Marco Williams

Marco Williams De Souza, Esq.
Founding Partner, Williams & Associates

Marco Williams De Souza is the Founding Partner of Williams & Associates, a boutique Panamanian law firm established in 2009, recognized for its excellence in legal services in areas such as arbitration, commercial and corporate law, maritime law, immigration, estate planning, and real estate. Over more than three decades of legal practice, he has built an extensive international career distinguished by his ability to combine legal precision with strategic vision in complex transnational matters throughout Panama and the Latin American region, including CARICOM and the Dominican Republic.
He began his professional career as Legal and Labor Director at the National Port Authority of Panama, where he contributed to the drafting and creation of the Panamanian Maritime Authority and played a leading role in reviewing the country’s maritime legislation. Later, he became the Founding Director of the Center for Arbitration and Conciliation of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Panama, a project supported by the Inter-American Development Bank that strengthened the country’s institutional framework for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

Between 2002 and 2006, Mr. Williams De Souza joined Patton Boggs, LLP in Washington, D.C., one of the most prestigious law and public policy firms in the United States, as Of Counsel. In that capacity, he served as Senior Consultant for Latin America and the Caribbean, coordinating major regional initiatives, including advisory roles for the Government of the Dominican Republic in the implementation of energy policies and its Free Trade Agreement with the United States, and for Trinidad and Tobago in the design of the “Vision 20-20” national development plan. He was also appointed liaison between Patton Boggs and several Latin American governments, overseeing high-level negotiations on energy, infrastructure, and international cooperation projects.

His experience extends beyond the private sector. From 2006 to 2007, he served as Legal Advisor to the Minister of Health of Panama, managing international agreements and programs such as the U.S.–Panama health cooperation initiative led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create a rapid response program in the event of a potential Avian Influenza pandemic. Earlier in his career, he also served as Legal Consultant to multiple presidents and senior government officials across Latin America and the CARICOM region, providing counsel on governance, trade, and institutional modernization.

Mr. Williams De Souza earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Law and Political Science from the University of Panama in 1988, followed by a Specialization in International Commercial Law and Arbitration from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1989. He later pursued advanced studies in Private International Law at The Hague and Geneva and has lectured as a pro bono professor at the University of Panama in the field of International Commercial Arbitration.
Throughout his career, he has been a frequent speaker at major international conferences, including the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) “Day of the New York Convention” programs in Vienna and New York, the American Arbitration Association–LCIA Joint Conference in Washington, D.C., and multiple World Bank–sponsored colloquia on international arbitration. His professional memberships include the Panama Bar Association, the International Bar Association, and the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA), and he has been named an Honorary Member of the Bar Association of Costa Rica.

Today, Mr. Williams De Souza continues to lead Williams & Associates, providing high-level legal counsel to corporations, family offices, and institutional clients in Panama and abroad. His career reflects a rare combination of legal expertise, international experience, and personal integrity—values that have earned him recognition as one of Panama’s most respected legal professionals in the fields of arbitration and international commercial law.

In today’s challenging global environment, he believes in advancing a forward-looking approach through innovative business and legal solutions tailored to meet the needs of both emerging generations and active retirees seeking opportunities to expand and protect their assets—constantly renewing the firm’s vision toward excellence and adaptability.

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