Joel Luís Thomaz Bastos > Thomaz Bastos, Waisberg and Kurzweil Advogados > Sao Paulo, Brazil > Lawyer Profile

At Thomaz Bastos, Waisberg and Kurzweil Advogados, the ‘very well prepared‘ litigation team handles a mix of commercial, corporate, civil and antitrust disputes for a varied client roster active in the construction, agribusiness, energy, banking and retail sectors. With over 20 years’ experience in judicial disputes involving IP rights, consumer and electoral law, Joel Luís Thomaz Bastos coordinates the group with three other practitioners: Ivo Waisberg, who acts for companies and banks in dispute resolution; Ricardo Pomeranc Matsumoto, a contact for administrative cases involving the Brazilian Central Bank; and recently promoted partner Bárbara Pessoa Ramos, who specialises in judicial reorganisation and bankruptcy matters. Carlos Teixeira Leite Filho, who has a strong background as a judge, is another name to note.

Best known for its capabilities in restructuring and insolvency matters, Thomaz Bastos, Waisberg and Kurzweil Advogados‘ dispute resolution team is active in arbitration proceedings arising from commercial, corporate and contractual disputes, with a particular emphasis on the energy, agribusiness and financial services sectors. These are key sector focuses for Ivo Waisberg and Ricardo Pomeranc Matsumoto, who jointly head the department with Joel Luís Thomaz Bastos, a specialist in corporate and banking-related arbitration. Senior associate Ana Cláudia de Olivera Rennó has acted as counsel in numerous cases.

A leading force in the restructuring and insolvency market, Thomaz Bastos, Waisberg and Kurzweil Advogados is noted for its ‘technical knowledge’ and for ’converging the interests of its clients with the best market alternatives’. The versatile player is regularly involved in Brazil’s largest insolvencies and restructurings, where it represents a broad mix of debtors, creditors and investors. In the past year, the practice handled $10bn worth of restructuring and insolvency work, including support in judicial and non-judicial reorganisation proceedings, distressed M&A, cross-border restructurings and DIP financings. The firm fields a highly experienced team, including founding partners Joel Luís Thomaz Bastos, Bruno Kurzweil de Oliveira and Ivo Waisberg, who handle contentious and non-contentious matters in this space. They are backed by several ‘standout’ individuals, such as Gilberto Gornati, whose ‘extensive knowledge enables him to guide clients closely’ throughout insolvency proceedings, and Adriana Dias de Oliveira. Clients also rate the ‘dedicated and helpful’ associate Luiza Serodio Giannotti.