Forward-thinking full-service firm with mining roots
Against the backdrop of Brazil’s highly competitive market, Azevedo Sette Advogados has earned its place providing a highly sought-after, full-service offering, backed by the firm’s extensive reach across five offices.
Founded 55 years ago, Azevedo Sette Advogados has come a long way from its beginnings as a mining specialist firm. It is now strong in corporate and M&A mandates and fields solid labour, administrative and tax practice groups.
Despite a few challenging years, the firm has found a role in some of the most lucrative deals around, including helping Vale with its divestment programme. Other clients in the energy and renewables sector have placed their confidence in the firm, turning here for assistance with all their finance and corporate matters.
Azevedo Sette Advogados is committed to cultivating a world-leading service offering, demonstrated in recent years by an exponential growth through high-quality lateral hires as well as promotions. Given the fluid movement between rival firms in Brazil’s busy legal market, Azevedo Sette Advogados’ ability to retain high-quality talent is a remarkable feat, owed in large part to the firm’s leadership, which is spearheaded by managing partner Luiz Azevedo Sette, who offers clear direction and values.
The firm’s broad service offering does not lead to any compromise in depth. Lawyers here receive praise across the whole spectrum of departments from clients who applaud the team’s capacity for handling incredibly complex matters, bringing both local and globally minded solutions and developing in-depth understandings of the clients, as well as the firm’s consistency in going above and beyond the expected.
Azevedo Sette Advogados’ offices, compensation plans and IT systems underwent significant remodelling in recent years, with a five-year plan now in place until 2025. The strategy is also reviewed regularly to optimise the firm’s responses to emerging trends, as leadership keeps a keen eye on the latest undercurrents driving market opportunities.
Offices
Azevedo Sette Advogados has five offices across Brazil. It recently remodelled its Belo Horizonte base, which is popular with mining clients. It has a São Paulo office as well, and the firm enjoys capturing a diverse sample of clients through its additional outposts in Brasília, Recife and Rio de Janeiro.
Alliances & networks
The firm is a member of law associations Legal Network International and LexUniversal.
Corporate and M&A
Key partners: Luiz Azevedo Sette brings corporate flair from an impressive in-house background at Microsoft. Fernando Azevedo Sette is also notable for his experience advising on commercial contracts and wealth succession matters. Project finance expertise is provided by Frederico Bopp Dieterich, who formerly worked in-house at Andrade Gutierrez, and founding partner Ordélio Azevedo Sette, who is reputed in the region for his broad scope of knowledge in the project finance, mining and pensions sectors – he was the former president of the International Chamber of Commerce of Brazil. Partner Luís Ricardo Miraglia features too and is recognised for his deft legal skill and business-minded approach, as does Roberto Ribas Wilson who drafts and negotiates commercial contracts with enviable dexterity. Ana Paula Terra Caldeira, Luiz Azevedo Sette and Ricardo Barretto Ferreira da Silva all come recommended in LACCA Approved, a survey of in-house counsel published by the Latin American Corporate Counsel Association, which is affiliated to Latin Lawyer.
Analysis: Azevedo Sette Advogados’ corporate group is well-stocked with impressive talent that consistently wins it favour with clients. Big-ticket merger and acquisition transactions are a stronghold of this group, though its loyal client portfolio repeatedly returns to the firm for day-to-day advice on more sophisticated matters. The firm has a stellar reputation in Brazil’s mining industry, and its energy sector historically wins a stream of work on significant cross-border work. As the economic landscape continues to evolve, the group is positioning itself to work more prominently in other sectors. It recently helped Brazilian healthcare group Mater Dei make five hospital acquisitions, worth a total of 1 billion reais (US$191 million).
Mining & metals
Key partners: Leonardo Pereira Lamego is the practice group head and takes the lead on environmental matters. Fernando Azevedo Sette, Ana Paula Terra Caldeira and Leonardo Farinha Goulart are also important names in the team.
