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More and more foreigners planning a move to Panama no longer look for a lawyer on Google: they ask an AI assistant. The answer they get depends on which pages the engine finds and how it reads them. Radar Panamá set out to measure that result with a repeatable method. This is the first study in the Radar AI series, which will be updated every quarter.
How the study was done
Two AI assistants with real-time search and no paid subscription were used: Perplexity and Brave AI (the summary generated by the Brave search engine). Microsoft Copilot was left out because it requires an account to answer, and ChatGPT and Gemini will be added in the next edition.
Each engine was asked the same ten questions, five in Spanish and five in English, written the way a real person would type them:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Qué abogado migratorio me recomiendas en Panamá? | Best immigration lawyers in Panama |
| Mejores firmas de abogados de inmigración en Panamá | Which law firm should I hire for Panama residency? |
| ¿Qué abogados recomiendan para tramitar la residencia en Panamá siendo extranjero? | Recommended lawyers for the Friendly Nations visa in Panama |
| Abogados recomendados para la visa de Países Amigos en Panamá | Panama Qualified Investor visa lawyer recommendation |
| ¿Con qué abogado tramito la residencia de inversionista calificado en Panamá? | Who helps foreigners get residency in Panama? Which lawyers do expats recommend? |
Every firm or lawyer named in the answer was recorded, together with the order in which it appeared. A firm counts once per answer even if repeated in the text. The queries were run on September 26, 2026 from Panama, with no prior history in the session. Two of the 20 answers named no firm at all: Brave on the Qualified Investor question in Spanish, and Brave on “Best immigration lawyers in Panama”, where it showed results without a summary.
Mentions ranking
The table orders firms by the number of answers in which they appear, out of a maximum of 20. The columns separate engine and language so it is clear where each one shows up.
| # | Firm | Mentions | Perplexity ES / EN | Brave ES / EN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kraemer & Kraemer | 16 | 4 / 5 | 3 / 4 |
| 2 | Quijano & Associates | 8 | 2 / 5 | 1 / 0 |
| 3 | NDM Law Firm | 7 | 3 / 2 | 2 / 0 |
| 4 | International Relocation Firm | 6 | 2 / 1 | 1 / 2 |
| 5 | Immigration Visa 247 | 6 | 0 / 0 | 3 / 3 |
| 6 | Legalys | 5 | 4 / 1 | 0 / 0 |
| 7 | PGS Attorneys | 5 | 0 / 2 | 2 / 1 |
| 8 | Ortega & Rivers (Julissa Ortega) | 5 | 1 / 0 | 4 / 0 |
| 9 | Panama Legal Center | 5 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 4 |
| 10 | Morgan & Morgan | 4 | 2 / 0 | 2 / 0 |
| 11 | Chen Lee & Asociados | 4 | 0 / 0 | 4 / 0 |
| 12 | Agroup Consulting | 4 | 0 / 0 | 1 / 3 |
| 13 | Gómez Tomiczek | 4 | 1 / 1 | 0 / 2 |
| 14 | Miranda & Contreras | 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 0 |
| 15 | PANLEB (Panama Legal Business) | 2 | 1 / 0 | 1 / 0 |
| 16 | Mata & Pitti | 2 | 1 / 0 | 1 / 0 |
| 17 | Molina & Co. | 2 | 1 / 0 | 1 / 0 |
| 18 | Williams Law Panama | 2 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 |
| 19 | Paralelaw | 2 | 0 / 0 | 2 / 0 |
| 20 | Arispe Abogado | 2 | 1 / 0 | 1 / 0 |
| 21 | Abogados FP | 2 | 1 / 0 | 1 / 0 |
| 22 | The Independent Lawyer | 2 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 |
Another 24 firms and lawyers appeared with a single mention: ARIFA, Arias, Caballero Méndez & Candanedo, Caporaso & Partners, Corró Fernández & Asociados, EIP & Associates, FDR Abogados, Galindo Arias & López, GDA (Alfredo Dajer Guerra), Harvey Law Group, J. Quijano Abogados, Julisa Jaramillo, Kery Cruz, Lamboglia Law Office, Legal Solutions Panamá, Legalia Panamá, LOVILL, Motta Yaafar & Díaz, Nelson Carreyó Collazos, Panama Relocation Firm, Pardini & Asociados, PTY Lawyers (Kathyel Ferguson), Rjav & Asociados and Rodríguez Arrocha.
What the AI highlighted about each firm
Beyond the count, the engines gave reasons. Kraemer & Kraemer was recommended for its offices outside the capital; Quijano & Associates for combining immigration with corporate work; NDM for its focus on relocation; and Legal Solutions Panamá was singled out by Perplexity, in the Friendly Nations question, as “a useful option if you value published fees from the start”, for posting its fee breakdown and document requirements openly. Transparency of published information is, in itself, a reason the AI gives for recommending a firm.
Perplexity and Brave do not recommend the same firms
The two engines agree only at the top. Perplexity favours firms with detailed service pages and a presence in legal directories: Legalys appears in 5 of its 10 answers and Quijano in 7, while Brave never names Legalys. Brave, which summarises its own search results, leans on local directories and reviews: Immigration Visa 247 and Chen Lee & Asociados add up to 10 mentions in Brave and none in Perplexity.
