Legal Team

Andrés Fuentes De León, founding partner of FDR Legal Advice & Consulting in 2003, offers our clients in Panama and the region high-value legal counsel built on more than two decades of professional practice and senior-level public service.

His expertise focuses on strategic litigation and asset protection, areas where his inside knowledge of the Panamanian judicial system becomes a decisive advantage for your case.

Core Practice Areas

• FAMILY LAW LITIGATION: Specialist in Contested Divorces in Panama, custody and child support, and complex judicial proceedings in Family, Children, and Civil Courts. His experience extends to criminal matters linked to these jurisdictions.
• WEALTH & CORPORATE PROTECTION: Directs the Structuring and Protection of Family and Business Wealth. Leveraging his Master's in Commercial Law, he advises on Corporate and Business Affairs and leads high-level legal teams for cross-border transactions and litigation.

Institutional Leadership Track Record

• Leadership in Justice System Modernization: For 15 years (1996–2011), he served as Project Director for the Justice Sector funded by international cooperation agencies (USAID, UNDP, AECID), leading the modernization of the Judicial Administration System in Criminal, Civil, and Family jurisdictions.
• Senior Advisor to the Judiciary and Attorney General's Office: He advised 7 Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Justice and 3 Attorneys General of Panama.
• Comprehensive Legal & Governmental Vision: Served as Secretary-General of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) (2011–2014) and was Acting Vice Minister of Economy on multiple occasions.

Education

Law graduate from the University of Panama, with a Master's Degree in Commercial Law from Universidad Santa María la Antigua (2000), complemented by continuous international legal training.

Lic. Félix Antonio Cabellos Díaz has been a Partner Lawyer at FDR Legal Advice & Consulting in Panama since July 2022. As a Litigation Lawyer specialized in international taxation and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he provides comprehensive advice on corporate and tax matters.

Practice Areas:

• Tax & Fiscal Law: Representation in tax procedures, corporate accounting compliance, and DGI filings.
• Civil & Arbitration Litigation: Dispute management and courtroom representation.
• Public Procurement: Advisory for companies bidding on Panamanian government contracts, drawing on over 10 years of public sector experience.
• Corporate Law: General corporate governance and administrative procedures before ministries and autonomous authorities in Panama.

Key Experience & Education:

• Head of Public Tenders at the Ministry of the Presidency (2015–2020).
• Master's Degree in International Tax Advisory (ISDE, Madrid, Spain, 2013).
• Bachelor's in Accounting (UNESCPA, Panama, 2018) and Law and Political Science (University of Panama, 2007).

FDR Abogados strengthens its Employment Litigation practice with the incorporation of Lic. José Mario Isturaín A., prominent attorney and specialist with over 20 years of professional experience in Labor Law, Administrative Law, and public sector management.

With a solid strategic approach, Lic. Isturaín possesses extensive experience in both comprehensive legal representation for workers and corporate advisory for companies. His practice spans employment litigation, wrongful termination defense, severance calculations and claims, as well as labor negotiations, settlement agreements, and conciliation proceedings.

Track Record and Institutional Leadership

Throughout his career, he has held high-impact leadership roles in Panama's public and academic sectors:

• National Director General of Conciliation and Decision Boards – MITRADEL (2019–2024): Led the Conciliation and Decision Boards nationwide, driving technological modernization, institutional transparency, judicial case tracking digitalization for Labor Courts, voice-and-data hearing transcription, and a significant backlog reduction in labor proceedings.
• Access to Justice and Gender Unit – Judicial Branch / Supreme Court (2025): Supported institutional initiatives dedicated to equal access to justice, human rights, and social inclusion.
• University of Panama (IDEN & SIBIUP): Administrative management, resource oversight, and research/modernization project leadership, including SENACYT-funded initiatives.

Practice Areas at FDR Abogados

• Individual and Collective Labor Law
• Labor & Employment Litigation
• Terminations, Dismissals and Severance Claims
• Conciliation, Mediation and Labor Negotiations
• Comprehensive Legal Advisory for Workers and Corporations
• Administrative Law

Academic Background

• Bachelor of Laws and Political Science – University of Panama.
• International Diploma in Women's Human Rights – Euro-American Association of Fundamental Rights.

With the addition of Lic. José Mario Isturaín A., FDR Abogados consolidates its position as a leading firm in labor litigation and strategic employment counsel in the Republic of Panama.

Lic. Denia Castillo Santos is a key member of the FDR team, specializing in Labor Law and administrative filings in Panama. Since joining in 2023, she manages labor processes and supports complex litigation across Civil, Family, and Criminal jurisdictions.

Practice Areas & Education:

• Labor Law: Labor claims, MITRADEL conciliations, workforce settlements, and corporate employment contracts.
• Civil & Procedural Law: Executory processes, succession proceedings, and Public Registry filings.
• Corporate Filings: Articles of incorporation for Corporations (S.A.) and Private Interest Foundations.
• Law Degree (Universidad Latina de Panamá, 2015), with Diplomas in Labor Law and Compliance Management.

Humberto López Correa provides comprehensive criminal litigation defense in Panama. With extensive prior service within the Panamanian Judiciary (2005–2017), he brings invaluable inside insight into criminal court proceedings and the Accusatory Penal System (SPA).

Judicial Background:

• Circuit Criminal Judge (2nd, 4th, 9th, and 15th Circuit Courts).
• Oral Trial Judge in the Accusatory Penal System (SPA) in Darién Province.
• Assistant to Superior Court Magistrate and Judicial Secretary.
• Exclusively dedicated to private criminal litigation defense since 2018, joining FDR Abogados in 2022.

Lic. Yohana Flores Delgado leads the Immigration and Labor Law areas at FDR Abogados. Her background blends high-level public administration with specialized private practice.

Experience:

• Public Sector (2018–2025): Legal Analyst at the Ministry of the Presidency and Procuraduría de la Administración, drafting laws, executive decrees, and regulatory resolutions.
• Private Sector (FDR Abogados): Residence visas (Friendly Nations, Qualified Investor, Pensioner), work permits, and corporate tax compliance.
• Master's in Tax Law (INEJ) and Law Degree (University of Panama).

Liliana Higuita Echeverry joined FDR Legal Advice & Consulting in 2018 as Director of Administration and Filings. With a background in Business Administration and Corporate Financial Management (Universidad de Medellín, Colombia), she ensures operational efficiency, client billing, portfolio management, and coordination of ancillary accounting services.

Andrés Fuentes Mojica oversees operations and legal filings at FDR since 2020. He also leads the operational administration of Clínica Integral Mentes Activas (CLIMA), coordinating the multidisciplinary synergy between legal counsel and psychological support for Family Law clients, alongside institutional filings before the Civil Courts, Electoral Tribunal, Notaries, DGI, and the Public Registry.

Paola Vargas serves as Legal & Administrative Secretary and Compliance Specialist at FDR since March 2023. She coordinates case files, judicial deadlines, due diligence verifications before the Public Registry, DGI, ANATI, and SSN, while managing Anti-Money Laundering (AML/PBC) compliance policies and client onboarding.