Brazil

Schmidt · Lourenço · Kingston Advogados Associados (SLK) is the result of the merger between Rocha Schmidt Advogados, established in 2003, and Costa Lourenço & Kingston Advogados Associados, established in 1992. 

Composed of experienced professionals with solid academic background, SLK has a corporate practice based on personal, efficient and creative legal services to domestic and international clients from several business segments. 

SLK’s multidisciplinary team practices in a wide range of legal areas, in a constant search for work excellence. Its professionals have wide and acknowledged experience in Administrative Law, Environmental Law, Arbitration, Civil and Commercial Litigation, Dispute Resolution, Corporate Litigation, Energy, Family & Successions, Real Estate, Regulatory Law, Civic Sector, Labor Law, Urban Law and Tax Law. 

The services’ excellence stems from the effort of combining professional and academic trainings, along with a strict observance of the ethical principles that guide the legal profession. All partners, associates and interns are continually encouraged to seek professional enhancement in Brazil or abroad. 

As result of several years of an intense and distinguished practice, the firm is a well-established legal representative of some of the most renowned domestic and foreign companies. 

SLK’s partners and associates have a thoroughly recognized experience in Litigation as well as Arbitration, having earned special appraise in recent years, as several of them have had their work acknowledged in different national and international legal rankings in those fields. 

Moreover, the firm’s portfolio includes a significant number of strategic disputes, some of which can reach up to the billions of reais in terms of its economic repercussions. 

For instance, last year, the firm was able to attain a condemnation, on its client’s behalf, of more than 4 (four) billion reais In a dispute involving the trading of securities during Brazil’s hyperinflation period in the 1990’s. In another arguably ten-figure dispute with important developments of late, SLK, while advocating for an association representing several energy-sector companies, was able to obtain not only a favorable injunction but also an award confirming its clients’ right to receive credits on the energy-market –it is the leading case in the sector. 

SLK also conducts the most relevant dispute of an important multinational corporation in economic terms – an ongoing multi-billion reais suit for damages regarding the rental and maintenance of equipment to Brazilian Federal Administration.

One important field in the firm’s practice resides in disputes pertaining to contracts with the public sector, in matters such as public biddings, payment default, restoration of economic and financial balance and suits for damages.

With regards to Arbitration, the firm’s practice involves working with the most prominent chambers and arbitrators, knowing its internal rules, the latest developments of its rulings and the most relevant doctrinal discussions within the field. Its partners and associates are constantly up to date with its themes, either by taking part in events such as symposiums or roundtables, or by
leading an active academic life. 

In this sense, SLK sets out to provide its clients with cost-effective and sensible solution, either prior to or during litigation. 

Updated June 2021

Composed of some of the nation’s most renowned attorneys in their practice areas, Duarte Garcia, Serra Netto e Terra is a full-service law firm with 34 partners and 28 associates located in São Paulo, Brazil. Duarte Garcia also has an office in Brasília and maintains associations with law firms in Portugal, Germany, Argentina, United States (Florida), Angola and China. Led by Marcelo Terra, Mário de Barros Duarte Garcia and Luis Eduardo Serra Netto, the firm has an experienced and successful litigation practice at all levels of jurisdiction, with relevant experience petitioning for the Federal Supreme Court and Superior Court of Justice. Duarte Garcia is highly regarded for its legal advisory practice in the areas of real estate, infrastructure and arbitration, being frequently honored by clients, other lawyers from around the country, national legal publications, and ranking organizations.


Main Areas of Practice:

• Administrative & Infrastructure
• Capital Markets
• Civil Litigation & Arbitration
• Compliance & White-Collar Crime
• Corporate & M&A
• Environment
• Labour
• Property Litigation
• Real Estate
• Tax
• Urban Law & Land Occupation

Civil Litigation & Arbitration:

The civil practice provides advisory related to the negotiation and drafting of contracts in general. Representation in judicial proceedings involving matters of civil and corporate law. The firm also has considerable experience on arbitration proceedings as active members of the State of São Paulo Trade Federation Arbitration Commission, the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce, of the US-Brazil Chamber of Commerce and the International Chamber of Commerce.

Clients:

Clients include national and foreign companies in sectors such as agribusiness, automotive industry, chemical, energy, health, real estate, construction/incorporation companies and shopping malls.

