Lawyer Rankings

Brazil > Banking and finance

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. Luiz Rafael de Vargas Maluf, who sits in the capital markets and banking and finance groups, was made partner.

Brazil > Capital markets

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. Luiz Rafael de Vargas Maluf, who sits in the capital markets and banking and finance groups, recently made partner.