Mr Paulo Casagrande > Trench Rossi Watanabe > Porto Alegre, Brazil > Lawyer Profile
Trench Rossi Watanabe Offices

AV. SOLEDADE, 550, ED CARLOS GOMES CENTER
CONJUNTOS 402, 403 E 404 90470-340
PORTO ALEGRE, RS
Brazil
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Mr Paulo Casagrande

Work Department
Antitrust, International Trade
Position
Partner
Career
Paulo Casagrande joined the Firm in early 2020 as the partner in charge of the Antitrust & Competition group. Mr. Casagrande has 20 years of professional experience, both in the private and the public sectors.
At the federal government, he was the first ever Head of the Bid Rigging Unit at the Secretariat of Economic Law of the Brazilian Ministry of Justice (SDE), the agency then in charge of investigating cartels before the reorganization of the Brazilian Competition Defense System in 2012. During his stint at the government, he conducted several investigations together with other enforcement agencies, and also represented the Secretariat at the meetings of the Competition Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris (France).
While in the private bar, Paulo was a partner at leading international and Brazilian Law firms, and has a deep knowledge of several industries and a broad business vision. He has been especially active in the representation of clients before CADE (the Brazilian antitrust agency) in complex merger reviews and investigations of alleged anticompetitive practices. Paulo also accumulates extensive experience in assisting infrastructure and tech companies active in dynamic digital markets.
Languages
English, Portuguese and German
Memberships
Paulo Casagrande has been recognized for his work in Antitrust & Competition by the main legal directories. According to Chambers and Partners, he is “an energetic” and “excellent antitrust lawyer,” who “deals with delicate matters in an efficient way and knows what he is talking about”. By its turn, he is recommended by Who’s Who Legal – Competition as a leading antitrust attorney in Brazil, based on feedback by peers and clients that he “is very able, diligent, easy-going, and extremely well prepared”; “Paulo is doing a brilliant work in building his competition practice. I would definitely recommend him.” Moreover, Legal 500 reports that Casagrande “is a star in competition law; besides his technical knowledge, he is very hands on and committed to the client’s matters”. Finally, Casagrande is also acknowledged by other specialized publications, such as Leaders League, Latin Lawyer 250 and Análise Advocacia.
Academic Background
Education
Paulo Casagrande graduated from the University of São Paulo Law School, the same institution from which he obtained a Doctorate (PhD) degree in Economics and Finance Law. He also holds a double LL.M degree (European Master in Law and Economics – EMLE) from the Universities of Manchester (UK) and Hamburg (Germany), supported by a full scholarship from the European Commission (Erasmus Mundus programme).
He is a visiting researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods (Bonn, Germany) and at Fordham Law School (New York, USA).
Lawyer Rankings
Brazil > International trade
Trench Rossi Watanabe is well placed to advise on a host of trade and customs mandates, from WTO law to cases involving anti-dumping, subsidies, safeguards and public interest analysis proceedings. The department also fields a sub-group dedicated to supply chain arrangements, commercial contracts compliance and other contractual issues. The practice is under the joint leadership of six practitioners: Francisco Niclós Negrão is sought after for his experience in anti-dumping investigations; Rafael Gregorin and Horácio Veiga de Almeida Neto bring tax and customs knowledge to the table; Paulo Casagrande focuses on antitrust matters; Alessandra Machado brings expertise in the technology sector; while Marcia Calafate specialises in supply chain matters.
Brazil > Competition and antitrust
Drawing on an expansive ‘international network of lawyers‘, the antitrust practice at Trench Rossi Watanabe has the ability to handle multijurisdictional merger clearances, and is also often engaged in high-profile investigations before CADE and litigation. The team also assists corporate clients from the consumer goods, pharmaceuticals and automotive sectors, among others, with audits and the development and implementation of antitrust compliance programmes. The group is under the joint leadership of Paulo Casagrande and Francisco Niclós Negrão, both of whom have a wealth of experience in competition law, covering conduct and merger control work. Merger cases and antitrust investigations are core areas of activity for senior associate Andrea Cruz.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
Firm Rankings
- Compliance
- Environment
- Intellectual property
- Labour and employment
- City focus - Porto Alegre > Tax
- Tax > Tax advisory
- Tax > Tax litigation
- TMT: Tech, innovation and digital business
- Capital markets
- Competition and antitrust
- Corporate and M&A: High-end
- Dispute Resolution: Arbitration
- Dispute Resolution: Litigation
- Energy and natural resources > Electricity (and renewable energy)
- Energy and natural resources > Hydrocarbons
- International trade
- Life sciences
- Public law
- Venture capital
- Wealth and succession planning
- Projects and infrastructure
- Restructuring and insolvency
- TMT: Cybersecurity and data privacy
- Banking and finance
- White-collar crime and investigations