Azevedo Sette hires banking partner in Brazil


Azevedo Sette hires banking partner in Brazil


Azevedo Sette Advogados has added its fifth new partner since February, this time strengthening its banking and finance practice by recruiting an in-house counsel.

Antonio Negrão, 57, joined the firm on 3 August, taking its partner count to 40.

With over 30 years of experience, Negrão focuses his finance law practice on the structuring of digital banking projects, data protection and administrative law matters, among other aspects.

The new partner joins from Brazil’s national banking federation (FEBRABAN), where he was a legal director for 15 years. Negrão is also a vice-president of Latin American finance association FELABAN and secretary general of the banking law committee of the Brazilian bar association, the OAB. He has previously also held in-house positions at Brazilian financial institutions Banco Bradesco and BCN, among others.

“Negrão is a great fit for our firm and current growth trajectory,” says Azevedo Sette’s managing partner Luiz Sette, who explains that the new hire complements the firm’s recent expansion in other areas such as data protection and compliance. “The addition of Negrão to our firm will continue to diversify our offering, especially for banking institutions,” adds Sette.

The breadth and rapid growth of Brazil’s banking market creates demand for specialised legal advice, says Sette, pointing out that the ongoing covid-19 pandemic is adding new features and growth potential in the finance industry. “There has been a sharp growth in financial transactions carried out by remote channels and digital media,” he says and highlights that Brazil’s Central Bank introduced a new online open banking system amid the pandemic, allowing licensed financial institutions to share consumer data to move towards a more digitalised banking system. With the latest hire, the firm is well-positioned to help clients with these changes in the sector, says Sette.

Azevedo Sette is known for its services in mining, M&A and project finance law, among other areas. With one of the largest headcounts among Brazilian Latin Lawyer 250, it has not shied away from adding new talent across various practice groups in recent months. In July, it bolstered its disputes practice, hiring Mattos Engelberg Echenique Advogados’ partner Felipe Moraes. Before then, it recruited an in-house counsel as real estate partner in March, which followed on from a double partner promotion in February, which saw the firm strengthening its corporate and real estate departments.