Team size: Eight

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

Recently, our legal team has been deeply involved in several matters with significant ESG and social‑impact dimensions in connection with the 2015 Fundao dam failure. A key example is the implementation of the R$170 billion New Doce River Agreement (Novo Acordo do Rio Doce).

Only in 2025, more than 320,000 people have been indemnified through court-ratified agreements, totaling 625,000 people paid. The implementation of the New Doce River Agreement is closely supervised by the Brazilian Supreme Court’s President with the assistance of the TRF-6 Federal Court, not to mention the participation of six different Justice Institutions Offices such as the Federal Prosecutors. This complex and multilayered framework demands close collaboration by the legal department, alongside the indispensable support of subject‑matter experts from the social, environmental, comms and finance areas.

In December 2025, the New Doce River Agreement and the TRF-6 Federal Court was awarded with the 22nd Innovare Award in the Judiciary category. At COP30, the agreement was also highlighted as an example to be followed as a possible response to highly complex social environmental cases. In addition, another key example was a major settlement agreement reached in December 2025 with a world known Indigenous community located in the State of Minas Gerais which guaranteed approximately R$1.5 billion to the community, comprising individual indemnification to the people, but also structural measures that will benefit future generations.

These references highlight the team’s ability to operate at the intersection of law, ESG, and stakeholder management, always using legal tools not only to manage risk, but also to help the business build durable solutions and preserve its social license to operate.

What new pressures are you facing from the business as expectations for legal to act as a strategic partner continue to grow? 

One of the key pressures we face is the expectation for Legal to operate less as a control function and more as a forward‑looking strategic platform for the business. We are increasingly expected to anticipate risk before it materializes, translate legal complexity into strategic options, build trust with stakeholders, bring commercially sound recommendations and help shape decisions under uncertainty with clarity rather than simply react to them.

There is also growing demand for cost discipline and predictability, while still managing heightened exposure in a volatile legal and social environment. BANI world 2.0. The business is also asking Legal to integrate legal judgment with data, financial aspects, ESG considerations, and long‑term value creation, particularly in environments where social and reputational dynamics evolve much faster than the law itself. This means moving from a mindset of “Can we do this?” to “How do we do this responsibly, retain optionalities and don’t overspend?

What strategies has your legal team adopted to manage disputes and mitigate risks in Brazil’s dynamic business environment?

Our legal team adopts a proactive, risk‑based approach to disputes management with heavy financial considerations. We prioritize early engagement with key stakeholders, including courts, Justice Institutions, governments and affected communities, to de‑escalate conflicts before they crystallize into actual litigation. When disputes arise, we favor structured mechanisms such as mediation and court‑supervised negotiations to preserve our social license and reduce uncertainty.

This helps to manage risks efficiently and avoid escalation. And when these alternative resolution methods can’t solve the issue, we prefer to adopt a structured litigation strategy grounded in clear legal positioning, scenarios exploring, financial discipline, and reputational risk management. Throughout the process, we aim to ensure long‑term sustainability and legal certainty, rather than short‑term wins that could generate broader exposure in Brazil’s complex legal landscape.