PlNHElRO NET0 ADVOGADOS Excellence across the board ...

PlNHElRO NET0 ADVOGADOS
Excellence across the board
Established: 1942
Total lawyers: 337
Partners: 68
The average law firm in Latin Ainerica might claiill to
be full-service, with some associates who have done
work in this or that field of practice - but Pinheiro
Neto is not your average Latin American law firm; in
fact it is, without question, one of the region's best.
Perhaps more than any other in these pages, this firm
wins die-hard praise froin its clients year-on-yea; both
for its ability to structure and successfully execute
complex billion-dollar deals, but also for its excellent
work in areas which see fewer headlines.This strength
across the board is underpinned by its egalitarian
management style, irrespective of the length and
prestige of its reputation in the marketplace - thanks
predoillinantly to its late founder Josi. Martins
Pinheiro Neto, but also thanks to the marked success
and dedication of today's leaders, who mix ambition
and agility into the firm's established and prestigious
reputation. Pinheiro Neto also prides itself on organic
growth, with most of today's partners having started
as trainees; it has thus seen a lower turnover than illost
other firms in this list.

BRAZIL LATINLAWYER 250
i years (Antonio Josk Monteiro and Werner Grau
PRACTICES: The firm's corporate finance and M&A i are the key names here). Outside the corporate field,
prachces are top-tier, and indeed, its prormnence i Gilberto Giusti is the most promment name in one
year-on-year m deal hsts in those fields is remarkable, i of the top hsputes prachces at a fd-service firm, mth
promng its strategy of pitching for hgh-end deals is i a reputahon m arbitratlon in parhcular whch easdy
worlung. However, it also shows real strength across i competes mth those at Brad's top boutiques ~n the
the board, excelling at almost every practice area a i field; Angela Fan Chi Kung is noted for IP work.
corporate chent needs. : In tax, many partners win chent prase - in partlcular
: Mauro Berenholc ("proachve, qwck and detd-
PEOPLE. The firm's managing partner, Alexandre i oriented"), Luis Roberto Peroba Barbosa ("he is
Bertoldi, is one of ~ts most recogrused and respected i impressive") and Eduardo Caiuby ("one of the most
names: one client calls hm "astomdung, both fiom a f competent Brazhan tax lawyers"). Carlos Tranjan
personal and professional pomt of mew" addmg, "To : Bechara "is certanly one of the best tax hhgahon
me, he is one of BrazllS best lawyers. In addtlon to i lawyers m RIO de Janeiro and probably in Brad - he
being extremely mce, bright and hard-worlung, hs i and ths team are truly warriors in defendng ther
amazmg practical sense, problem-solvmg skdls and f chents at courts, consistently delivering strong results
umque knowledge of the Brazhan market make i and excellent analysis of the cases he handles," says
hun an invaluable asset m any deal." HIS prachce is f Eduardo Gd of SC Johnson. As would befit a firm
broad, predomnantly covering M&A but mth chents : noted for its strength ~n depth, chents also found much
also applauding hs banlzlng and hance work; other f prase for associates - too much to include in these
comments focused on his s&l blend of management i pages - but their sahsfachon is in part explained by the
and chent work. In an older generation, the firm has : firm's ongomg and deep comtment to international
two semor figures who may have Merent prachce i trarung; judging by the CVs of lawyers of all semority,
areas but reputatlonally are equally stellar: finance i comg from P i k o Neto gives you an enmable
lawyer Antonio Mendes and hhgator Celso Cintra i edge when applylng for a placement wth NewYork's
Mori. Alongside Mendes in the finance field are i top firms.
