Thomson cites BM&A in a ranking of law firms that have mostly participated in merger and acquisitions in 2008

Thomson Financial published the ranking of Law firms that have mostly participated in merger and acquisitions from January to June 2008, in Latin America. Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão Lawyers appears in 3rd place, for announced business values, involving US$ 17,5 billion.

Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão is nominated in two categories of IFLR Americas Deals of the Year 2008

Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão has been nominated in two categories of IFLR Americas Deals of the Year 2008, organized by the International Financial Law Review:

- Equity deal of the year: Bovespa Holding IPO;

- M&A deal of the year: acquisition of Ipiranga Group by Petrobrás, Braskem and Grupo Ultra.

Bovespa IPO, advised by Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão, is awarded with “LATINLAWYER Deal of the Year 2007”

The British Magazine Latin Lawyer has analyzed several transactions carried out in 2007 and has selected the most important ones according to the following criteria: transaction size, innovation and impact.

Bovespa (Bolsa de valores de São Paulo) IPO was the winner in the category “Corporate finance”. Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão has taken part in the transaction, advising Bovespa in Brazil, through the partners Paulo Cezar Aragão, Monique Mavignier and Alexandre Tadeu Seguim and the associates Alexandre Hildebrand Garcia, Fernando Corrêa da Costa, Jane Goldman, José Otavio Haddad Faloppa and Lie Uema do Carmo.

The deal involved a secondary initial public offering of common shares to the public in Brazil, qualified institutional buyers, in the United States and to investors outside the United States and Brazil. In preparation for the Offering and for the demutualization, Bolsa de Valores de São Paulo (“Bovespa”) underwent a corporate restructuring. The demutualization was approved on August 28, 2007. The transaction involved approximately R$ 6,6 billion.

II Affinitas Prizes For Good Corporate Governance In Latin America

The Brazilian petrochemical Braskem and Grupo Televisa of Mexico are the winners of the second edition of the Good Corporate in Latin America prizes. The winners were announced on November 22nd, during the 9th Latibex Forum, an event organized by Latibex for Latin-American companies which trade in Euros on the Madrid Stock Exchange. The purpose of the initiative is to recognize the efforts made by Latin American companies in implementing good corporate governance and transparency policies.

Braskem was awarded with the prize ‘Latibex Company with the best corporate governance practices’ and Grupo Televisa, ‘Registered Latin American company (non-Latibex) with the best corporate governance practices’. In selecting the prize-winners, the jury (formed by Affinitas Executive Committee) considered shareholders’ rights, fair treatment, the role of interest groups, communication and the transparency and responsibility of the candidates’ boards of directors, among other factors.

Along with the prize winners, the finalists for the Prize were Banco Macro S.A. (Argentina); Molinos Río de la Plata S.A. (Argentina); CCR (Brazil); Natura (Brazil); Famsa (Mexico); Banco Crédito Inversiones (Chile); Compañía Cervecerías Unidas, S.A. (Chile); Volcan Compañía Minera S.A.A. (Peru); Alicorp, S.A.A. (Peru) and Interconexión Eléctrica S.A (Colombia).

Thomson cites BM&A in a ranking of offices that have mostly participated in merger and acquisitions in 2007

Thomson Financial published the ranking of Law offices that have mostly participated in merger and acquisitions from January to September 2007, in Latin America. Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão Lawyers appears in 6th place, for announced business values, and in 21st place, for concluded business values.

Click here to access the publication.

New Partners at BM&A

Barbosa, Mussnich & Aragao has four new partners.

Alexandre Tadeu Seguim (Tax Law) and Monique Mavignier (Corporate Law) work at BM&A’s São Paulo office and Camila Goldberg (Banking Law) in Rio de Janeiro. All three acquired extensive national and international experience in their practice areas while associates with BM&A and have recently led important deals on behalf of the firm.

Antenor Madruga, BM&A’s new partner responsible for the Brasília office, joined the firm after serving in the Ministry of Justice, where he acted as National Secretary of Justice.

