Firm Profile > TozziniFreire Advogados > Sao Paulo, Brazil

Competition and antitrust Tier 1

A 'go-to firm' for antitrust and competition, TozziniFreire Advogados impresses with its 'high work quality and responsiveness', and is also praised for its 'commitment to diversity'. The team 'provides excellent and ethical legal representation' for its clients, which include major multinational companies. The scope of the practice is broad, and it stands out in particular for its experience with leniency negotiations. The firm's leading compliance and anti-corruption practice is another draw. Guilherme Ribas, who joined from Mundie e Advogados in 2018, is 'exceptionally approachable and responsive'. Marcelo Calliari is noted for his 'excellent standing with the agencies, humility and ability to listen'. He has 'surrounded himself with an amazing team of talented partners and lawyers', including Tatiana Lins Cruz and Patricia Bandouk Carvalho, who made partner in 2019. Vivian Fraga is also recommended.

Compliance Tier 1

TozziniFreire Advogados' leading compliance and investigation practice 'has great depth in its analysis and conduct of projects'. The firm was among the first to establish a dedicated group, and it now fields a large team of experts in compliance, anti-corruption, regulatory and criminal enforcement. Many of its clients have been working with the firm for years or decades, though it also continues to attract new clients, including in the tech and life sciences sectors. In November 2018, the firm announced the creation of the Latin American Compliance & Investigation League (LACIL), an initiative to bring together leading players in the compliance field and share best practices. Recent highlights for the department include conducting an internal investigation for a large Brazilian company following a whistleblower and media allegations; Renata Muzzi Gomes de Almeida and 'natural leader' Shin Jae Kim led the work. Giovanni Paolo Falcetta and Karla Lini Maeji are also key contacts.

Corporate and M&A Tier 1

The ‘well-qualified’ lawyers at TozziniFreire Advogados are ‘very responsive’ and ‘seek to know the client and the client’s expectations’. The team acts for buyers and sellers and investment banks as financial advisors in large transactions across numerous industries. Its impressive track record in private equity and venture capital deals is of particular note. In a recent highlight, Mauro Guizeline and Francisco Eumene Machado de Oliveira Neto advised Votorantim, one of the controlling shareholders of Fibria, on the sale of its stake in the company to Suzano Papel e Celulose. Elsewhere, Marcela Waksman Ejnisman advised McCain Foods on the acquisition of 49% of Forno de Minas Alimentos, which represented the company’s first acquisition in Brazil, while Marcio Mello Silva Baptista acted for Hainan Airlines on the sale of part of its equity stake in Azul to United Airlines. Martin Miralles Pose heads the practice, which includes João Busin, Luiz Renato Okumura, Claudia Muniz Levasier Mahler and the ‘outstanding’ Maria Elisa Gualandi Verri. Senior associates making a mark in the team include Silvia Martins de Castro Cunha Zono.

Electricity Tier 1

TozziniFreire Advogados’ comprehensive practice covers the waterfront on energy-related matters, with its recent experience spanning corporate finance, M&A, project development and regulation. Among its highlights, Pedro Seraphim, who leads the group, continued to advise key client Norte Energia on the construction of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant, which will be the third-largest hydroelectric project in the world when completed. Other representative clients include CEE Power, CPPIB and Renova Energia. Heloísa Scaramucci left to establish her own firm in mid-2018, before subsequently joining Perlman Vidigal Godoy Advogados.

Labour and employment Tier 1

TozziniFreire Advogados 'will always look one step further and bring innovative solutions'. Its wide-ranging expertise encompasses employment litigation before the superior courts, union negotiations, labour and social security compliance and pensions. Combining the firm's expertise in technology and labour law, it implemented Direito do Trabalho 4.0, a programme to address issues such as data protection, social media and disruptive tech and their impacts on employment. With 'outstanding technical and practical knowledge', Fernanda Bianco Pimentel is 'always available to support the client in a variety of topics'. She and Alexandre de Almeida Cardoso are 'among the top strategists when it comes to negotiating with unions, both in court and out of court'. Roberto Pierri Bersch is also recommended. Marcelo Pereira Gômara and Mihoko Sirley Kimura are also key contacts.

Capital markets Tier 2

TozziniFreire Advogados’ capital markets practice strikes a good balance between equity and debt work. In a recent equity highlight, department head Alexei Bonamin paired up with Fabíola Augusta Cavalcanti to advise Banrisul, and its subsidiary Banrisul Cartões, on the latters IPO — including the regulatory aspects. On the debt side, Bonamin assisted Gaia Cred II Companhia Securitizadora de Créditos Financeiros with two offerings of debentures worth R$5m, which represented Brazil’s first public offering of social bonds. On the manager side, the firm advised the initial purchasers (Morgan Stanley, UBS Securities and Banco Bradesco BBI) and the collateral agent (TMF Brasil Administração e Gestão de Ativos) on Unigel Luxembourg’s $200m notes offering - Kenneth Antunes Ferreira teamed up with Bonamin and Cavalcanti on that deal.

