Firm Profile > TozziniFreire Advogados > Sao Paulo, Brazil

Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 1

The Porto Alegre office of TozziniFreire Advogados is a go-to destination for Southern Brazilian companies involved in major transactions and cross-border corporate transactions. The practice is best known for its expertise in M&A and corporate restructurings, but also demonstrates strength in capital markets, contractual matters and compliance. Its diverse client list operates in a range of industries, including technology, food and beverage, financial services and healthcare. Contract law expert Luis Renato Ferreira da Silva oversees the team alongside dual-qualified Maria Bofill, whose areas of expertise include M&A, private equity and foreign investment. Daniel Born Roman is another name to note in the department.

Competition and antitrust Tier 1

TozziniFreire Advogados 'has a multi-disciplinary profile and unique knowledge of the antitrust authorities'. The department continues to see organic growth; with Patricia Bandouk Carvalho's election to the partnership being followed by that of Mario Pati in February 2020, adding further depth to an already sizeable team. The group is equipped to handle the gamut of competition matters and - outside of the practice itself - benefits from the firm's strong compliance and corporate and M&A departments. Of particular note is the firm's impressive track record in negotiating leniency and settlement agreements, where it has a large market share. Marcelo Calliari heads the department, which includes key partners Tatiana Lins Cruz, Guilherme Ribas and Vivian Fraga.

Compliance Tier 1

TozziniFreire Advogados stands out for its long track record in compliance in Brazil, and clients praise the fact that the 'partners are always directly involved in the cases, and demonstrate full knowledge of the matter and its details'. It has the size and resources to handle complex cross-border investigations and is entrusted by household name companies in sensitive matters. Well-known compliance specialist Shin Jae Kim leads the team, which includes internal investigations and regulatory and criminal enforcement specialist Karla Lini Maeji; Giovanni Paolo Falcetta, who advises on compliance risk analysis and internal investigations related to fraud, corruption and violation of internal policies; and Renata Muzzi Gomes de Almeida, who has a broad compliance practice and 'is always available to hear and understand the client's needs'.

Corporate and M&A Tier 1

TozziniFreire Advogados is often engaged by well-known Brazilian and international companies in large-scale corporate transactions, particularly those with cross-border aspects. In one recent multi-jurisdictional transaction, recommended partner Francisco Eumene Machado de Oliveira Neto advised Banco Crédit Agricole Brasil on a joint venture with Banco Santander for the combination of its custody and asset management operations. The corporate and M&A department is led by Maria Elisa Gualandi Verri and Marcela Waksman Ejnisman and saw organic growth with the promotions of Fernando Silveira Carvalho and Carla do Couto Hellu Battilana to partner in February 2019; the latter advised Whirlpool on the sale of its compressor business to Nidec Corporation. Martin Miralles Pose, Luiz Renato Okumura, Mauro Guizeline and Silvia Martins de Castro Cunha Zono - who made partner in 2020 - are also key figures in the team.

Labour and employment Tier 1

TozziniFreire Advogados has established an excellent reputation in labour law. Its lawyers provide strong employment support to the firm's wider corporate offering, regularly assisting with related M&A transactions and company restructurings. The team also has a good track record in managing potentially contentious issues, including plant closures, mass redundancies and negotiations with the unions. When matters do go to court, the firm's litigators regularly represent employers at the highest level, including major collective and individual lawsuits. Highly rated practice heads Alexandre de Almeida Cardoso and Marcelo Pereira Gômara are supported by high-quality individuals, including Mihoko Sirley Kimura and Fernanda Bianco Pimentel.

Tax Tier 1

TozziniFreire Advogados has a comprehensive tax law service, demonstrating extensive experience in matters involving social contributions, M&A transactions and tax planning. Clients from a range of industry sectors - including manufacturing, IT, energy and banking - seek the department's support in relation to non-contentious tax issues, as well as administrative and judicial proceedings. Tax expert Gustavo Nygaard leads the group alongside Rafael Mallmann, who focuses on litigation.

Banking and finance Tier 2

Capital markets Tier 2

TozziniFreire Advogados has a well-balanced and active practice in the capital markets space. The firm has been particularly active handling debt transactions, including a groundbreaking green bond issue, and has represented both issuers and underwriters on numerous debenture offerings and more general bond issues. The firm's relationships with banks ensures a steady flow of significant instructions. Equity work was also busy, as demonstrated by the team's advice to Sinqia on its share offering. São Paulo-based practice head Alexei Bonamin and Fabíola Augusta Cavalcanti in Rio de Janeiro both bring a huge amount of experience to the table.