Antenor graduated in law from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, specialized in corporate law at the Catholic University of São Paulo and holds a doctorate in international law from the University of São Paulo. He is a professor at the University of Brasília and the Rio Branco Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While serving in the Ministry of Justice, Antenor also worked in the Office of the Federal Attorney General.

Alexandre concluded his LL.M. at Northwestern University School of Law (Chicago, USA) in 1998 and was awarded a Certificate of Management by Kellogg Graduate School of Management (Northwestern University, Chicago, USA) in the same year. He graduated in Law from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas (PUCCAMP) in 1996 and in History from Universidade de Campinas (Unicamp) in 1994. Alexandre has worked as a lawyer and trainee in other law firms, in Brazil and abroad, during his almost 15 years of work experience.

Camila specialized in Corporate Law at IBMEC (the Brazilian Stock Market Institute) after graduating in law from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro in 1997. She worked as a lawyer at Banco BBM S.A (1997 - 2000), concentrating on banking and financial transactions typical of investment banks, before joining BM&A. Camila leads one of BM&A’s Capital Markets teams.

Monique specialized in Corporate Law at IAG - Master of the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro in 1999 after graduating in law from the Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro in 1997. Monique’s practice focuses on Mergers & Acquisitions and she has had an important role in many of the large transactions that have occurred recently in the market.

Barbara Rosenberg and José Carlos Berardo published article in The Antitrust Review of the Americas 2008 publication

Barbara Rosenberg and José Carlos Berardo published the article "Brazil: cartels and leniency" in The Antitrust Review of the Americas 2008, a special publication of Global Competition Review.

Partners Paulo Cezar Aragão and Pedro Lanna are highlighted in Who’s Who Legal 2007

Who’s Who Legal 2007 presented the partners Paulo Cezar Aragão and Pedro Lanna as leading lawyers in Capital Markets in Brazil. The Brazilian list had only eight professionals.

Paulo Cezar Aragão was also highlighted in M&A and Corporate Governance.

To download the file, please click here.

Partner Christiane Höhn highlighted in Real Estate Experts Guide 2007

Christiane Höhn has been elected a leading lawyer in Real Estate in a research made with clients and peer lawyers by Euromoney Real Estate Lawyers Expert Guide.

To download the file, please click here.

Barbara Rosenberg is highlighted in Who’s Who Legal Global Competition Review 2007

Who’s Who Legal Global Competition Review 2007 presented the partner Barbara Rosenberg as leading lawyer in Competition Law in Brazil. The Brazilian list had only six professionals.

To download the file, please click here.

Christiane Höhn, partner with BM&A, was highlighted in Corporate Real Estate Handbook 2006/07

Christiane Hohn was highlighted as “highly recommended lawyer” in Corporate Real Estate Handbook 2006/07, published by Practical Law Company.

In this edition, the Firm was highlighted as “highly recommended law firm” in Real Estate Law in Brazil.

Christiane, together with the associate Cristiana Moreira, contributed to the edition, answering questions about the practicing area in Brazil.

The publication is edited annually and presents the result of a research with specialists and professionals responsible for companies legal departments in approximately 40 countries.

Click here to access the publication.

GARRIGUES-AFFINITAS PRIZES FOR GOOD CORPORATE GOVERNANCE IN LATIN AMERICA”

Net Serviços de Comunicação of Brazil and Desarrolladora Homex of Mexico are the winners of the first edition of the “Garrigues-Affinitas Prizes for Good Corporate Governance in Latin America.” The prizes were delivered this afternoon at the Intercontinental Hotel in Madrid during the 8th Latibex Forum, which has brought together more than 70 Latin American companies.

Net Serviços de Comunicação was the winner in the category “Latibex Company with the best corporate governance practices” and Desarrolladora Homex won in the category “Registered Latin American company (non-Latibex) with the best corporate governance practices”

Antonio Zoido, Chairman of the Madrid Stock Exchange, and Trinidad Jiménez, Secretary of State for Ibero-America, delivered the prizes. Trinidad Jiménez congratulated both prize-winners, “which succeeded in applying good rules of corporate governance, sometimes going beyond their own standards and those of their countries, which has even more merit.”

