Brazil > Banking and finance > Law firm and leading lawyer rankings

The ‘excellent and experienced’ team at Machado Meyer Sendacz e Opice Advogados is highly recommended for banking and finance regulation. Its main clients are banks, such as Banco Bradesco, Banco do Brasil and Itaú Unibanco, other financial institutions and insurers. José Ribeiro do Prado Júnior led advice to ABN AMRO on the amendment and restatement of a facility granted to Allseas, while Renato Gomes Ribeiro Maggio led assistance to PDG Realty on a R$4bn debt restructuring and R$250m new financing. Also recommended are Nei Schilling Zelmanovits, Eduardo Avila de Castro, Adriano Schnur Gabriel Ferreira and José Roberto Opice. Thais de Gobbi and Rafael Carretero made partner, increasing the number of partners in the team to nine.

The 15-partner team at Pinheiro Guimarães – Advogados ‘saves an in-house lawyer’s time by producing perfect drafts’. It is regularly involved in cross-border finance and project finance transactions, and also covers regulatory and compliance matters. The group advised General Motors, as issuer, on a $500m revolving loan facility through bank credit certificates; and assisted the Inter-American Development Bank, as lender, on a R$320m loan granted to Aegea Saneamento e Participações. It also acted for the Brazilian lenders on $400m financing granted to Ford Brasil and Banco Ford, involving a revolving loan facility, bank credit certificates, export credit notes and inter-bank deposits. Plinio Pinheiro Guimarães Neto, Francisco José Pinheiro Guimarães, Ivie Moura Alves and senior partner Francisco Pinheiro Guimarães Neto are recommended along with Fabio Couto, who is ‘a brilliant lawyer, very technical and diligent’.

In a 2016 highlight, Pinheiro Neto Advogados advised Arcos Dourados on a $167m loan transaction entered into with a syndicate of banks led by Citibank. The group also assisted Citigroup Global Markets, as lead arranger, and LATAM Airlines in relation to a $275m revolving credit facility secured by aircraft, aircraft engines and spare parts owned by the airline. Other work saw the team advising Banco Santander on entering into an association with Banque PSA Finance for the offering of financial and insurance products to Peugeot and Citroën brand dealers. Bruno Balduccini and José Luiz Homem de Mello co-lead the ‘accurate and service-oriented’ team, which regularly advises major banks and asset managers. Tiago Araujo Dias Themudo Lessa, Fernando Prado Ferreira and project finance expert José Carlos Meirelles are also recommended. Caio Ferreira Silva and Fernando Mirandez Del Nero Gomes are now partners.

Demarest Advogados ‘will find a way to make the deal happen in the best way for the client’, provides ‘swift replies’, and is noted for its specialist expertise in the agribusiness and automotive sectors. ‘A reference in the market for banking matters’, António Manuel França Aires ‘delivers outstanding results’. He is recommended along with the ‘professional’ Antonio Giglio Neto, senior associate Marcelo Simon Ikeziri and Fabio de Almeida Braga. The last-mentioned led advice to Hyundai on setting up a joint venture with Aymoré and Santander Brasil, as intervening party, to constitute Banco Hyundai Capital Brasil for car financings, and an insurance brokerage company for consumers and Hyundai dealerships. Other work included financings, debt restructurings and hedging transactions.

While best known for its project finance work, Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. e Quiroga Advogados provides a broad range of services, and is ‘well-versed in banking regulation’. A recent highlight was advising Goldman Sachs on financing a receivables fund to settle obligations of Nubank’s cardholders with merchants, and to enable the acquisition of credit card receivables from Nubank. The group also advised Banco do Brasil, Itaú Unibanco and Banco da Amazônia on the project financing of the construction of a R$950m waterway logistics project. In São Paulo, José Eduardo Carneiro Queiroz, Marina Anselmo Schneider and the ‘knowledgeable’ Renato Schermann Ximenes de Melo are recommended. Rio de Janeiro based Pablo Sorj is the name to note for project finance.

