to practice law in the Republic of Panama.

Kharla Aizpurua Olmos is a Partner in the Corporate Law Department of the firm. Ms. Aizpurua Olmos mainly advises clients in domestic and cross-border financing transactions. Also, she has been involved on matters pertaining to syndicated lending, project finance, governmental infrastructure projects (including transportation and energy), securitization, public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, services related to the telecommunications sector, startups and e-commerce, compliance and data protection. Prior to joining Morgan & Morgan, Ms. Aizpurua Olmos obtained experience as a junior associate in the Corporate Law Department of Garrigues, Tax and Legal Advisers in Madrid-Spain, focusing on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, banking and project finance, and securities matters. Ms. Aizpurua Olmos has been recognized for her professional achievements (Up and Coming) in the first edition of the Latin American Energy and Infrastructure Awards organized by the Iberian Legal Group. In addition, she has been distinguished by Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 for her work in banking and finance, and commitment in diversity and inclusion. Moreover, she is also recognized as a Women Leader in Panama by IFLR1000 Women Leaders, an elite ranking of the most prominent lawyers worldwide. Ms. Aizpurua Olmos is also committed with the pro bono activities of the firm. She played a key role in the team responsible for drafting the bill to organize national volunteering in the Republic of Panama and serves as counsellor to different Panamanian NGOs. In addition, she is in the board of directors WIP Panama (women in the legal profession), Panamanian chapter of Women in the Profession Program of the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice of the New York Bar Association. Ms. Aizpurua Olmos obtained an LL.B. from Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain and a LL.M. from the Cornell Law School, University of Cornell, Ithaca, New York, USA. She has also completed a course in Business Management of NGOs from the University of Louisville in Panama and obtained a certification in Financial Skills for Practice and Management and Merger and Acquisitions from the INIDEM Business School. She is admitted to practice law in the Republic of Panama.