Our professionals are here to help

  • Ramón R. Benedetti

    Ramon R. Benedetti V.

    Partner

  • Audrey Williams

    Partner

  • Diana Carolina Leandro

    Partner

  • Ramon Benedetti Alemán

    Partner

Ramón R. Benedetti

Ramon R. Benedetti V.   -   Partner

Partner

 [email protected]
+507 321-5100 Ext. 104

Ramon Ricardo Benedetti focuses his practice on Intellectual Property, Banking, Finance and Corporate Law and heads the IP department.

He started out as an attorney working with his father, Mr. Eloy Benedetti (*1918–†2000) at the law firm De La Guardia, Arosemena & Benedetti, and went on to become one of the founding partners of Benedetti & Benedetti, an internationally renowned Panamanian law firm, where he headed the Intellectual Property practice for twenty five years.

With more than forty years of experience, most of it devoted to Intellectual Property, his profound knowledge has been recognized by clients and piers alike and by international researchers and publications such as Legal 500, Chambers & Partners, WTR 1000, Who’s Who Legal, Managing Intellectual Property, Latin Lawyer, among others.

Throughout his career, Ramon has been an active member of several professional organizations and has been attending international meetings for decades, experiences which have afforded him the opportunity to establish long-lasting relationships with colleagues and clients.

His memberships include the Panama Bar Association, the Panamanian Association of Intellectual Property Law – APADEPI (President, 1988-1993), the American Bar Association (ABA), the Inter-American Bar Association – IABA, the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property – ASIPI (National Delegate 1982-1989, Executive Committee 1989-1991), the Licensing Executives Society – LES, the European Association of Trademark Owners- MARQUES, the Federation Internationale des Conseils en Propriété Industrielle – FICPI, the Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Industrielie – AIPPI (President, Panamanian Group), the International Trademark Association – INTA, the European Communities Trademark Association – ECTA, and The Institute of Trade Mark Agents.

Languages: Spanish and English.

Acknowledgments and awards

World Trademark Review 1000, ranked individuals – Gold Band since 2014
The Legal 500, IP, Leading lawyers – since 2014
Latin Lawyer 250, Who´s Who Legal Central America, Most Highly Regarded – 2019
Latin Lawyer 250, Who´s Who Legal Central America, Recommended attorneys – since 2014
Chambers & Partners, Global Guide, IP Ranked lawyer – since 2010
Chambers & Partners, Latin-America Guide, IP Ranked lawyer – since 2010
WTR Global Leaders, 2020
Who’s Who Legal, Global Leader Patents, 2020
Who’s Who Legal, Global Leader Trademarks, 2020
Who’s Who Legal, National Leader Central America – Intellectual Property, 2020

When not at the office, you can find Ramon with his family or in his ranch with his award-winning horses.

Audrey Williams   -   Partner

Partner

[email protected]
+507 321-5100 Ext. 208/311

Audrey Williams heads the anti-piracy litigation department and her practice areas include intellectual property, unfair competition, trademark and copyright litigation, distributorship, licensing and franchising, among others.

After obtaining her licentiate degree in Law and Political Science with honors (Cum Laude) from the Universidad Santa María La Antigua in Panama, she began working at Panamanian law firm Benedetti & Benedetti. She won a Fullbright scholarship and went on to obtain LL.M. with specialization in Commercial Law from the University of California at Berkeley and then rejoined the internationally renowned firm, where she was promoted to partner and headed the anti-piracy litigation department for more than 20 years.

Audrey’s expertise has always been worthy of praise and has prompted her to be continuously recognized as a leader in her field by publications such as Legal 500, Chambers & Partners, WTR 1000, Who’s Who Legal, Managing Intellectual Property and Latin Lawyer.

She is also an active member of several professional organizations, participating in committees and being a frequent speaker, particularly on issues related to IP infringement.