In 2016, Cescon, Barrieu, Flesch & Barreto Advogados was particularly busy advising both banks and concessionaires on infrastructure financings for the construction and maintenance of highways and toll roads. Other work saw the team advising Delta Air Lines on the renegotiation of a reimbursement agreement with Gol to reflect further guarantees granted for maintenance and operational agreements. The firm recently promoted Ana Paula Calil, Daniel Laudisio and Eduardo Abrantes, increasing the number of partners in the team to 12. Particularly notable are Alexandre Gossn Barreto, Joaquim José Aceturi de Oliveira, Ronald Herscovici and, in Rio de Janeiro, founding partner Maurício Teixeira dos Santos.

Veirano Advogados’ ‘efficient’ team is appreciated for its ‘short response times’ and ‘thorough work’. It drew on its extensive cross-border financing expertise to advise JPMorgan Chase administrative agent on entering into a $1.5bn revolving credit agreement with borrower Alcoa. On the borrower side, it acted for TIM Brasil on a $150m financing extended by KfW IPEX-Bank, as facility agent, and Finnish Export Credit, as lender. Other clients include Banco Santander, Bank of China, Credit Suisse and HSBC. Practice head Marcelo Mattos is noted for his ‘excellent track record and expertise’, with Ana Carolina Barretto also recommended.

Camila Goldberg leads BMA – Barbosa, Müssnich, Aragão’s ‘business-oriented’ banking and finance team, which has particular strength advising borrowers in financing transactions. It recently advised Rede D’Or São Luiz on a $85m loan transaction with JPMorgan Chase. On the debt restructuring side, it assisted Paranapanema in the restructuring of R$2.5bn of debt, and advised BHP Billiton on the restructuring of Samarco Mineração’s $4bn of debt. Project finance is another mainstay. Rafael D’Avilla Dutra and Anna Carolina de Oliveira Malta are recommended.

Debt renegotiations kept Stocche Forbes Advogados busy in 2016; among its highlights, it advised AES Sul on renegotiating R$1.25bn of debt with five creditors, and assisted Banco do Brasil, Banco Santander, Banco Itaú and ING Bank in restructuring debts of Queiroz Galvão Energia. The group is also experienced in project finance, and recently negotiated a R$838m long-term credit agreement with BNDES on behalf of Casa dos Ventos for the financing of a wind farm. Within the eight-partner team, Paulo Padis, Henrique Bonjardim Filizzola and Marcos Canecchio Ribeiro are recommended, and Guilherme Forbes is an ‘excellent negotiator’.

TozziniFreire Advogados’ five-partner team is highly rated for advising borrowers, including large Brazilian and multinational corporations, on loan and derivatives agreements. It advised TAM Linhas Aéreas on obtaining a $200m loan from Citibank, and assisted F&S Agri Solutions in obtaining a $50m loan for the construction of Brazil’s first corn ethanol plant. Showcasing its cross-border capabilities, the group also advised French development bank Proparco on extending a $60m loan to Biosev. Antonio Felix de Araujo Cintra is recommended along with the ‘very attentive’ Rodrigo de Campos Vieira and the ‘skilled’ Alexei Bonamin.

Combining ‘legal expertise and business knowledge to get all deals done’, Campos Mello Advogados is increasingly active for international lenders such as China Construction Bank, Banco Santander and Deutsche Bank; the group advised the latter client on the negotiation with TMF Brasil Administração e Gestão de Ativos of a framework agreement for the assignment of its trust services agreements. The group, which is led by Roberto Vianna do Rego Barros, has carved out a strong practice in non-performing loan transactions. Associate Jorge Luiz Gallo is also recommended. Silvia Rajsfeld Fiszman has left the firm.

Dias Carneiro Advogados serves a roster of energy-sector clients and international banks. Practice head Thiago Vallandro Flores and the ‘business-savvy’ Ricardo Sanches have outstanding project finance expertise, and this was reinforced by the addition of Ricardo Assaf from Renova Energia. Recent work examples include advising Voltalia on the financing of wind farms through a bridge loan from BNP Paribas and Banco Santander, and assisting the Inter-American Development Bank in extending a $300m loan to paper producer Klabin for the development and construction of a biomass complex.

