Brazil: Insolvency & Restructuring
Brazil’s economy may have been less affected than others by the global downturn, but there remains considerable demand for high-quality insolvency and restructuring lawyers in those sectors hit by the recession. In this chapter we identify 14 individuals noted for the exceptional quality of their work.
Thomas Benes Felsberg of Felsberg, Pedretti e Mannrich Advogados e Consultores Legais is “very active” in this sector and his firm is “involved in most important insolvency cases”. He is internationally regarded as a real authority on insolvency law, and is the only Brazilian member of the American College of Bankruptcy. Other memberships include the International Insolvency Institute, the International Bankruptcy Association and the American Bankruptcy Institute, and he was an active participant in the drafting of the Brazilian bankruptcy legislation.
Pinheiro Neto Advogados deserves recognition as the only firm to see two of its practitioners listed. Both Giuliano Colombo and Luiz Fernando Valente de Paiva were members of the inter-ministerial committee for the final drafting of Brazil’s bankruptcy legislation and are renowned for the “outstanding” quality of their work. They were among the Pinheiro Neto Advogados team that acted as counsel for Macquarie Bank, HSH Nordbank and Rabobank, the creditors in sugar and ethanol producer Paraíso Bionenergia’s out-of-court recovery plan.
Sergio Bermudes of Escritório de Advocacia Sergio Bermudes is “highly regarded and renowned” by his peers as a “leader” in the insolvency and restructuring sector, and is particularly noted for his “excellent” debtor work.
Ricardo Tepedino recently opened his own firm, Tepedino Migliore Rocha Advogados, and has been highly successful in developing his insolvency practice there. Regarded by his colleagues as “very good and well-respected in this field”, he is particularly renowned for his judicial recovery expertise.
Daltro de Campos Borges Filho, a partner at Ferro Castro Neves Daltro & Gomide Advogados, specialises in bankruptcy, reorganisations and extrajudicial liquidations and was active in the drafting of the Brazilian bankruptcy legislation.
Gilberto Deon Corrêa Jr is Veirano Advogados’s regional corporate coordinator. He is establishing an admirable reputation in the insolvency sector, having acted as lead counsel in several corporate reorganisation transactions, and was described by peers as “first class”.
Otto Eduardo Fonseca De Albuquerque Lobo of Motta Fernandes Rocha Advogados is a “first class” lawyer, reputed for his sound counsel in all matters relating to bankruptcy.
Laura Mendes Bumachar, a partner at Tauil & Chequer in association with Mayer Brown LLP, was responsible for the judicial recovery of Varig Logística S.A. and was particularly commended to researchers for her performance in this process.
The “very fine” Eduardo Secchi Munhoz of Mattos Filho Marrey Jr e Quiroga Advogados has led high profile cases of bankruptcy and restructuring and has “unrivalled expertise” in this sector. Further, he acted as consultant to the inter-ministerial committee for the final drafting of the Brazilian bankruptcy legislation.
The “well recognised” Paulo De Moraes Penalva Santos of Rosman Penalva Souza Leao Franco is professor of bankruptcy law at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation and is “incredibly bright”, and Ricardo Tosto of Leite Tosto e Barros was commended to researchers as “excellent” in the field of corporate restructuring.
Lionel Zaclis of Barretto Ferreira Kujawski e Brancher has over 40 years of experience in the insolvency sector and is “very knowledgeable”. His memberships include the International Insolvency Institute and the Brazilian Institute of Corporate Restructuring.
Júlio Mandel, a partner at Mandel Advocacia, has had a bankruptcy practice since 1993. He acted as an assistant member of the ministerial commission charged with the preparation of Brazil’s bankruptcy legislation and was described by his peers as “a very skilled lawyer”.