Other Offices:

Brazil
SAS, Quadra 03, Block C, nº 22 - Room 610
70070-030 - Brasilia - DF
T: (55 61) 3321-4253

Updated June 2021

Founded in 2012, Tortoro, Madureira & Ragazzi Advogados is a mid-sized renowned Brazilian business law firm, focused on developing tailored solutions for nationwide companies operating in strategic sectors of the economy. With a team of 250 professionals, the firm’s performance stands out for its partner’s personal handling of cases and their high technical qualifications and deep level of specialization. All of them are experienced before the regional and superior courts in the execution of orders and oral hearings.

Main Areas of Practice: Administrative, Public and Regulatory Law • Arbitration and Mediation • Banking and Finance • Civil Litigation • Constitutional Law • Consumer Law • Contracts • Corporate Law • Credit Recovery, Bankruptcy and Court-Supervised Reorganization • Electricity • Estate Planning Family Law and Succession • Insurance and Reinsurance • Labor & Employment • Real Estate • Tax

Industries: Agribusiness • Automotive • Civil Construction and Real Estate Development • Communication • E-commerce • Education • Electricity • Financial Institutions • Food • Glass • Insurance and Reinsurance • Oil & Gas • Retail • Technology • Tires

Labor & Employment:

With significant expertise in litigation, the firm’s services include technical work focused on the analysis of labour contingencies and liabilities, staff restructuring and employee allocation, closing branches or company dissolution, outsourcing services and structuring compensation (salary and benefits). The firm also participate in the application and development of benefit plans in various modalities such as stock options, bonuses and profit sharing, changes in employment contracts, transfers of employees at national and international level and collective bargaining.

The litigation team represents clients’ interests under the Labour Court System in individual and collective labour claims, and civil deeds in the public interest. The attorneys’ experience in the administrative scope covers defence in preparatory procedures and public civil inquiries promoted by the Labour Prosecution Office, in notices of violation drafted by the Regional Superintendence of Labour and Employment, and in following up on inspections, notices of interdictions and more.

The firm is often involved in the defence of its clients in lawsuits filed by former employees who held senior positions or involving large risks to the image as moral and sexual harassment.

Civil Litigation:

The Litigation team represents almost half of the firm with 112 dedicated attorneys. The whole team is specialised in judicial and administrative procedures on behalf of international and local household names, like consumer protection agencies such as Procon (Consumer Protection Bureau) and other regulatory bodies.

The firm’s mantra is ‘partner’s involvement from minute 1 and deep industry specialisation with our deep bench’. Such approach became fruitful over the years, placing Tortoro as the go-to law firm for complex litigation.  

The firm has a strong presence in the financial and banking sector, representing the main players, who together account for 80% of the credit market and have trillions of reais in value of assets under management.  

In addition, The firm has a relevant presence in the Brazilian electricity sector, which is one of the largest interconnected systems in the world and which will receive more than R$ 450 billion in investments in the next 10 years.

With an office in Brasilia, the firm has considerable experience in proceedings pending before the Highest Courts.

Credit Recovery:

Representing the interests of creditors such as financial institutions, investment funds and industries, the firm acts proactively in locating debtors’ assets by identifying procedures of attempted asset protection, as well as fraudulent conveyance and fraud upon the execution of judgment. The firm files court-supervised and out-of-court reorganisation proceedings in favour of creditors, identifying first priority claims and proper filing of proof of claim, attending meetings, taking part in committees, reviews, objections to claim and negotiation of agreements in reorganisation plans.

Credit Recovery, Labour and Litigation Top Clients: 

• Agribusiness: Louis Dreyfuss
• Banking and Finance: Santander, Itaú, Banco Safra, Banco Pan and CSF Bank
• Retail: Carrefour and Magazine Luiza
• Food & Beverage: Unilever, Camil and Arcor
• Energy: Câmara de Comercialização de Energia Elétrica (CCEE), Operador Nacional do Sistema Elétrico (ONS) and Elektro
• Gas: IBG
• Insurance: Zurich Santander
• Tires: Pirelli and Promition
• Third Sector: Ayrton Senna Institute.

Recent Highlight Deals: 

• The firm advised the Electric Energy Trading Chamber (CCEE) in defining the strategy to face the judicialisation of default in the Free Market for electric energy, which reached the sum of almost R$ 8 billion in 2020
• The firm advised Banco Safra in the development of a defence strategy to face lawsuits involving the questioning of loan agreements, due to the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic
• The firm advised Banco Santander regarding an action against the Federal Government seeking the annulment of 3 labour infraction notices that resulted in the imposition of a millionaire fine, in addition to the recognition of the employment relationship of 629 outsourced employees with the bank

Recent Recognitions:

Chambers & Partners - 2021 Labour and Employment