Panamá · Maritime Courts · No fee unless we win

Your contract says London. Our courts may say Panama.

If you were injured at sea, denied proper medical care, left unpaid, or lost a family member aboard a vessel, you may not have to fight in London or New York. We evaluate whether the claim can be brought to Panama, where there may be no upfront fees, fast maritime procedure, and real vessel-arrest leverage when the ship reaches Canal transit or port call.

Send your contract on WhatsApp Call +507-6080-3634 Get a confidential review

Panama counsel

Filed and led by a Panamanian maritime lawyer

No upfront fees

True contingency for qualifying cases

Remote intake

WhatsApp, phone, email, photos, voice notes

Urgent matters

Built for vessel movement and time-sensitive filing

Fee

No win, no fee

Jurisdiction

Panama maritime courts

Vessels

Tankers, containers, cruise, offshore

Languages

English, Spanish, with multilingual intake support

Who We Help

Built for seafarers and families who need answers in plain language.

This page is designed for crew members and relatives dealing with injury, delayed medical care, death at sea, unpaid wages, or abandonment. We know these cases often begin on an old phone, weak shipboard Wi-Fi, and under pressure from the company.

Crew worldwide

Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Eastern European, and Latin American seafarers

We speak directly to the real intake problem: documents scattered across phones, agencies, relatives, and vessel movement that can change quickly.

Families

Spouses, parents, children, and siblings after a serious injury or death

If the crew member is hospitalized, recovering at home, or has died, we can work with the family and explain the next step clearly.

Intake support

English and Spanish, with multilingual intake support

We can organize intake support for Tagalog, Hindi, Bahasa Indonesia, Russian, and other languages when the case needs it.

Tanker crew Container ship crew Cruise ship crew Engine and deck crew Hospitalized seafarers Families at home

Why Panama

A contract clause should not decide your life after a serious injury.

If you arbitrate in London or New York

Expensive, distant, and tilted toward delay

Standard crew contracts often push seafarers into private forums chosen by the company. For an injured worker or grieving family, that usually means cost, distance, and pressure to accept less.

×Private arbitration chosen in a non-negotiated adhesion contract.
×Travel, translation, and document costs can become overwhelming.
×Cases can move slowly while medical bills and family expenses grow.
×Pressure to settle before the full injury picture is clear.
×No immediate leverage against the ship itself.
×Proceedings feel remote and hard to follow from shipboard Wi-Fi.

If we bring your case to Panama

Fast procedure, contingency fees, and vessel arrest leverage

Panamanian maritime courts treat these clauses as non-negotiated adhesion terms in personal injury matters and decline to enforce them. That can open a direct path to Panama.

✓We challenge the arbitration clause before Panamanian maritime courts.
✓No upfront legal fees. We work on a true contingency basis.
✓Fast oral procedure designed for active maritime disputes.
✓Ability to arrest the vessel during Canal transit or port call.
✓Remote handling by WhatsApp, phone, email, and scanned documents.
✓Clear strategy from a Panamanian maritime lawyer who files in Panama.

Adrián Navarro

When a seafarer is hurt, the legal answer must be practical, fast, and strong enough to move the shipowner to the table.

Adrián Navarro is a Panamanian maritime lawyer and partner at Navarro & Navarro LLP. This page exists for one reason: to give injured seafarers and their families a direct route to Panama maritime litigation when standard arbitration clauses try to send them somewhere else.

We focus on what matters to the client first: can the case be brought to Panama, can it be handled remotely, is there vessel-arrest leverage, and can the family understand the process quickly. If the answer is yes, we move fast.

Adrián Navarro Navarro & Navarro LLP · Panama City

Cases We Handle

Built for the claims seafarers and families need to move now.

Case 01

Shipboard personal injury

Falls, crush injuries, line handling injuries, burns, toxic exposure, unsafe equipment, and serious onboard accidents.

Case 02

Wrongful death / surviving families

If a seafarer died at sea or after delayed treatment, we help spouses, parents, children, and siblings evaluate next steps.