Fernandode Almeida Prado and Henrique Lang i
in capital markets, whde Bruno Balduccini is sad by i CLIENTS: With ths kmd of excellence on offer, the
a chent to have "a great knowledge of the Brazhan i firm unashamedly arms for the hgh-end work, both
b&ng system and great avdabhty to &scuss new i strategically and mth its fees, developing such skdls
and prormnng ideas". Daniela Sampaio Doria is i and experience that Brazd's leadmg investment banks
also a noted capital markets prachhoner.Another chent i -JP Morgan, Santander, ItaG, BTG and many more -
commented on theM&Aandprlvate equity experience . probably are always workmg mth at least one Pinheiro
of Henry Sztutrnan and Miguel Tornovsky, whde i Neto team and m recent months undoubtedly wth
Fernando Alves Meira - mth a noted speciahsm f many at once. Ths is no transactional boutique,
in ethanol work - and hs team "made our company i however, and hgh-profile deals do not tell the whole
feel as if we were ther only chent.They were able to i story; Pinheiro Neto has a reputahon among Brazll's
turn documents around impressively quickly mthout i corporate comrnumty as such a safe pair of hands that
losing their very high quahty." Josh Luiz Homem f the fees, whde top-end, are utterly worth it: "It is a
de Mello, Josk Carlos Meirelles ("responsive and 1 superb law firm'" says one telecoms chent. "Rates are
creahve [...I very hands-on"), and Carlos Alberto i hgh, but it is clearly the place to go for hgh-profile
Moreira Lima ("energehc [. .] chhgent [...I up-to- i and sophstlcated matters."Value is the key word here,
date") also have recommended corporate prachces, f and the firm is certanly open to negotiahon: Citibank
whde Ricardo Coelho 1s noted not only for the i says they "prov~de us mth value-added servlce at
quahty of hs service but also for the breadth of hs f competitive pricesn,whlle a UKlaw firm who had had
practlce. Many chents commented on the insolvency i a bad experience with a small, boutlque firm in the
and restructuring practlce ths year, unsurprrsmgly, f marketplace came to Pinheiro Neto "because although
singhng out Luiz Fernando Valente de Paiva for i they are much bigger they were flexlble on fees, and
prase. Esther Nunes has one of the most recogrused i they have a name you can absolutely trust." GM do
names m the market in telecoms work, In whch i Brad is a dent of 40 years' standmg which spends 65
Raphael de Cunto also has a partlcular experhse; a i per cent of its legal budget mth the firm. "The man
meha chent says,"He's terrfic and very responsive -he i reasons are the quahty of services and the integrity
has had experience in a big firm and in hs own firm, i m all aspects," says general counsel JoZo Rotta. "I feel
whch for me is the best of both worlds." Cristianne i comfortable saylng that Plnhe~ro Neto is one of the
Zarzur and Flhvio Belliboni are noted for anhtrust, i leading law firms in Lahn America who you can trust
whde in infhstructure and projects, Jao Cksar i and receive the best quahty work and outstandmg
Bueno is a go-to lawyer for any construchon chent i results." Other chents lke Odebrecht, JBS, Schahm,
- he is "very well mnformed, really knows what he is : Light and more all turn to the 6rm repeatedly, whde
tallang about. He always has an alternatlve structure i others who retain it for the bulk of thelr corporate
to suggest," says one. Carlos Viena Filho is one of i work say no value can be put on the sense of security
the most noted names in the market in mng, for : won by havlng Pmhero Neto on board.