Her memberships include the Panama Bar Association, the Panamanian Association of Intellectual Property Law – APADEPI (Vice President, 2020-2022, 2010-2016; Deputy Secretary 2017-2019), the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property – ASIPI (Secretary Ethics committee 2012-2014, Secretary Anti-counterfeiting committee 2009-2011), the Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Industrielie – AIPPI (President of Panamanian group since 2016), and the International Trademark Association – INTA.

Languages: Spanish, English.

Acknowledgments and Awards

World Trademark Review 1000, ranked individuals – Gold since 2014
The Legal 500, IP, Leading Lawyers – since 2014
Latin Lawyer 250, Who´s Who Legal Central America, Recommended attorneys – since 2014
Chambers & Partners, Global Guide, IP Ranked lawyer, Band 1 – since 2009
Chambers & Partners, Latin-America Guide, IP Ranked Lawyer, Band 1 – since 2010
IP Stars, Top 250 Women in IP, 2020
IP Stars, Trademark, since 2020
WTR Global Leaders, 2020
Who’s Who Legal, Global Leader Trademarks, 2020
Who’s Who Legal, National Leader Central America – Intellectual Property, 2020

When not at the office, you can find Audrey spending time with her family or at the movies.

Diana Carolina Leandro   -   Partner

Partner

[email protected]
+507 321-5100 Ext. 204/206

Mrs. Leandro heads the trademark litigation department and her practice is primarily focused on intellectual property matters, including trademark clearance, prosecution and litigation (oppositions, annulments, cancellations); trademark coexistence, assignment and licensing agreements; trademark surveillance and enforcement, international clearance and filings, among others.

She obtained her licentiate degree in Law and Political Science with honors (Cum Laude) from the Universidad Santa María La Antigua in Panama, and has a Masters in Trademarks, Patents, Designs, Utility Models and Copyrights from the Universidad de Alicante (Magister Lucentinus), Spain.

After finishing the internship program of the Magister Lucentinus, Mrs. Leandro joined Duran-Corretjer, Patent and Trademark Agents, in Barcelona, where she worked on clearance, registration and enforcement of Spanish, International and Community Trademarks. A couple of years later, upon returning to Panama, she was offered a position in the Trademark Litigation team of the internationally renowned firm Benedetti & Benedetti, which allowed her to gain substantial knowledge and experience in the prosecution of opposition, cancellation and annulment matters before the specialized commercial courts, while also handling a wide range of IP matters in Panama and abroad.

Mrs. Leandro’s successful efforts in trademark prosecution and litigation have been highlighted by Chambers & Partners, Legal 500, WTR 1000 and Who’s Who Legal.

Her memberships include the Panama Bar Association, the Panamanian Association of Intellectual Property Law – APADEPI, the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property – ASIPI, and the International Trademark Association – INTA (Non-Traditional Marks Committee).

Languages: Spanish, English, Portuguese.

Acknowledgments and Awards

World Trademark Review 1000, ranked individuals – Silver Band 2014-2020
The Legal 500, IP, Next generation lawyers – since 2017
The Legal 500, IP, Panama, 2016
Latin Lawyer 250, Who´s Who Legal Central America, Recommended attorneys – since 2018
Chambers & Partners, Global Guide, IP Ranked lawyer – since 2018
Chambers & Partners, Latin-America Guide, IP Ranked Lawyer – since 2018
Chambers & Partners, IP, Star Associate, 2015-2017
Chambers & Partners, IP, Associates to watch, 2013-2014
World Trademark Review 1000, ranked individuals – Gold Band 2021
IP Stars, Trademark Star, since 2020
Who’s Who Legal, National Leader Central America – Intellectual Property, 2020

When not at the office, you can find Diana at home with her daughters and husband, or running errands.

Ramon Benedetti Alemán   -   Partner

Partner

[email protected]
+507 321-5100 Ext. 309

Mr. Ramon Benedetti Aleman focuses his practice on Intellectual Property and works mainly on trademarks, domain names, licensing, franchising, Banking and Advertising Law.