The explanation lies in the sources. Perplexity frequently cited Legal 500, Primerus, Best Lawyers and the firms’ own websites; Brave cited abogadospanama.net, Lawzana, Reddit threads and the same websites. A firm that wants to appear in both needs to be present in both kinds of source.
Spanish and English: two different maps
Of the 46 firms mentioned, 22 appear only when the question is asked in Spanish, 15 only in English and just 9 in both languages. Among those with two or more mentions, nine are Spanish-only (Morgan & Morgan, Chen Lee, Julissa Ortega, Paralelaw, Arispe, Abogados FP, PANLEB, Mata & Pitti and Molina) and four are English-only (Miranda & Contreras, Williams Law, The Independent Lawyer and Panama Legal Center). Only Kraemer, Quijano, NDM, International Relocation Firm, Immigration Visa 247, Legalys, PGS, Agroup and Gómez Tomiczek cross the language line.
The pattern is clear: firms serving English-speaking retirees and expats have English content and show up in English; firms with a local tradition show up in Spanish. A client asking in English from the United States or Canada receives a different list from a Colombian or Venezuelan asking in Spanish.
What happens by visa type
Generic question
“Which lawyer do you recommend” produces long lists of 5 to 10 firms with the same warning: there is no official ranking, compare three and check the licence.
Friendly Nations
The most productive question: 18 different firms across both languages. It is the visa with the most published service pages, and AI reflects that.
Qualified Investor
The emptiest. Brave named nobody in Spanish and Perplexity named four firms in Spanish and five in English. It is the widest-open gap for anyone who publishes specific content.
Expat recommendations
In English, Perplexity went to Reddit and surfaced names that appear in no other answer: Lamboglia, GDA, PTY Lawyers. Communities carry weight.
Why one firm appears and another does not
Reviewing what the engines cited in each answer, five factors keep coming up. They do not guarantee a mention, but every firm with four or more mentions meets at least three:
- One page per visa type, not a generic “immigration” page. Kraemer has separate pages for Friendly Nations, Qualified Investor and Pensionado, and was cited in every specific question.
- An English version of the website. Without it, the firm disappears from half of the queries.
- Published verifiable data: address, phone, name of the responsible lawyer, document requirements and, in some cases, fees. Perplexity explicitly highlighted firms “with published fees”.
- Presence in directories and communities: Legal 500, Best Lawyers and Primerus for Perplexity; Lawzana, abogadospanama.net and Reddit for Brave.
- Offices outside the capital. Kraemer and NDM were recommended several times “if you will live in Boquete or Bocas del Toro”. It is an argument AI uses to differentiate.
“I cannot personally vouch for the quality of any firm, but these are options with a public presence and services expressly focused on Panamanian residency.”
Limits of the study
- It measures visibility, not quality. A firm appearing means the AI found enough public information about it. It says nothing about approval rates or service.
- Answers change. The same engines may give different lists another day. That is why the series will be repeated every quarter with the same questions.
- Two engines. ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot may have other preferences. They will be added in the next edition.
- No sponsorship. No firm was consulted or paid to appear. Firms that are commercially supported content clients of Radar Panamá appear exactly where the engines placed them.
Residency, company and bank account with a single firm?
Legal Solutions Panamá, a law firm based in Panama City led by Kathia Rivera, with more than ten years of experience and clients from more than 55 nationalities, processes Panama’s residency permits and accompanies the foreigner through the corporate and banking side of the process.
Frequently asked questions
Which immigration lawyer does AI recommend in Panama?
Kraemer & Kraemer is the firm most recommended by Perplexity and Brave AI: it appeared in 16 of 20 answers in the Radar Panamá study. It is followed by Quijano & Associates, NDM Law Firm, International Relocation Firm and Immigration Visa 247.
Does AI recommend the same firms in Spanish and English?
No. Only 9 of the 46 firms appear in both languages. Morgan & Morgan, Chen Lee or Julissa Ortega show up only in Spanish; Panama Legal Center or Agroup Consulting almost only in English.
Does appearing on the list mean the firm is better?
No. It means the AI found enough consistent public information about it. The study measures visibility, not legal quality or outcomes.
How can a firm appear in AI answers?
With one page per visa type, an English version, published verifiable data (responsible lawyer, address, requirements), presence in directories such as Legal 500 or Lawzana, and mentions in communities such as Reddit.
Will the study be repeated?
Yes. Radar AI will be updated every quarter with the same questions, and the next edition will add ChatGPT and Gemini.
Related articles
- Best immigration lawyers in Panama according to Google reviews
- Residency in Panama by investment: the three routes compared
- Interview with Kathia Rivera: incorporating a company in Panama as a foreigner
Sources
- Radar Panamá, log of 121 observations in Perplexity and Brave AI, September 26, 2026. Literal questions in the methodology section.
- Perplexity and Brave Search, answers generated with web search.
- National Immigration Service of Panama, residency categories.
- Image: Growtika on Unsplash, free licence.
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