Demarest e Almeida Advogados

This content can only be accessed by Latin Lawyer subscribers

Number of equity partners: 35 • Number of income partners: 58 • Number of associates: 149

The firm: Demarest e Almeida is one of the leading and most traditional business law firms in Brazil with nearly 65 years of experience in assisting clients from around the globe. Its highly qualified lawyers, law students and professional administrative staff have as their primary concern to meet clients’ needs with maximum efficiency. The professionals of the firm are regularly named as leaders in their fields by both domestic and foreign publications. The firm’s goal is to provide legal services with the highest standard of quality and excellence in every aspect of the areas of business law.

Demarest e Almeida has led major domestic and cross-border transactions in the most diversified areas of business activities.

Main areas of practice

Corporate & M&A: The firm has a wide-ranging experience in M&A and advises major Brazilian and multinational companies in their acquisitions and divestments. Legal advice is provided on all aspects of corporate law, including corporate reorganisation and restructuring, foreign companies’ transactions, joint ventures and strategic alliances, public offerings of securities and due diligence reviews.

Banking & finance: The firm provides full advice and counsel for foreign and Brazilian banks, financial institutions and private equity funds, in different transactions, including project financing, corporate and trade-finance, securitizations, capital markets, debt and hybrid instruments issuances and restructurings.

Civil & commercial: The firm has a long established tradition in civil, commercial and contract law including distributorship, licensing and agency arrangements and biotechnology regulation, among others.

Competition: With decades of experience in this area, the firm has represented countless clients in acts of concentration and defences in antitrust proceedings.

Litigation and arbitration: The litigation and arbitration department has grown to be one of the largest litigation practices in Brazil, representing clients from all over the world in all areas of law.

Labour and employment: The firm has one of the most recognised labour and employment practices in Brazil, structured to provide full and customised services on labour matters, including consultancy and litigation on judicial and extra-judicial cases.

Tax: A recognised team with extensive experience provides advice in all tax areas, including transfer pricing, and in main corporate restructurings and is involved in significant administrative and judicial tax litigation. The department has also been active in providing counseling to pension funds regulation over the years.

Intellectual property: The firm is structured to offer specialised services in all aspects of intellectual and industrial property protection and management, including information technology, biotechnology and internet law.

Environmental: The environment practice group is one of the most reputable and active team in Brazil, involved in all aspects of the environmental laws and regulations, including the carbon market area.

Insurance/reinsurance: A group widely recognised and specialised in advising the industry in all lines of insurance, consulting, supporting litigation and arbitration. The group has also advised clients in complex matters related to the reinsurance monopoly in Brazil.

International work: Demarest e Almeida has advised a range of domestic and international clients, in virtually every sector of business in Brazil and all areas of law, as described above.

Clients: A large number of international clients doing business in Brazil and in the Latin America region, in a vast range of industries, is among its clients are major multi-nationals, banks, and public institutions from North America, Europe and Asia.

International relationships: Demarest e Almeida is the sole Brazilian firm member of Lex Mundi, known as the world’s leading association of law firms, embodying law firms in more than 160 jurisdictions. The firm is also a member of the Interlex International Association of Law Firms and of the Employment Law Alliance (ELA). Such relationships ensures their members a full international organisation for the provision of legal services.

The firm has an over ten-year successful relationship with the largest Argentine law firm, Marval O´Farrell e Mairal, aiming at assisting its Mercosul’s clients. That integration allows a professional interchange between Demarest e Almeida’s and Marval O’Farrell e Mairal’s attorneys.

www.demarest.com.br