Dispute resolution (including White-collar crime) Tier 2

TozziniFreire Advogados fields a team of 'outstanding lawyers' who are 'responsible, efficient and capable' in addition to being 'very prompt and respectful'. It acts for household name corporations in a range of litigation, arbitration and mediation. The firm also has a substantial white collar crime practice, now under the leadership of Isadora Fingermann following the departure of Ludmila Leite Groch to Lefosse Advogados in July 2019. Crisis management is an area of strength. Luis Renato Ferreira da Silva 'is the kind of lawyer that makes the difference in a case', and Rafael Medeiros Mimica 'provides commercially responsive advice on contentious matters'. Fernando Eduardo Serec, Gabriela Vitiello Wink, and newly promoted partners Guilherme Carneiro Monteiro Nitschke and Lucas Britto Mejias are also recommended. Pedro Bento de Faria is a key associate in the arbitration department.

Environment Tier 2

Next to environmental licensing, administrative and judicial procedures, the 'excellent' team at TozziniFreire Advogados is also experienced with pre-acquisition and compliance due diligences. Such transactional work includes assisting McCain Foods with the acquisition of Forno de Minas Alimentos and advising Merck on the sale of its consumer health business. Bianca Bilton Signorini Antacli has 'excellent regulatory knowledge'. 'Business-oriented' practice head Adriana Mathias Baptista's 'experience is an asset when it comes to environmental risk assessment'.

Projects and infrastructure Tier 2

TozziniFreire Advogados has an 'excellent network and reputation', and is 'capable of mobilising a large scope of competencies on a sole project'. The team assisted development finance institution Proparco on the granting of a €90m loan to Enel Green Power for a photovoltaic power plant. The group regularly advises Saab and gained Acciona as a new client. Antonio Felix de Araujo Cintra handles project finance matters; the 'dedicated and professional' Pedro Seraphim approaches projects from the corporate perspective; and Claudia Elena Bonelli adds public law expertise to infrastructure, water and sewage undertakings.

Public law Tier 2

The 'business-oriented' public law department at TozziniFreire Advogados covers government contracts, public procurement, administrative improbity cases and regulatory matters; its diverse client roster includes household-name companies. Claudia Elena Bonelli has vast experience in this field. The team was further strengthened in 2019 with the promotion of José Augusto de Castro to partner.

Banking and finance Tier 3

TozziniFreire Advogados advised on an impressive run of lender-side mandates over the past year, for major financial institutions such as Banco Santander Brasil, IFC and JP Morgan. Among highlight mandates, the practice advised Agence Française de Developpement (AFD) on a €50m loan to Banco Regional de Desenvolvimento do Extremo Sul (BRDE) to finance green projects - Kenneth Antunes Ferreira led that work. Group head Alexei Bonamin, who is held up by sources as a 'go-to lawyer for derivatives and structured projects', teamed up with Ferreira and Fabíola Augusta Cavalcanti to advise the initial purchasers on Unigel Luxembourg's $200m notes offering, as part of the group's debt restructuring. On the regulatory front, Bonamin advised Agricultural Bank of China on regulatory and financial compliance issues. Antonio Felix de Araujo Cintra, who is recommended for his deep experience in project finance and capital markets, is also a key contact.

Insurance Tier 3

'Extremely dedicated to the insurance community', TozziniFreire Advogados is 'always ahead of the market, leading important discussions and debates'. Its insurance practice encompasses corporate, regulatory, consulting and litigation, and the team also stands out for its knowledge of insurtech. The highly recommended Bárbara Bassani de Souza was promoted to partner in 2019; she is noted for her 'great experience'. Corporate partner Marcio Mello Silva Baptista has experience in insurance-sector transactions.

International trade and customs Tier 3

TozziniFreire Advogados' international trade team is 'well prepared, up-to-date and extremely technical'. Many of its clients in this field are multinational, household name companies. On the customs side, practice head Vera Kanas worked alongside colleagues in the corporate team to advise Whirlpool on customs issues connected to a corporate restructuring. Senior associate Carolina Müller is well versed in trade remedies, customs, free trade agreements and public interest procedures.

Real estate Tier 3

The 'very business-oriented' and 'proactive' real estate group at TozziniFreire Advogados has a 'global strategic vision'. The team benefits from the firm's full-service offering, and is able to work alongside colleagues in the corporate and litigation departments. Vladimir Miranda Abreu and Pablo Meira Queiroz are recommended. Paulo Furtado Mendonça left in April 2019 to establish a Marrey Mendonca Advogados.

