Brazil’s Azevedo Sette Advogados has strengthened its labour and tax departments by hiring two partners from fellow Highly Recommended firm Araújo e Policastro Advogados and Recommended outfit Baptista Luz Advogados, respectively.
The firm announced the arrival of Alexandre Pessoa to its labour partnership on 22 April, when it also revealed that Paulo Penteado had joined to lead its tax department as a partner.
The firm now counts 47 partners. Pessoa and Penteado both join the São Paulo office.
With 25 years of experience, Pessoa focuses on corporate labour litigation, including individual and public civil actions and collective bargaining agreements. He joins the firm after a year in the partnership of Araújo e Policastro, which he joined after 21 years as partner at Highly Recommended KLA Advogados and two years as associate at Elite firm TozziniFreire Advogados. He started his career as an associate at Recommended outfit Peixoto & Cury Advogados.
Penteado brings over 20 years’ experience in tax consulting and planning for M&A, private equity and corporate reorganisation deals, as well as international taxation.
He was partner at Baptista Luz for over three years, which came after a further three as head of the Asian desk at Highly Recommended Felsberg Advogados. Before that he led the tax group at local firm Lehmann, Warde & Monteiro de Castro Advogados. Penteado also counts experience at Veirano Advogados, Elite international firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Brazil’s Huck Otranto Camargo.
On their addition to the firm, partner Luiz Sette comments: "As strategic areas, we were happy to bring new talent to the labour and tax practices of our office in São Paulo. They are professionals with great experience and who arrive to add value to our already competent team.”
A spokesperson from Araújo e Policastro says the labour and employment group will continue to be led by Ana Lúcia Pinke Ribeiro de Paiva.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been three partner hires at Brazilian firms. Of those, four were tax hires and five were in the labour groups of local outfits.
According to Latin Lawyers data, labour saw the second most hires in the first quarter of 2025 at Latin American law firms with six hires reported, while tax was joint third with five hires.
This follows on from the data recorded in 2024, where all the 17 tax partner hires that took place at Latin American law firms were in Brazil. The tax area was the second most active for partner hires last year across the whole region, while labour came in fifth place.
The demand for tax advice in Brazil has surged due to its major reform, passed in December, which aims to simplify its historically complex tax system. Meanwhile, an overhaul of its labour laws has fuelled demand to help clients navigate complex regulations affecting their businesses.
Azevedo Sette is commended for its M&A, labour and tax areas. Earlier this year, the firm hired three partners and a consultant, strengthening its disputes, real estate and wealth planning teams. The firm has been closely involved in the Mariana dam disaster, advising construction giant Vale in its US$23 billion compensation agreement for the victims.
When looking at hires at Brazilian firms that have been reported to Latin Lawyer so far this year, Azevedo Sette comes out as having made the most hires to its partnership, coming joint first with Cescon, Barrieu, Flesch & Barreto Advogados. Each firm has added six new partners so far this year through their respective hires.
They are followed by Demarest Advogados and Lobo de Rizzo Advogados, which each have four hires, and Berardo, Lilla, Becker, Segala e Daniel Advogados with three.
Best known for its corporate and disputes groups, Araújo e Policastro also boasts a strong tax and M&A department.
Baptista Luz is known for its transactional work in the technology, telecoms and advertising spaces. Last year, the firm made a quadruple partner appointment by promoting a technology lawyer, adding talent from Machado Meyer, and absorbing tech-focused firm Lattanzio & Queiroz.
Latin Lawyer contacted Baptista Luz for a comment, but did not hear back before publishing.