He has a licentiate degree in Law and Political Science from the Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua in Panama and is an admitted attorney since 2005.

Mr. Benedetti started out his career at an early age, working as a paralegal in the renowned law firm Benedetti and Benedetti, handling a wide range of Intellectual Property matters while attending law school in Panama. After graduation, Ramon continued his studies in the United States, where he obtained a Masters of Laws in Intellectual Property, Commerce and Technology from the Franklin Pierce Center for Intellectual Property, and attended the 19th annual Pierce Law Intellectual Property Summer Institute. He then went on to Ireland, to attend the e-Law Summer Institute at University College Cork.

After completing his studies abroad, Ramon returned to Panama where he practiced for over a decade as an attorney at Benedetti & Benedetti, devoting most of his time to IP, also handling corporate matters for important local and foreign clients, and banking matters for one of the country’s largest banks.

Mr. Benedetti regularly attends IP conferences and is an active member of the International Trademark Association – INTA, the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property – ASIPI (Secretary of the Mediation, Arbitration and Conciliation Committee 2016-2018, National delegate 2013-2015 and 2016-2018), the Panama Bar Association and the Panamanian Association of Intellectual Property Law – APADEPI.

Languages: Spanish and English.

Acknowledgments and awards

World Trademark Review 1000, ranked individuals – Silver Band 2021

When not at the office, you can find Ramon with his family, playing golf or running.

  • Julissa Farah de la Ossa

  • abogada jeanne johnson

    Jeane Johnson J.

    Patent Agent

  • abogada maria restrepo estudio benedetti

    María Teresa Restrepo

  • isabella Pecchio

    Isabella Pecchio Donado

  • Veronica Staff

    Verónica Staff G.

  • Graciela Rodriguez

    Graciela Rodríguez Mudarra

  • Alberto De Ycaza Rodriguez

    Alberto De Ycaza Rodriguez

Julissa Farah de la Ossa   -   

[email protected]
+507 321-5100 Ext. 117

Julissa Farah focuses her practice on intellectual property matters and is responsible for the trademark recordals and renewals department.

She has a licentiate degree in Law and Political Science from the Universidad Católica Santa María la Antigua in Panama and is an admitted attorney since 2012. She also has a Master of Laws – LLM, Postgraduate Certificate with specialization in International Business Law and Postgraduate Diploma with Specialization in International Intellectual Property from the University of London, with academic direction of Queen Mary, University of London and University College London (UCL).

Julissa started her career in a renowned Panamanian law firm, working in the trademark litigation department, where she developed her interest in intellectual property. In 2014 she joined top ranked IP law firm Benedetti & Benedetti, where she headed the recordals and renewals team.

In 2023 she won a scholarship offered by the Inter-American Intellectual Property Association – ASIPI, and the University of New Hampshire, Franklin Pierce School of Law, to attend the Intellectual Property Summer Institute that took place that same year in Silicon Valley, San Francisco.

She has been recognized by some international rating agencies such as The Legal 500 in 2022 and 2023, and mentioned as a Recommended Individual in the Bronze category by WTR 1000 in its 2023 edition.

Languages: Spanish and English.

Publications: ‘Co-Branding Alliances – A Trend for Brand Owners from an IP Practitioner’s Point of View’, April 2023. https://asipi.org/biblioteca/es/download/co-branding-alliances/

When not at the office, you can find Julissa spending time at the beach and singing Karaoke with her family.

abogada jeanne johnson

Jeane Johnson J.   -   Patent Agent

Patent Agent

[email protected]
+507 321-5100 Ext. 109/102

Mrs. Johnson is the team’s patent agent so her work is focused on patents, utility models, industrial designs, and plant varieties, but she also handles regulatory, copyright and data protection matters.

With a licentiate degree in Biology from the Universidad de Panama and a postgraduate course in Intellectual Property Matters from the Universidad Latinoamericana de Ciencia y Tecnología (ULACIT), she has attended various curses and studies in Industrial Property from organizations such as the World Intellectual Property Organization, the European Patent Office, la Secretaría de Integración Económica Centroamericana (SIECA), la Oficina Española de Patentes y Marcas (OEMP), among others.