Analysis: The firm’s mining practice group has a multidisciplinary offering stretching from M&A to litigation as well as competition law, project finance and real estate matters. The entire team is based in Belo Horizonte; a convenient platform to access the firm’s clients in the mining industry’s heartland of Minas Gerais. Since its establishment over half a century ago, the department has become a one-stop shop for mining matters ranging from royalties, mining rights and environmental law to due diligence, administrative and judicial litigation. Given the labour-intensive nature of the industry, the department works closely with Azevedo Sette Advogados’ employment law team.
Project finance & infrastructure
Key partners: Frederico Bopp Dieterich handles infrastructure cases expertly, following on from his legal experience at a Brazilian conglomerate. Among the Belo Horizonte team, Fernando Azevedo Sette is noted for his work in this field. In São Paulo, Leonardo Moreira Costa de Souza is active in transactions in the water and sanitation sector, while Rafael Adler is recognised too.
Analysis: The infrastructure group has an impressive portfolio of PPP, privatisation and public law expertise. It features a highly competent team that has a wide-reaching grasp of administrative legislation, making it one of the country’s most prominent offerings in this area. Its historic ties to the mining and energy industries certainly weigh in favour of the group.
Administrative law
Key partners: Frederico Bopp Dieterich, who comes recommended in LACCA Approved, and Leonardo Moreira Costa de Souza jointly head the department. Other noted names are São Paulo-based Rafael Adler, who earns plaudits for his efficiency, and Bruna Bouissou who works out of Belo Horizonte.
Analysis: Azevedo Sette Advogados’ administrative law department draws significant strength from the firm’s well-regarded infrastructure practice group. The team is visible working for major construction and telecom companies. A high-profile source of work is advising concessionaires on multimillion-dollar urban transportation, energy and other relevant projects. The firm has been hired by public entities to help with public-private partnerships (PPPs), and it recently advised Brazilian engineering group Serveng and São Paulo-based transportation company Grupo CCR.
Labour
Key partners: Leila Azevedo Sette, Luanna Vieira de Lima Costa and Gustavo Magalhães Assis in Belo Horizonte, as well as Silvia Pellegrini Ribeiro in São Paulo, are the leading names in this group.
Analysis: Azevedo Sette Advogados’ capable labour practice group is quite robust and the lawyers maintain an active presence on administrative and judicial litigation cases, as well as class action suits, advising Brazilian and international companies. The group also assists clients with collective bargaining and labour disputes. Brazilian industrial conglomerate Votoratim Group, tobacco company Souza Cruz and Amazon are some of the firm’s best-known clients.
Tax
Key partners: Several prominent partners, including Mauricio Pernambuco Salin in São Paulo and Leandra Guimarães in Belo Horizonte, co-head the practice group. Guimarães comes recommended in LACCA Approved. Partners Ricardo Barretto Ferreira da Silva in São Paulo and Clarissa Viana in Belo Horizonte also dedicate considerable time to the practice.
Analysis: Azevedo Sette Advogados’ tax practice group stands out for its wide geographical coverage, which helps when advising clients on Brazil’s state-by-state tax system and across all levels from municipalities to federal. In addition to its presence in the firm’s hometown Belo Horizonte and Brazil’s main economic hub, São Paulo, the practice has a solid team in the capital Brasília, home to the tax administrative tribunal. CARF, Red Bull, Spanish insurance group Mapfre, PepsiCo and Santander are examples of well-known companies the team has represented before the tribunal. These lawyers also oversee tax disputes, strategic tax planning and periodic tax reviews. Clients have described the firm as one of the best in the Brazilian legal market thanks to its skills in handling complex matters.
Anti-corruption investigations and compliance
Key partners: Prominent partner Isabel Franco is an important figure here and comes recommended in LACCA Approved. She is one of Brazil’s foremost compliance lawyers and has a stellar reputation. Luiz Eduardo Salles co-heads the practice group.
Analysis: Azevedo Sette Advogados has been building a profile in this field for some time, but the 2019 addition of Isabel Franco is what put the firm on the map. The team mainly concentrates on investigations, such as looking into alleged kickbacks at a US manufacturer. Brazilian energy company Santo Antônio Energia and technology investor Movile are among the firm’s clients.
Telecoms & media
Key partners: Ricardo Barretto Ferreira da Silva, who is widely seen as one of Brazil’s leading names in this field, is the top contact here.
