Castro Barros Advogados

Castro Barros Advogados is a long-established and highly respected Brazilian law firm, upholding more than 70 years of tradition and excellence since its foundation in the 1950s. The firm expertly advises national and international corporate clients across all sectors and business stages, addressing their legal needs in all areas of law.

This broad range of services is reflected in the expertise of the lawyers at Castro Barros Advogados, where specialized professionals capable of integrating various areas of law are highly valued, ensuring comprehensive legal assistance for clients.

Our key clients include both Brazilian and multinational companies, operating in various economic sectors, many of whom have maintained long-standing professional relationships with our firm for decades. Following the firm’s long-standing tradition, Castro Barros Advogados operates from offices in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Brasília, the country’s most important business hubs.

Recent M&A mandates primarily involve representing clients on the buy-side, although we have also represented sell-side clients, particularly in the agribusiness and hospitality sectors, where we have assisted Brazilian entrepreneurs and companies in negotiations with multinational corporations.

We have significant experience in transactions involving the acquisition of Brazilian family-owned enterprises by both domestic and international players in the same market.

Our extensive track record includes the negotiation and drafting of shareholder agreements, particularly in situations involving shared control.

We specialize in complex corporate reorganizations and acquisitions, including transactions involving distressed companies and assets.

The corporate team is well-regarded for its availability, dedication, and ability to integrate sound legal advice with business acumen and practical insight.

In the past year, the main sectors involved in M&A transactions or corporate reorganizations included Health Care, Insurance, Retail, Transportation, Laboratory Testing, Hospitality, Defense, Financial Services, Fintechs, and Agribusiness.

Our team has gained recognition among agribusiness investors as experienced advisors, particularly for restructuring businesses in preparation for mergers or acquisitions with foreign investors, following the strong growth in this sector in recent years.

Since its inception, Tax Law has been one of the firm’s core strengths, with renowned professionals leading the department over the years. Today is no different, as the firm continues to attract and develop highly talented tax professionals—such as André Oliveira, Daniela Duque Estrada, Gabriel Manica, Leandro Canarim, and Thiago Motta—who advise clients from around the world on high-profile and complex matters.

The tax department at Castro Barros Advogados excels in sectors like retail, telecommunications, and international tax consultancy, offering comprehensive services in corporate and indirect taxation. It is a key advisor in the telecom industry and frequently collaborates with international firms for tax planning. The firm is also a leader in transfer pricing, providing expert legal opinions and structuring, supported by a strategic partnership in Latin America.

Established in São Paulo, Brazil, in the 1950s, Castro Barros has always focused its practice on corporate law, providing services to national and foreign clients. Our team has the skills to meet client demands in highly complex inquiries, negotiations, or disputes.

If, on the one hand, Castro Barros is a traditional law firm, modernity, creativity, informality, solidarity and constant pursuit of growth and development have always been intrinsically part of our culture, as key drivers of our past, current and future practice.

• Agribusiness Law
• Environmental Law
• Banking
• Compliance
• Arbitration and Litigation
• Business Contracts
• Public Law, Project Finance and Regulatory
• Real Estate Law
• Maritime Law
• Capital Markets
• O&G, Energy and Mining
• Insurance and Reinsurance
• Corporate and M&A
• IT
• Labor
• Tax

RJ - Rua Lauro Müller, 116 - 38º andar

+55 21 2132-1855

SP - Rua do Rocio, 291 - 11º andar

+55 11 3040-0908

DF - SHS - Quadra 06 - Bloco A, sala 809 - Ed. Brasil 21

+55 61 3037-9041

Our team advises Brazilian and foreign clients, especially shipowners, insurers and reinsurers, P&I clubs, oil companies and ports and terminals in inquiries and disputes related to maritime transportation, including in regulatory issues (ANTAQ, ANP etc.), maritime accidents and representation before navy-marine courts.

• Representation in court proceedings and arbitrations, including in ship attachments, disputes relative to cargo, charter agreements, naval or port funding, maritime accidents, fire, and oil spills, before navy-marine courts
• Advisory services in charter agreements and agreements to build and sell vessels and platforms
• Advisory services in industry tenders and procurement opportunities, including with respect to Petrobras, and in regulatory matters, in respect to the National Agency for Waterway Transportation (ANTAQ), the National Oil Agency (ANP), the Department of Ports and the Office of Ports and Coast Guard of the Brazilian Navy (DPC)
• Advisory services provided together with our Insurance and Reinsurance team, with respect to hull, machinery and P&I insurance
• Advisory services to finance ships and ports, including foreign loans, and to build vessels on funding opportunities offered via the Merchant Navy Fund
• Tax and custums advisory services for the industry (Repetro included), together with our Tax prectice

Our Tax team advises Brazilian and foreign companies in the assessment and review of different tax issues, including in court or administrative disputes, as well as in due diligence proceedings, corporate reorganizations and domestic and international tax planning.

• Advisory services in credit recovery and recording, debt management and to set forth guidelines for legal departments
• Review of the assessments on the import of goods and services, royalties and cost sharing, analysis on the applicability of special regimes, treaties to avoid double taxation and tax benefits, including according to industry
• Advisory services to organize investments and businesses in Brazil and abroad, and to develop tax-planning structures
• Advisory services to identify contingencies
• Advisory services to perform main and ancillary obligations, at the local, state and federal level
• Advisory services in the definition, coordination and implementation of transfer pricing policies
• Services provided in tax and strategic social security disputes, both in court and in administrative proceedings
• Assessment in the determination of tax liability, and advisory services provided in court reorganizaiton proceedings

Our law firm’s Arbitration & Litigation practice advises and represents clients in disputes to which they are parties or privies, in progress in Brazilian courts or arbitration courts in Brazil and abroad.

• Our law firm is largely acclaimed for its activities in Civil, Business, Corporate, Capital Markets, Banking, Consumer Protection, Antitrust and Administration Law disputes
• Our preventive approach is focused on avoiding disputes and ensuring our clients' interests are protected in settlements and transactions, so as to safeguard their rights in the event of future litigation
• Draw-up of opinions, statements and affidavits on Brazilian procedural law (including relative to the Brazilian laws on arbitration proceedings) and the application of Brazilian laws in foreign and arbitration proceedings, whether filed in Brazil or abroad
• Provision of dispute mediation services
• Draw-up and review of arbitration and dispute resolution clauses, including advisory servies in complex business transactions
• Enforcement of domestic arbitral awards/decisions
• Ratification and enforcement of foreign court and arbitral awards/decisions
• Our lawyers act as expert witnesses in court and arbitration proceedings abroad