The purpose of the Garrigues-Affinitas Prizes for Good Corporate Governance in Latin America is to recognize the efforts made by Latin American companies in implementing good corporate governance and transparency policies.

The prizes will be awarded annually, and the winners will be announced during the Latibex Forum, an event organized by Latibex for Latin-American companies which trade in Euros on the Madrid Stock Exchange.

The jury for the first edition of the prizes was chaired by Antonio Garrigues, president of Garrigues law firm and Affinitas. In selecting the prize-winners, the jury considered shareholders’ rights, fair treatment, the role of interest groups, communication and the transparency and responsibility of the candidates’ boards of directors, among other factors.

Net Serviços de Comunicação is the largest cable television operator in Latin America. Founded in 1991, the company currently operates in 44 cities in Brazil, providing services to more than six million subscribers.

Net Serviços de Comunicação stands out for its high degree of social responsibility, which has led the company to promote many educational, cultural and environmental projects. “With this prize everyone in our company is a winner. We are proud to receive it because transparency and good corporate governance was the first decision we took in our company. We firmly believe that it is one of the necessities of our business,” affirmed Edgar Prado Lopes, Director of Treasury Services for Net Serviços de Comunicação.

Desarrolladora Homex, S.A. was founded in Mexico in 1989 and has focused on the design, construction and sale of affordable entry-level and middle-income housing. One of Mexico’s largest construction companies, in 2004 Desarrolladora received the “Socially-Responsible Business” award given by the Mexican Center for Philanthropy and Alliance for Corporate Social Responsibility in Mexico. “The prize was awarded to Homex, but I know that the investors are happiest of all, because it means that we are doing the right thing ethically,” said Eustaquio de Nicolás, chairman of Homex’s board of directors.

Along with the prize winners, the finalists for the Garrigues-Affinitas Prize were YPF Repsol and Molinos Río de la Plata (Argentina); Suzano Petroquímica (Brazil); Endesa Chile and CMPC (Chile); Bancolombia and Interconexión Eléctrica S.A. (Colombia); Bimbo (Mexico); Pro-Futuro AFP and Ferreyros S.A. (Peru). At the award ceremony, Antonio Garrigues encouraged all Latin American companies to follow the finalists’ example and make advances in the introduction of ethical practices: “No one can question that ethics are profitable. There is no future without good corporate governance.”

Affinitas was created on February 4, 2001 by four law firms: Garrigues, which promoted the alliance; Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão Advogados (Brazil), Bruchou, Fernández Madero, Lombardi & Mitrani Abogados (Argentina) and Mijares, Angoitia, Cortés y Fuentes S.C. (Mexico). The law firms Garrigues Portugal, Barros & Errázuriz (Chile), Gómez-Pinzón Abogados (Colombia) and Miranda e Amado Abogados (Peru) have since joined the alliance. Currently, Affinitas unites 2500 professionals working in 40 offices throughout 12 countries.

Barbara Rosenberg and José Carlos Berardo wrote an article to The Antitrust Review of the Americas 2007

Barbara Rosenberg and José Carlos Berardo wrote the article The Antitrust Review of the Americas 2007, a Global Competition Review special report.

Click here to read the extract.

BM&A partners receive “Most Admired Lawyers 2006” award

The “Most Admired Lawyers 2006” awards ceremony was held in September 19^th at the main campus of Paulista University (UNIP) in São Paulo. “Most Admired Lawyers 2006”, the result of a survey carried out by publisher Editora Análise and the Conjur website, is the first Brazilian version of the well-known “leading lawyers” lists published in the USA and the UK by Chambers Awards, Latin Lawyer, International Financial Law Review and many other publications.

The method used to select the award winners was quite simple:  executives and general counsel from Brazil’s 1000 largest companies (according to the Valor 1000 list) were asked to answer open questions about legal services they had received. About 600 responded.  The researchers then contacted the law firms to prepare profiles and rankings according to the size of the firms and the number of attorneys.