Intellectual property Tier 4

As a full-service firm, TozziniFreire Advogados regularly negotiates licensing agreements and conducts due diligences as well as handling the prosecution and registration of intellectual property rights. The group, under the lead of Marcela Waksman Ejnisman, manages Longping High-Tech's trade mark portfolio and is responsible for the prosecution of Pokémon's and McCain's trade mark portfolios. Andreia de Andrade Gomes left to found IP boutique firm Andrade Gomes & Ferreira Filho.

Tax Tier 4

The tax team at TozziniFreire Advogados 'understands the clients' needs very well and assists in proper tax planning and compliance'. The department has undergone an internal restructuring and now counts seven partners, under the leadership of Gustavo Nygaardis. Jerry Levers de Abreu draws on over 20 years' experience in tax consulting and administrative litigation; Erlan Valverde is highly recommended; and the team was further strengthened in July 2019 with that arrival of Thiago Rulfalco Medaglia from Cascione, Pulino, Boulos & Santos Advogados.

Bankruptcy and restructuring Tier 5

The 'very good professionals' at TozziniFreire Advogados have experience in cross-border restructuring and insolvency proceedings, and the firm counts leading financial institutions among its clients. Dispute resolution partner Flávia Cristina Moreira de Campos Andrade is the name to note.

TMT

Led by Marcela Waksman Ejnisman, TozziniFreire Advogados' team provides assistance with legal questions relating to cutting-edge technology such as artificial intelligence and connected cars. In addition to handling transactions in the tech sector, the team assisted clients such as Facebook and Dufry with privacy matters. Carla do Couto Battilana made partner in February 2019.

Latin America: International firms > International arbitration > Local practitioners of note (by country)

Pinheiro Neto Advogados handles a steady stream of multimillion-dollar ICC arbitration. Gilberto Giusti and Renato Stephan Grion are highly recommended; the latter is the co-chair of the Arbitration and Mediation Committee of CESA. Ferro, Castro Neves, Daltro & Gomide Advogados' Marcelo Roberto Ferro regularly acts as arbitrator and counsel, and is particularly experience in handling disputes arising from corporate transactions. L.O. Baptista Advogados' Adriana Braghetta, Rafael Francisco Alves and Maurício Almeida Prado are 'highly specialised lawyers with high capacity to bring solutions to resolve high complexity disputes'. Fernando Marcondes regularly acts as an arbitrator in construction and real estate-related matters. Recent caseload features a range of construction and infrastructure disputes as well as M&A-related matters in the oil and gas sector. Machado Meyer Sendacz e Opice Advogados' Eliane Cristina Carvalho recently handled a series of disputes arising from M&A transactions and is representing Air Products Brasil in arbitration proceedings initiated by Air Liquide. Eduardo Damião Gonçalves at Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. e Quiroga Advogados is singled out for his 'outstanding technical skills and deep understanding of the corporate world', and his ability to 'simplify complex problems gives clients great confidence and comfort'. Gonçalves regularly acts as counsel and arbitrator in a range of domestic and international disputes, and Flávio Spaccaquerche Barbosa is 'a well experienced lawyer with solid technical background'. At TozziniFreire Advogados, Fernando Eduardo Serec assists clients from a diverse range of sectors and has experience acting as both party counsel and arbitrator. Huck, Otranto, Camargo Advogados' 'brilliant' team handles both commercial and investor-state arbitration proceedings, and is active in the construction, pharmaceutical and energy sectors. Fabio Peixinho Gomes Corrêa is 'an absolute joy to work with', while Hermes Marcelo Huck  and Rogério Carmona Bianco are 'very focused on details of the case without losing sight of the big picture'. Marcelo Muriel at Muriel Medici Franco Advogados is 'certainly one of the standout Brazilian practitioners, with a healthy portfolio of disputes and great ICC arbitration experience'. Stocche Forbes Advogados' Rafael Passaro is recommended for contractual disputes and disputes involving administrative proceedings. Andrade & Fichtner Advogados' José Antonio Fichtner acts as arbitrator and counsel in corporate and contractual arbitral and judicial disputes. André Abbud at BMA - Barbosa, Müssnich, Aragão is 'an excellent expert in arbitration' and 'knows his clients' business well'. Cescon, Barrieu, Flesch & Barreto Advogados' team has 'a creative mind to think out of the box, suggesting solutions that may seem different but are perfectly aligned with the needs of the company'; co-heads Carlos David Albuquerque Braga and Gabriel Seijo Leal de Figueiredo are recommended. Other names to note include Lefosse Advogados' Pedro Maciel who is 'a superstar in the Brazilian arbitration market' and Lobo de Rizzo Advogados' Luis Fernando Guerrero who is singled out for his 'client-oriented' approach.