Case 03

Unpaid wages & abandonment

Claims involving withheld salary, unpaid allotments, repatriation failures, and crew left without support.

Case 04

Cruise ship crew claims

Kitchen, engine, housekeeping, deck, and entertainment crew injuries involving cruise operators and staffing chains.

Case 05

Shipboard medical negligence

Ignored symptoms, delayed evacuation, bad onboard medical decisions, and failures after reporting pain or trauma.

Case 06

Long-term disability

Back injuries, orthopedic damage, brain injury, chronic pain, and conditions that end a seagoing career.

Process

A clear four-step path from first message to resolution.

Step 01

Message us

Send your contract, medical records, discharge papers, photos, or a short voice note by WhatsApp or email.

Step 02

Free case review

We assess jurisdiction, the arbitration clause, vessel movement, and the best moment to file in Panama.

Step 03

We file and arrest

If the case fits, we file in Panama and move to arrest the vessel during Canal transit or port call when appropriate.

Step 04

Settlement or trial

We push for practical recovery. If settlement is not fair, we prepare the case for Panama maritime court.

FAQ

Straight answers for injured crew and families making a serious decision.

Do I pay anything upfront?

No. For qualifying matters we work on a true contingency basis. If we take the case, our fee is tied to recovery, not to asking an injured seafarer or grieving family to fund litigation up front.

My contract says London or New York arbitration. Can you still help?

Yes. That is the first issue we examine. Panamanian maritime courts treat standard seafarer arbitration clauses as non-negotiated adhesion clauses in personal injury cases and decline to enforce them. That is the opening that can move the dispute out of a distant private forum and into Panama.

Does the vessel flag matter?

It matters, but it does not decide the case by itself. We also look at the contract, employer structure, medical facts, vessel itinerary, and whether the ship can be reached in Panama at the right moment.

What does ship arrest mean?

Ship arrest is a court measure that detains the vessel as security for the claim. In the right case, it changes the negotiating balance immediately because delay costs the shipowner money the moment the vessel is stopped in Panama.

Can you handle my case if I am not in Panama?

Yes. Most seafarer clients and families are abroad. We can review contracts, medical records, photos, and voice notes remotely, and we can explain each step by WhatsApp, phone, or email.

How long does a Panama maritime case take?

Every case is different, but Panama offers a fast oral maritime procedure. The real timing depends on the evidence, the defendant response, vessel movement, and whether pressure from filing or arrest creates an early settlement opportunity.

Can my employer retaliate if I ask for a review?

You can ask for a confidential review before deciding anything. We can discuss timing, evidence, medical steps, and how to protect your position before a formal filing is made.

Do you support seafarers who speak other languages?

Yes. We work in English and Spanish and can organize multilingual intake support for seafarers and families who need help communicating clearly. The goal is simple: get the facts fast and reduce mistakes at intake.

Free Case Review

If the vessel is moving, the hospital is waiting, or the family needs answers, send the case by WhatsApp now.

Slow connection is fine. A short message, contract photo, medical summary, discharge paper, or voice note is enough to start. You do not need a perfect file before reaching out. Just WhatsApp +507-6080-3634 and send whatever you have now.

WhatsApp 24/7

+507-6080-3634

Best for urgent injuries, deaths at sea, vessel movement, and sending ship documents directly from your phone.

adrian@nnalaw.com

Use email for contracts, records, photos, agency communications, and longer case summaries.

Phone

+507-6080-3634

Call if the vessel is approaching Panama, if a deadline is urgent, or if a family member needs to speak with a lawyer directly.

Office

Isaac Hanono Street, Oceania Business Center, Tower 2000, Office 42 A, Panama City

Navarro & Navarro LLP · Panama maritime litigation counsel · Parent corporate practice at nnalaw.com

Request a confidential case review

Send the core facts now. We can ask for the rest after we review urgency, jurisdiction, and vessel movement.

Name

Vessel

Language

Message

Submitting this form or messaging us does not create an attorney-client relationship until we confirm representation. Early contact helps us assess urgency, preserve leverage, and advise you on the next practical step.