Lefosse Advogados

Managing Partner: Rodrigo Junqueira

Number of partners: 68

Number of counsels: 17

Number of fee earners: 400+

Languages: English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish

FIRM OVERVIEW:

As a full-service law firm, we offer a complete range of services in all areas of law to national and international clients. The advice we provide stems from our partnership with our clients and deep knowledge of their business.

As our clients' trusted advisors, we offer creative, innovative and simple solutions to complex matters. The firm has approximately 350 legal professionals, many of whom have practical experience in our client's sectors. The team works on transactions that impact the economy and have a sophisticated nature. In 2021, we registered records in mergers and acquisitions transactions that exceed BRL 100 billion. We also led IPOs, and follow-ons that total BRL 55,8 billion, and private equity transactions of BRL 15,4 billion.

We have invested in diversity as a way to boost creative thinking and encourage entrepreneurship. Our organization focuses on professional development, building lasting and trusting relationships.

Banking & Finance:

With a solid reputation in the market, the team acts for arranging banks, lenders, credit enhancers and borrowers, on a wide range of industrial and financial sectors.

Capital Markets:

As a leader in capital markets and securities law, the team assists clients with debt and equity transactions, derivatives and structured products, securitisations and structured finance, IPOs and rights offerings, convertible and exchangeable bonds, MTN programs and DIPs, high-yield offerings, structured products and derivatives.

Competition and Antitrust:

The practice is recognised for being objective, straightforward and focused on real world useful business advise. The team advises clients on crossborder and domestic mergers, investigations of anticompetitive practices, due diligences and compliance programs. The experience includes handling economic, competition and consumer protection disputes before judicial courts.

Compliance and Investigations

The multidisciplinary team offers reliable, proactive and sophisticated solutions to all white-collar crimes, compliance and anti-corruption matters, assisting Brazilian and international companies in meeting all corporate governance needs. Expertise includes clients in a variety of sectors.

Corporate & M&A:

The highly qualified team with expertise in mergers, acquisitions, reorganisations, private equity, business organisation, corporate and commercial law, projects and venture capital.

Dispute Resolution:

The team is trial-ready, but the work includes advising clients on how to avoid lengthy and costly disputes. The team has expertise in alternative dispute resolutions, arbitration, banking litigation, collection/enforcement, commercial litigation, due diligence, environmental/energy litigation, product liability litigation, regulatory investigations and restructuring and insolvency litigation.

Energy:

Theoretical knowledge combined with operational expertise. This allows the team to meet fully the needs of players in the Electricity Sector ranging from generators, traders, transmitters, distributors, funds and banks operating in the sector, or electro-intensive products that have energy as an essential input in their production chain.

Environmental:

The practice represents clients’ interests in a holistic manner and on a wide variety of environmental work, such as legal due diligence, environment litigation, environment advice, ethical investment, climate change and renewables.

Infrastructure:

Beyond the solid legal specialisation, the team is familiar with the practices, standards of highly complex projects, and provide objective and agile guidance, advising financial institutions, government entities, multilateral agencies, suppliers, infrastructure developers and foreign investors.

Investment Funds:

The team represents local and international administrators, managers, financial institutions and investors in the structuring and formation of investment funds and other vehicles as well as regulatory matters pertaining to investment funds and asset management. Expertise includes public and private distributions of quotas, purchase and sales of assets and financing structures.

Labour:

The team explores the strategy for each case to find the best solution to the client and offer secure guidance on daily employment practices, including hiring and termination of high-level executives, transfer of employees, review of employment aspects of M&A transactions and draft of agreements and incentive plans. They defend the client’s interests in judicial and administrative labor proceedings within the Brazilian jurisdiction in all court levels.

Life Sciences & Healthcare:

The practice is focused on a segment with high growth potential but we anticipate many regulatory challenges. The sector encompasses a wide scope of operations such as healthcare services, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, food and beverages, biodiversity and biotechnology, cosmetics, fertilizers, healthtechs, and telemedicine.

Oil & Gas:

The oil and gas practice has experience in M&A transactions in the O&G industry and acts in the preparation and negotiation of all contracts typical to the industry. The regulatory expertise enables the team to assist companies in a variety of issues, including bid round processes, arbitrations and representation in administrative proceedings before the ANP.

Public Law & Regulation:

A team with solid experience in privatisation projects in the most diverse sectors who is well equipped to assist Brazilian and foreign clients from the beginning of due diligence through the privatisation process and post-privatisation measures to implement the project. The experts in the practice are also qualified to assist clients operating in regulated markets and represent their interests with federal, district, state and municipal regulators.

Real Estate:

The breadth of the practice work is sophisticated. The team advises on direct investment, corporate structures, real estate development, sale and lease back transactions, negotiations for the acquisition of large amounts of land. It also provides support in connection with investment funds, bond offerings, securitisation involving real estate, and due diligence, in support of corporate and capital markets transactions that feature real estate assets.

Restructuring & Insolvency:

The team acts for creditors, insolvency practitioners, corporate debtors and directors and officers in relation to debt rescheduling; debt and equity restructuring, judicial and extra-judicial restructuring and insolvency proceedings, banking litigation, incorporation of non-standardised credit rights investment funds (FIDC-NP).

Tax:

As trusted advisor of major domestic and international companies in Brazil, the team advices on all aspects of direct and indirect taxation, tax aspects in connection with M&A, joint ventures, capital markets, including cross-border transactions. Expertise includes value-added tax issues, international taxation, transfer pricing, tax planning and litigation.

Technology, Data Protection & Intellectual Property:

Through a customised, sophisticated and a service fully adapted to the client’s demands, the firm advises on matters relating to technology, data protection and intellectual property, such as: analysis and structuring of new digital business models; counsel on matters related to the Internet, digital platforms and applications; advice on projects to adapt to the new Brazilian General Law on Protection of Personal Data (LGPD).

Wealth Planning:

The competitive edge ofthe team is being a one stop-shop practice area with partners and lawyers with expertise in succession, tax and corporate matters. The work includes asset reorganisation plans, preparation of prenuptial agreements, cohabitation contracts, wills and other testamentary instruments, and changes in property regimes, explanation, to the family, of the effects of death and the rules applicable to each regime for marital assets, including by reason of succession.

OFFICES:

Head Office

Rua Tabapuã, 1227 14º andar

04533-014 Itaim Bibi

São Paulo SP Brasil

Praia do Flamengo, 200, 20º andar – Salão 2001

22210-901 Flamengo

Rio de Janeiro RJ Brasil

SCS Quadra 09, Edifício Parque Cidade Corporate, Torre B, 8º andar

70308-200 Asa Sul

Brasília DF Brasil