whch the firm's noted experhse in envlronmental :
law is a boon; they are "very speciahsed in ths subject, f PRO BONO: The firm has a gromng comtment
and I would recommend them on the strength of f to pro bono, both in terms of the work done and
then experience," says one chent who has had much f the importance that work is accorded with the
need of strong envlronmental law advlce over recent f firm. Josi. Carlos Meirelles heads the firm's pro
Firms have been selected as a result of comprehensive, independent survey work w~th both general counsel and Lawyers in private practice
ALL recommended firms are Invited, though not requ~red, to provide a professional notlce that is published in return for a fee

,.,ww.LATINLAWYER.COM BRAZIL
P bono pracbce and the firm is the first in Brazil to i Carlos Vilhena Filho advised Anglo-Australian
pay associates hourly for the pro bono work they f mmng group Rio Tinto in sekng US$1.2 bfion
do, so that it takes the same importance as paymg i of Brazilian,Argentine and Paraguayan assets tovale,
clients' work in their minds. Clients include low- f and Marcelo Viveiros de Moura advlsed Chevron
cost housing provider Um Teto pqa Meu Pais and i in sehg its fael distribution business in Brad to
environmental group Associa$Zo Aguas Claras do i Ultra for 1.2 bilhon reais (US16520 million).The firm
a o Pinheiros, which supports projects worlung to I also represented Kraft Foods in divesting its Brazilian
reduce pollution in S90 Paulo's Pinheiros kver. i juice business Manguary to Companhla Brasileira
: de Bebidas, includmg negotiating a speedy antitrust
OFFICES: As suits a firm aiming for the high-end i clearance, and represented Portuguese-owned SCS
work, the vast majority of the lawyers are based in i Beheer and Tafiber in selling Brazdian wood panel
the head office, S9o Paulo, although smaller but active i manufacturer Tafisa Brasil to Chide's Arauco for
bases are maintained m k o de Janeiro and Brasiha. i US$162 don. At the very beginning of 2010 the
i firm landed a notable mandate acting for Mexico's
, ALLIANCES & NETWORKS: Pmheiro Neto has been less f FEMSA in selhng USS7.7 bilhon in Mexican and
enthusiastic about alliances than some of its competitors, i Brazhan assets to Heineken.
preferring to rely on its established regional links through : Brazil's Schahin Group, one of the country's
the Club de Abogados, although it has cooperation f largest engmeering and construction companies,
agreements with Estudio BeccarVarela in Buenos hes, i faced a tough time m the economc crisis, and
G6mez-Acebo & Pombo of Madrid and Vieira de i turned to Pinheiro Neto for help, selling transmission
Almeida & Associados of Lisbon. i and vehcle tracking assets and then restructuring
i over US$475 d o n of debt with 13 financial
2009 DEVELOPMENTS: The firm promoted four i institutions. A four-partner team also led beef group
partners at the beginning of 2009 -Ricardo SimGes f Independsncia through the largest restructuring filing
Russo, who practises banking and finance law, j of 2009; a court approved the 3.5 billion reas (US$2
litigator and arbitrator Red Guilherme Medrado, : bfion) reorgamsatlon proposal in December.
tax partner Giancarlo Charnrna Matarazzo and i Alexandre Bertoldi had another busy year, qulte
labour lawyer Thais Galo. Two partners left during f aside from his management duhes, advlsing the parent
the year: Jost Olinta de Arruda Campos and Leila i company on the sell-side when Banco Bradesco
Vianna Gongalves. The firm also again won Brazilian : acquired fellow Brazilian bank ibi from retder
Law Firm of the Year from our sister publication, i C&A, and Brazilian manufacturing group Petropar
Who's Who Legal. : as it agreed a joint venture wth Fiberweb, a UK
; Regular chent JBS must have totted up some : producer of non-woven fabrics. He also represented
billable hours in 2009: despite an aborbve merger I Compaiiia Manufacturera de Papeles y Cartones
with the US'S National Beef Packing early in the i (CMPC) when it bought a Brazilian sLibsidiary of
year, thanks to US antitrust issues, the world's largest i Fibria, the company formed byvotorantim's takeover
beef producer did buy a majority stake in US-based i of pulpmaker Aracruz.
Pilgrim's Pride, and on the same day unveiled plans i The ethanol sector continued to produce a flow
to take control of Brazilian group Bertin. Its M&A i of deals, notably for Fernando Alves Meira, who
. counsel is Henry Sztutman, whde to raise the cash i advised producer Brenco In securing a 663 million
t'o back such acquisitions, JBS used Damela Sampa~o f reais (US16274 million) loan &om a consortium of
Doria for a US16700 d o n bond offering; she teamed i banks; he also representedvale do Ivai as it was bought
up with Henrique Lang on the planned US162 billion i by IndiaS Shree Renuka Sugars refimng company. He
US IPO, which is still awaiting favourable market i teamed up with Alvaro Martins dos Santos in the
f long-runrung saga of struggling sugar and ethanol
* In the beginning of 2009, M&A was certainly the f group Santelisa Vale, which eventually secured a
busier of the corporate practices. Qn the buy-side, I takeover by French agricultural conglomerate Louis
Alvaro Martins dos Santos represented South i Dreyfhs Commodities for US$460 million, at the
Africa-based media group Naspers in its acquisibon of i same time settling a US161.4 billion debt restructuring.