Dispute resolution Tier 2

TozziniFreire Advogados' broad service offering covers the full array of contentious matters, including class actions, commercial disputes, distribution agreements litigation, shareholder conflicts and IP litigation. Practitioners have solid experience in litigation and arbitration, and regularly act for well-known domestic and international companies. The department is led by four partners: Eduardo Mariotti, who is experienced in arbitration arising from M&A transactions and construction contracts; civil litigation expert Gabriela Vitiello Wink; Luis Renato Ferreira da Silva, whose areas of expertise include corporate and contractual disputes; and Vinícius de Oliveira Berni, who is noted for regulatory and administrative proceedings. Guilherme Carneiro Monteiro Nitschke is a name to note for commercial and investment arbitration.

Dispute resolution: arbitration Tier 2

TozziniFreire Advogados' diverse client base includes companies operating in a range of sectors, including construction, automotive, food, energy, transport, agribusiness and life sciences. Domestic and international arbitration proceedings are among the typical mandates for the team, which is skilled at assisting with cases involving M&A-related issues, distribution agreements, construction projects, joint ventures and and shareholder disputes. Practice head Fernando Eduardo Serec has notable experience in international arbitration. Recently promoted partner Guilherme Carneiro Monteiro Nitschke, Lucas Britto Mejias and senior associate Pedro Bento de Faria are other key practitioners.

Dispute resolution: Litigation Tier 2

Strategic litigation is at the core of TozziniFreire Advogados’ dispute resolution team, which excels in civil and commercial disputes. The practice has a strong presence in the automotive industry, and has also recently witnessed a growth in mandates related to the technology industry. Other areas of activity for the department include electoral disputes. Fernando Eduardo Serec, whose track record covers complex financial, real estate and administrative litigation, and Luíz Virgílio Pimenta Penteado Manente, who is noted for consumer claims, jointly lead the team. Lucas Britto Mejias is active in construction, corporate and commercial disputes. Since publication, team expanded further with the hire of Elias Marques de Medeiros Neto from logistics company Rumo in February 2021.

Electricity Tier 2

TozziniFreire Advogados offers support to clients in the context of greenfield and brownfield projects, financing, M&A transactions and regulatory matters. The team is also well versed in privatisations of electric power distributors and divestitures of generation assets. In the renewables space, it possesses experience in wind, hydro, solar and biomass projects. Leading the team is Pedro Seraphim, whose areas of practice include due diligence in relation to corporate transactions, financing agreements and project contracts.

Environment Tier 2

TozziniFreire Advogados fields a team entirely devoted to environmental law, climate change and forestry issues. Showcasing extensive experience in pre-acquisition and compliance due diligence processes addressing environmental liabilities and risks, the practice is also well equipped to handle the management of contaminated areas, environmental licensing of large-scale projects, as well as litigation and regulatory matters. Adriana Mathias Baptista oversees the department; she stands out for her longstanding expertise in the field, and is regularly retained to advise on environmental audits and risk management. Bianca Bilton Signorini Antacli is another name to note in the team.

Government relations Tier 2

The government relations practice at TozziniFreire Advogados represents domestic and international companies and non-profit entities, assisting them with the monitoring of legislative and regulatory proposals, interaction with public officials, and participation in parliamentary investigations and public hearings. Cláudio Coelho de Souza Timm heads the practice, which also benefits from the input of the full-service firm's compliance and tax experts.

Life sciences Tier 2

Leading multinational companies turn to TozziniFreire Advogados' life sciences and healthcare team for support and advice on complex issues, including licensing, drug pricing, clinical research regulations, patient data privacy issues and the regulatory aspects of M&A, among other areas. Elysangela de Oliveira Rabelo Maurer is a key name in the life sciences and healthcare space, where she has extensive expertise in non-contentious (including transactional) matters; she leads the team, which also includes experienced partner Marco Aurélio Torronteguy.

Public law Tier 2

TozziniFreire Advogados is skilled at advising domestic and international clients across a variety of public law matters, ranging from infrastructure and privatisation projects to procurement procedures. The team assists with the structuring of PPPs, concessions, supply of equipment and the provision of services, and has seen recent growth in the area of compliance in relation to public procurement matters. Litigation and administrative proceedings also feature on the department's portfolio. Leading the practice is Claudia Elena Bonelli, whose experience covers management of public-private relations and infrastructure projects. José Augusto de Castro specialises in government contracts and administrative law. A team of four lawyers including Ana Cândida de Mello Carvalho left for BMA - Barbosa, Müssnich, Aragão.

TMT: Cybersecurity and data privacy Tier 2

TozziniFreire Advogados receives instructions from both new entrants to the Brazilian market and companies with an established presence in the country, which seek the team's advice on a wide range of matters pertaining to cybersecurity and data privacy. Practice head Marcela Waksman Ejnisman has extensive experience in co-ordinating data protection conformity programmes to ensure clients' compliance with the upcoming Brazilian General Data Protection Law. Carla do Couto Hellu Battilana is another key practitioner, who often advises companies operating in the pharmaceutical, financial services, insurance and retail sectors.

