Campos Mello Advogados opens Brasilia office

Rio de Janeiro, November 16, 2020 – Campos Mello Advogados (CMA) is opening its Brasilia office this Monday (16) to strengthen the public law and governmental affairs practice and also to provide its clients with even more complete services, from lower to higher courts. CMA has operated for 39 years and was a pioneer among Brazilian law firms in seeking internationalization, which took place ten years ago through its cooperation with DLA Piper, one of the world’s largest law firms. CMA has operations in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, London, and New York.

A stronger presence in Brazil’s capital will expand CMA’s activity of monitoring matters related to the Executive Branch, the National Congress, regulatory agencies, government-owned banks and development financial institutions, as well as controlling agencies such as the Federal Accounting Court (TCU) and the Office of the Federal Controller General (CGU). With the increasing share of the private sector in concession-based services, CMA’s work with federal regulatory agencies will also be ever more strategic.

“CMA works throughout Brazil and across several global hubs, monitoring its clients’ matters. Now, being installed in Brasilia, this will allow us to connect with an even greater multiplicity of government agencies,” explains CMA managing partner Fabio Campos Mello.

With its origins as a real estate law practice, CMA became a full-service law firm and, in the last years, has expanded its scope to capital markets, energy, insurance, penal, Brazil’s General Data Protection Law (LGPD), and data security and regulation. The firm’s permanent presence in Brasilia will mostly reinforce its public law and compliance practices, along with its technical work with Brazil’s House of Representatives and Federal Senate, professional associations and trade associations. The Brasilia office will be led by partners Rafael Bussière, Carolina Caiado and Paulo Renato Barroso.

“The opportunities generated by legislative changes in several areas – such as that which resulted in the debureaucratization of the sale of federal real property and lands, after the passing of Law No. 14.011/20 – will also encourage clients to seek advice for businesses run from Brasilia,” explains Rafael Bussière, real estate partner.

“We will be very close to Brazil’s decision-making center. We will be in touch with information at its source, without intermediaries. In today’s world, information is the most precious asset. This will, without a doubt, be an important asset for our clients,” says partner Paulo Renato Barroso.

Partner Carolina Caiado points out that the practice of public law has become increasingly more strategic in Brazil in the last years. “This has mostly taken place after there started a gradual reduction of state presence in the country’s economy, with various utilities being transferred to private initiative through concession agreements and public-private partnerships,” she explains.

CMA will expand its services with preparing strategies for clients in monitoring the progress of legislative matters, proposals of interest in Ministries, in addition to preparing risk reports, political scenario reports and technical notes for public hearings, as well as providing advice for interactions with public authorities. The firm will also increase its existing work in litigation before higher courts. Another area of great importance to the Public Law and Governmental Affairs practice group will be government procurement, including information technology, healthcare, transportation, defense, and cybersecurity.