Mrs. Johnson’s IP-related experience begins with her years as a patent examiner at the Industrial Property Office, where she quickly became the head of the Patent Department. She served as Deputy Director of the Industrial Property Office in several occasions while she was heading the Patent Department.

After having acquired extensive experience and knowledge at the Industrial Property Office, Mrs. Johnson decided to go into private practice and joined the distinguished firm Benedetti & Benedetti as the head of the Patent department, handling a very large patent portfolio and assisting multinational companies in diverse areas of science and technology.

She is a frequent speaker on issues related to patents and has been a technical advisor in Industrial Property matters for the strategic plan of the Convention on Biological Diversity; a technical advisor on patent related matters for Panama in the bilateral and multilateral negotiations for the Free Trade Area of the Americas, and an instructor on Industrial Property matters such as legislation, trademark and patent application and registration process, the TRIPS Agreement and other Intellectual Property related Conventions and International Treaties for universities and governmental organizations.

Memberships: Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property – ASIPI, Panamanian Association of Intellectual Property Law – APADEPI.

Languages: Spanish and English.

Acknowledgments and awards

The Legal 500, IP, Panama – since 2016

When not at the office, you can find Jeane spending time with her family.

abogada maria restrepo estudio benedetti

María Teresa Restrepo   -   

[email protected]
+507 321-5100 Ext. 209

María Teresa Restrepo focuses her practice on intellectual property matters, particularly on trademark litigation, as part of the team that handles oppositions, cancellations and annulment proceedings before specialized courts of law. Her knowledge and experience also includes corporate, immigration and labour matters.

She has a licentiate degree in Law and Political Science from the Universidad Santa María La Antigua in Panama, and a Master’s degree in Intellectual Property from the Universidad Carlos III in Spain.

While still in law school, María Teresa started working at a renowned Panamanian law firm, where she spent one year as a paralegal handling administrative matters and civil procedures before moving on to the intellectual property department, where she focused on trademark prosecution and litigation, first as a paralegal and later as an attorney.

Her desire to specialize in IP made her interrupt her professional practice and travel to Spain, where she had the opportunity to work as an intern in the industrial property department of the law firm Santiago Mediano Abogados, in Madrid. Upon returning to Panama, she worked as an attorney for a local law firm, where aside from IP, she handled a wide range of matters. Later on, she joined the trademark litigation team of Benedetti & Benedetti, a law firm that was internationally renowned for its IP practice.

Memberships: Panama Bar Association; Club Kiwanis Las Perlas de Panama (President, 2016-2017).

Languages: Spanish, English and Italian.

When not at the office, you can find María Teresa traveling, enjoying a good wine with her friends or spending time with her family.

isabella Pecchio

Isabella Pecchio Donado   -   

[email protected]
+507 321-5100 Ext. 417

Isabella focuses her practice on corporate and commercial law and currently leads the Corporate and Commercial Department at Estudio Benedetti.

She holds a Law and Political Science degree from the Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua of Panama, earned in 2013. She also holds a Master’s in Commercial Law from the same university and a Master’s in Intellectual Property and New Technologies from ESADE, Ramon Llull University, in Barcelona, Spain.

Isabella began her career as in-house counsel for major companies in the commercial sector, including supermarket chains and international food franchises. This experience provided her with a practical approach to contractual, regulatory, and compliance matters. In 2018, she transitioned into private legal practice, focusing on the structuring and administration of corporate vehicles, mergers and acquisitions, planning through private interest foundations, as well as the negotiation and drafting of commercial contracts, regulatory compliance, and the design of efficient legal structures.

In 2023, she joined Estudio Benedetti to lead its Corporate and Commercial Department. In 2024, she was recognized by international legal directory Legal 500 for her work as a senior lawyer in the area of Corporate and M&A.