Insurance Tier 3

TozziniFreire Advogados has a versatile practice with good expertise in insurance-related corporate, regulatory and contentious matters. Marcio Mello Silva Baptista has a particular focus on insurance-related corporate transactions, while Bárbara Bassani de Souza is noted for her experience representing clients before the regulator, SUSEP, as well as in strategic and administrative disputes. Clients benefit from the team's close links with other groups in the firm, including tax, banking, employment and environmental, allowing for support across all areas of the market.

International trade and customs Tier 3

TozziniFreire Advogados has a versatile international trade team that acts for an impressive list of domestic and international companies. Practice head Vera Kanas has over 15 years of experience advising on trade remedies, customs law and trade compliance issues. Recently, the firm has been involved in several Brazilian anti-dumping investigations and public interest assessment procedures. The team also advises clients on the structuring of import and export operations to comply with WTO and other international agreements. Senior associate Carolina Müller is also well regarded in the market.

Labour Tier 3

Companies acting in a range of industry segments, including petrochemicals, mining, manufacturing and energy, seek TozziniFreire Advogados' assistance in labour matters. The team is skilled at advising on compensation, employment contracts, profit-sharing plans and flexible benefits; it is also well equipped to represent clients in contentious matters. The practice is jointly led by Roberto Pierri Bersch and Maurício de Carvalho Góes, who are noted for litigation.

Projects and infrastructure Tier 3

TozziniFreire Advogados attracts instructions from multilateral agencies, sponsors and local and foreign investors in relation to public bids, projects and M&A transactions involving the energy, water, waste, mobility and logistics sectors. Regulatory issues affecting PPPs, concessions and public procurement also populate the department's portfolio. Pedro Seraphim, whose experience includes transactional matters involving the Brazilian energy sector, leads the practice alongside Claudia Elena Bonelli, who specialises in public sector issues and government contracts.

Public law and regulation Tier 3

Under the supervision of Cláudio Coelho de Souza Timm, the multi-disciplinary team at TozziniFreire Advogados primarily acts for clients across all stages of public procurement processes, from negotiating government contracts to resolving disputes. Clients of the department include well-known companies and industry associations. Litigation specialist Isabela Braga Pompilio and associate Bruno Lourenço are additional contacts.

Real estate Tier 3

TozziniFreire Advogados offers a strong blend of traditional real estate advice and innovative finance and capital markets-related support. Clients range from investment funds and developers through to corporate investors and leaseholders. Real estate transactions and leasehold agreements feature high on the agenda, as do construction projects and financings across the full mix of sectors and asset types. Vladimir Miranda Abreu leads the team.

TMT: Tech, innovation and digital business Tier 3

The technology and innovation department at TozziniFreire Advogados offers advice on regulatory issues, transactional matters and litigation. The team handles matters ranging from software development and licensing agreements to technology transfers, blockchain, bitcoin and venture capital. Marcela Waksman Ejnisman, whose areas of expertise include IT and corporate law, leads the department. Patricia Helena Marta Martins has significant experience in technology-related litigation, including cases involving intermediary liability and data privacy. Start-ups often seek Carla do Couto Hellu Battilana's advice on corporate matters and transactions.

Intellectual property Tier 4

The IP team at TozziniFreire Advogados has a proven track record in handling transactional work on behalf of international and local clients from a range of industries, including chemicals, food, national defence, pharmaceuticals, technology and entertainment. Other areas of activity include the registration of patents, trade marks and administrative measures in relation to software and technology transfer agreements. Leading the department is Marcela Waksman Ejnisman, whose experience also encompasses the protection of trade marks, patents, utility models and industrial designs.

Tax Tier 4

TozziniFreire Advogados represents major multinationals from across a range of industries. The firm's strong corporate presence ensures a steady flow of M&A-related tax advice, as well as support on restructurings, business launches and general day-to-day matters. Gustavo Nygaard leads the well-regarded team, which includes Jerry Levers de Abreu, Vinícius Jucá and Thiago Rulfalco Medaglia, who handles disputes, customs and social security matters. Clients also single out recently promoted partner Erlan Valverde for high praise. Since publication, the team was further strengthened in October 2020 with the hire of indirect tax specialist Lisandra Pacheco, formerly at Schneider, Pugliese, Sztokfisz Figueiredo e Carvalho Advogados, and in February 2021 with the arrival of Renata Emery from Stocche Forbes Advogados.

TMT: Telecoms and media Tier 4

TozziniFreire Advogados offers a wide array of legal services to clients operating in the telecoms, media, entertainment and technology sectors. Companies looking to enter the Brazilian market, as well as those that already have a solid presence in the country, instruct the team in a variety of mandates, including M&A transactions and the protection of IP rights. Department head Marcela Waksman Ejnisman is proficient in transactional and regulatory issues involving the telecoms and entertainment industries.