Analysis: Azevedo Sette Advogados blends traditional telecoms regulatory skills with technology and media law experience. In the technology area, the team assists clients with the drafting and negotiation of contracts for software distribution and licensing, outsourcing, personal data protection, domain name issues, joint ventures and partnerships for online businesses, mobile payments and internet applications. The department has a niche advising media and entertainment clients on matters ranging from IP rights and audio-visual tax benefits to the financing of sports and cultural events and payment platforms in online gaming.
Intellectual property
Key partners: Ricardo Barretto Ferreira da Silva leads the practice group and is highly regarded in the media, technology and entertainment sectors. Roberto Mariano de Oliveira Soares is based in Brasília and comes recommended in LACCA Approved.
Analysis: Azevedo Sette Advogados’ intellectual property team assists clients with copyrights, trademarks and patents for industrial, technological, advertising or artistic use. The department has a focus on assisting software companies in Brazil and has carefully nurtured long-term relationships with several high-profile names, with Microsoft being one example – the technology giant has retained the firm for the protection of its intellectual property in Brazil and anti-piracy matters since 2000. Amazon and the Software Alliance (BSA) are also regular clients in anti-piracy and intellectual property matters. Clients have praised the team’s responsiveness, integrity and consistency in obtaining results, as well as its eagerness to serve clients in the best way possible.
Litigation
Key partners: Ricardo Azevedo Sette, founder of the Brazilian Defence Lawyers Association, Paulo Ciari de Almeida Filho, whose pro-business approach and knowledge have been praised by clients, and Danielle Chipranski Cavalcante are all prominent in the firm’s São Paulo office. Leonardo Platais capably leads the Rio de Janeiro disputes team, offering his expertise in civil litigation and arbitration. João Capanema Barbosa Filho heads the team in Belo Horizonte, where Leonardo Farinha Goulart, who adds mining knowledge, and Marcos Augusto Leonardo Ribeiro, who earns plaudits from clients for his environmental disputes work, also feature. Rodrigo Badaró de Castro, whose practice includes IP, telecoms and information technology law, is head in Brasília. Castro, Ribeiro and Roberto Mariano de Oliveira Soares come recommended in LACCA Approved, with the latter also being recognised by the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, Arts, History and Literature for his advancements in legal sciences.
Analysis: Azevedo Sette Advogados’ civil litigation and arbitration practice group helps clients through a range of disputes covering corporate, labour and tax matters as well as consumer issues. The team is spread across four of the firm’s offices in São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília, and is adept at drafting, filing and monitoring appeals at the state courts, federal regional courts and the Superior Court of Justice in Brasília.
Tax
Key partners: Several prominent partners, including Mauricio Pernambuco Salin in São Paulo and Leandra Guimarães in Belo Horizonte, co-head the practice group. Guimarães comes recommended in LACCA Approved. Partners Ricardo Barretto Ferreira da Silva in São Paulo and Clarissa Viana in Belo Horizonte also dedicate considerable time to the practice.
Analysis: Azevedo Sette Advogados’ tax practice group stands out for its wide geographical coverage, which helps when advising clients on Brazil’s state-by-state tax system and across all levels from municipalities to federal. In addition to its presence in the firm’s hometown Belo Horizonte and Brazil’s main economic hub, São Paulo, the practice has a solid team in the capital Brasília, home to the tax administrative tribunal. CARF, Red Bull, Spanish insurance group Mapfre, PepsiCo and Santander are examples of well-known companies the team has represented before the tribunal. These lawyers also oversee tax disputes, strategic tax planning and periodic tax reviews. Clients have described the firm as one of the best in the Brazilian legal market thanks to its skills in handling complex matters.
Trade
Key partners: Luiz Eduardo Salles heads the team, while tax partner Mauricio Pernambuco Salin has a notable presence. Both are based in São Paulo.
Analysis: Azevedo Sette Advogados’ trade department’s expertise in local and foreign legislation puts the firm on the map, attracting clients from Brazil as well as from Europe, the US, China and further afield. The highly specialised team is clued up on World Trade Organization (WTO) laws, customs and tariff measures, import and export control and Brazilian foreign trade policy. The group regularly litigates before government-led trade agencies.