She has advised business groups, family-owned companies, and international clients on the implementation of effective legal strategies, the review of commercial practices, and compliance with local and international regulations.

Languages: Spanish and English.

When not working, Isabella enjoys spending her free time with her family.

Veronica Staff

Verónica Staff G.   -   

[email protected]
+507 321-5100 Ext. 212

Verónica leads Estudio Benedetti’s Regulatory Affairs Department, advising local and international clients on compliance with applicable regulations for products and services in highly regulated sectors. Her professional practice spans corporate, commercial, and regulatory law, complemented by experience in intellectual property, insurance, and real estate.

She holds a Law and Political Science degree from the University of Panama, where she graduated with honors (Sigma Lambda Honor Chapter). She also earned a Master’s in International Business Law and a Diploma in Management & Cross-skills for Legal Professionals, both from ESADE Business and Law School in Spain.

Verónica began her professional career as a legal intern at a local firm specializing in intellectual property while completing her university studies. She later advanced to the roles of attorney and associate at the same firm, marking the beginning of her specialization in key legal areas.

She is known for her ability to lead complex processes involving the acquisition of sanitary registrations, licenses, and permits required for the commercialization of consumer products. Her strategic, risk-preventive approach to regulatory compliance enables her clients to operate with legal certainty in both local and international markets.

Memberships: National Bar Association of Panama
Languages: Spanish and English

When not in the office, Verónica enjoys working out at the gym and spending time with her family and friends.

Graciela Rodriguez

Graciela Rodríguez Mudarra   -   

[email protected]
+507 321-5100 Ext. 109

Graciela is an attorney with a solid background in intellectual property, with a focus on the management and protection of patents, utility models, and industrial designs at both national and international levels. She began her career in this field in 2007 and has since worked with leading Panamanian firms specializing in intellectual property.

She is currently part of the Estudio Benedetti team, where she advises clients on the filing and prosecution of PCT applications, conducts prior art searches, prepares patentability opinions, and handles proceedings before the General Directorate of the Industrial Property Registry. She also has extensive experience in drafting and reviewing agreements related to intangible assets, including assignment and license contracts.

Graciela has complemented her practical experience with specialized training through the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Academy, participating in courses on patents and international intellectual property law. She holds a Law and Political Science degree from the Interamerican University of Panama.

She is known for her meticulous approach, analytical skills, and strong commitment to effectively protecting her clients’ rights.

Memberships: Panamanian Association of Intellectual Property (APADEPI)

In her free time, Graciela enjoys discovering new places with her family, both in the city and on weekend getaways.

Alberto De Ycaza Rodriguez

Alberto De Ycaza Rodriguez   -   

[email protected]
+507 321-5100 Ext. 207

Alberto is part of Estudio Benedetti’s Anti-Piracy Department, where he focuses on managing infringement cases arising from actions initiated by customs authorities and enforcement agencies, as well as civil and commercial litigation involving the unauthorized use of trademarks and trade names. His practice also extends to corporate law, administrative law, intellectual property, and civil, criminal, and commercial litigation.

He earned his Law and Political Science degree from the University of Panama, and later completed a Master’s in Sports Law and Management at the Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economía (ISDE) in Madrid, Spain, which included a professional internship at the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation. He also holds diplomas in Sports Management from the University of Costa Rica, FIFA’s International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES), and the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL).

Over the course of his career, Alberto has gained experience in the public sector at the Ministry of Social Development, as well as in private practice at law firms specializing in banking, corporate, and intellectual property law. He has also advised shipping and logistics companies, major real estate developers across Central America and the Caribbean, and clients in the sports industry, including representation before specialized forums such as the FIFA Football Tribunal.

He is currently a member of the Panamanian Association of Industrial Property Professionals (APADEPI) and serves on the Legal Commission of the Panamanian Olympic Committee.

Languages: Spanish and English.

Outside of work, Alberto enjoys sports and cultural activities, and spending quality time with his family.