Lefosse Advogados covers structured and project finance transactions and domestic and cross-border banking work, as well as advising foreign financial institutions on setting up operations in Brazil. Renata Cardoso’s team includes Roberto Zarour Filho, who joined from Banco Itaú BBA in October 2016, and Ricardo Prado.

Levy & Salomão advises a strong roster of domestic and international financial institutions on lending agreements, debt renegotiations, foreign investments and structured financings. On the regulatory side, the group recently advised Banco Rodobens on new financial products, and Elo Serviços concerning payment system regulation. It also advised Banco Santander on the formation of financial and insurance brokerage entities together with a major Asian car manufacturer. Project finance is another area of focus. Eduardo Salomão Neto leads the team and is recommended along with Luiz Roberto de Assis, who has niche expertise in aircraft leasing matters.

Lobo de Rizzo Advogados’ banking and finance team saw some changes in 2016, with Milton Pinatti joining from Tauil & Chequer Advogados in association with Mayer Brown and Felipe Eluf Creazzo leaving for K&L Gates. The other partner in the team, Fabrizio de Oliveira Sasdelli, led advice to Itaú Unibanco and Rabobank on an issuance of export credit bills worth R$100m by Óleoplan. Another highlight was advising Vossko do Brasil Alimentos Congelados on entering into a €400m syndicated facilities agreement with Deutsche Bank as arranger and security agent. The group also acted on several debt restructurings.

Particularly noted for its structured finance expertise, Perlman Vidigal Godoy Advogados delivers ‘excellent client service’. It recently advised Empírica Investimentos and Nubank, and (in a separate instruction) XP Investimentos, Integral Investimentos and CREDZ, on the structuring of receivables investment funds. The team is also increasingly active in the structuring of online banking businesses. Name partners Marcelo Giovanni Perlman and the ‘knowledgeable, disciplined, serious and reliable’ Rubens de Camargo Vidigal Neto are recommended.

Eduardo Lima’s banking and finance team at Tauil & Chequer Advogados in association with Mayer Brown specialises in syndicated loan transactions. It recently handled several debt restructurings, such as advising Banco Santander, Banco Bradesco and Itaú Unibanco on the amendment of Enfil’s banking credit certificates and collateral agreements for R$152m in debt. Other work included assisting Atlantic Offshore in the financing of three vessels, and advising GE Energy Financial Services, as guarantor, on a R$600m bridge loan for the construction of 14 wind farms. The firm’s client roster includes many large banks, such as Banco do Brasil, Banco Votorantim and BNP Paribas.

With ‘a very high service level’, Cascione, Pulino, Boulos & Santos Advogados ‘finds a viable solution for every problem’. Recent work includes several debt restructurings; advising Ferrous Resources on a R$48m secured transaction with Itaú Unibanco, and assisting Google’s Brazilian payment service in relation to foreign exchange matters. The ‘smart, reactive, well-prepared and market-oriented’ Marcos Pulino and the ‘clear and smart’ Fábio Cascione are the two partners on the team.

Felsberg Advogados, under the lead of senior partner Maria da Graça Pedretti, is particularly recommended for project finance.

Acting on both the borrower and lender sides, KLA-Koury Lopes Advogados was recently retained to advise on debt renegotiations, refinancings and regulatory matters. Among its 2016 highlights, it advised one of the arrangers, National Australia Bank, on the accession of two Brazilian companies into a syndicated facility agreement. The ‘detail-oriented’ Fernanda Levy and the ‘helpful’ Ricardo Higashitani are the key names.

Trench Rossi Wanatabe’s advice, particularly on regulatory matters, is ‘concise and business-oriented’. The team advises domestic and international banks as well as borrowers, and has a growing practice in relation to new payment services.

Carolina Secches is ‘efficient, objective and technically excellent’, and the ‘savvy’ Luís Alberto Laboissière Ambrósio is ‘very able to handle complex work’. José Augusto Martins and Helen Naves complete the four-partner team.