Brazdian e-commerce company BuscaPi for US$342 i The firm also advised on the follow-on divestment
million, whde the firm also acted for the Brazilian i of an ethanol terminal at the port of Santos ~n SPo
arm of Dutch logistics group TNT as it acquired a i Paulo state.
controlling stake in Brazhan carrier Ara~atuba, and i The firm landed a key role in the capital markets
Sanofi-Aventis as it acquired Brazihan generic drug i deal of the year, as Santander raised 14.1 billion
maker Medley. The worldi second-largest retailer, i reais (US$8 billion) in the world's largest inltial
Garrefour, retained them in expandmg its positlon i public offering of 2009; Henrique Lang and Josi
in the Brazilian market with the partial buyout of i Luiz Homem de Mello led the team. The team
hubled supermarket chan Girnenes, as did Dubai- f also had a key role in Brazil's triple accessing of the
based consulting company Mondia in its acqulsltion i markets, in which the Repubhc rased nearly US$3
of German digital entertainment consultancy Arvato f bilhon; Fernando Prado Ferreira advised the
Mobile (which had Branhan assets).The firm advised i undenvriters.
both buyer and seller as Brazihan private education i JosC Carlos Meirelles helped Brazil's secondcompany
Khck Net changed hands. : largest private bank, Bradesco, issue bonds worth
t On the sell-side, Guilherme Leite represented i US$750 million on international capital markets,
G in selhng its stake in its insurance and pension i and adv~sed Banco do Brasil in its USS1.5 bfion
d joint venture to Unibanco for US16820 million, i bond issuance which took on a hybrid 'quasi-equity'
s hava been selected as a result of comprehensive, independent survey work with both general counsel and Lawyers in private practice.
ecommended firms are invited, though not required, to providea professional notice that is published in return for a fee
81

BRAZIL
status. On other debt work, the firm represented
the underwriters of issuances by TAM, Vivo, and
Anhanguera; on the equity side, the banks behind
Tivit's IPO and a share issue by Companhia de
Concess6es Rodoviirias (CCR). On the issuer side,
shopping mall operator Multiplan turned to Pinheiro
for its share offering as did real estate developer Rossi
Residencial for its US96527 d o n IPO.
In other real estate deals, Rafael de Cunto advised
the US'S Paladin Realty Apima Investors in making a
joint venture with Brazilian construction company
Construtora Altana, while Marcos Chaves Ladeira
negotiated the takeover of ailing real estate developer
Abyara.
Esther Nunes helped set up a new nationwide
electronic banking system, designed to eliminate the
need for paper payment slips, comn~issioned by the
Cimara Interbancbria de Pagamentos (CIP), a non-
profit entity providing interbank payment clearing
and settlement services. Bruno Balduccini advised
Corporacibn Andina de Fomento (CAF) as it agreed
a risk-sharing deal with AIG subsidiary Chartis on
guarantees issued on behalf of Brazilian construction
group Odebrecht.
On the projects side, JGlio Cksar Bueno
represented Vale, Odebrecht and Camargo Corr&a
as they launched a US961.3 billion coal mining
project in northern Mozanlbique; he also represented
the lenders of 7.2 bdlion reais (US964.1 billion) in
financing for a hydropower plant in the Amazon
-the largest ever single financing for an infrastructure
project in Brazil.The firm acted again for the lenders
- Citibank, Itail, Santander, Bradesco and Banco
Votorantim - of a 305 illillion reais (US96135 million)
15-month bridge loan for MPX.