Of the more than 163 Brazilian law firms ranked, BM&A was no. 8 on the list of most admired firms and the 10^th largest firm by number of attorneys.   In recognition of outstanding achievements in their fields, special prizes were given at the award ceremony to BM&A partners Francisco Müssnich (financial transactions and corporate law), Paulo Cezar Aragão (financial transactions and corporate law) and Plínio Simões Barbosa (commercial contracts).   Partners Alex Cukier , Amir Bocayuva, Barbara Rosenberg, Bruno Camara Soter, Gabriel Troainelli, Luis Antonio de Sampaio , Luiz Felipe Tenório da Veiga, Marcelo Lajchter, Mauro Sampaio, Pedro Lanna Ribeiro and Silvania Tognetti were also highlighted in the publication.  Daniela Chistovão, BM&A’s communications and institutional relations manager, was mentioned for her contribution to the success of “Most Admired Lawyers 2006”.

Bruno Soter spoke with Latin Lawyer Magazine about law firms management

Latin Lawyer Magazine interviewed Bruno Soter for a story about law firms management. The story shows that as Latin American law firms have grown in size and complexity, the role of a managing partner has expanded enormously.

Click here to read the story.

Partner Paulo Cezar Aragão is featured in the anniversary edition of Capital Aberto

To commemorate its third anniversary, the magazine Capital Aberto invited 21 institutional investors in Brazil to indicate professionals who specialize in the equity market and who stood out among so many other talented individuals in the three years the magazine has been in publication.  BMA partner Paulo Cezar Aragão was one of the ten professionals highlighted by the participants in the survey.

Click here to access the first pages of the report and the text on Paulo Cezar Aragão’s personal history.

BM&A takes part in the sale of Pactual to UBS

The Swiss bank UBS concluded the acquisition of the local operations of the Brazilian investment bank Pactual for around US$2.6 billion. With the deal, UBS intends to reinforce its presence in Latin America.

Pactual has been advised by BM&A through the partners Francisco Müssnich and Mauro Sampaio and associate Lídice Xavier.

Click here to see the article published.

Barbara Rosenberg is the new partner of BM&A

Since April 10, Barbara Rosenberg takes part of BM&A's team, based at São Paulo's Office, leading the Economic Law department. Ms. Rosenberg was the former head of the Economic Protection and Defense Department of the Economic Law Secretariat of the Ministry of Justice, where she was also the Associate-Secretary of Economic Law. Now, after imposing herself a four month quarentine, she returns to the legal practice at BM&A, as a partner.

Graduated at the University of São Paulo, Ms. Rosenberg has done a LL.M. at the University of California-Berkeley and has a Doctorate in Economic-Financial Law from the University of São Paulo. Ms. Rosenberg has worked also as foreign associate at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton in New York and at the Secretariat of the World Trade Organization - WTO.

Ms. Rosenberg will be naturally inable to act in affairs in which has worked at the Economic Law Secretariat. In other cases, she will have full-time dedication to the Office.

BM&A highlighted in Chambers 2005/2006

Barbosa, Mussnich & Aragao Advogados was highlighted as leading office in five categories in Chambers Global 2005/2006. Click at the practice areas to see ranking and comments.

Merger and Acquisitions - 1st level
Leading Lawyers:
Paulo Cezar Aragão – (*) – a “star” represents exceptional recommendations in the field
Francisco Müssnich – 1st level
Luiz Antonio de Sampaio Campos – 3rd level
Plínio Barbosa – 4th level

Banking - 2nd level
Leading Lawyers: Francisco Müssnich and Paulo Cezar Aragão – 2nd level

Competition/Antitrust - 3rd level
Leading Lawyer: Luis Fernando Schuartz – 4th level

Dispute Resolution - 3rd level
Leading Lawyer: Francisco Müssnich – 3rd level

Tax - 3rd level
Leading Lawyer: Silvania Tognetti – 4th level

Chambers Global is an annual publication that every year carries out thousands of in-depth interviews with clients in order to assess the reputations and expertise of business lawyers in 175 countries across the world. Chambers rankings and editorial are referred to extensively by General Counsel and other purchasers of legal services who look to the guide’s recommendations when choosing their lawyers.

Paulo Cezar Aragão, Francisco Müssnich and Pedro Lanna highlighted in Euromoney

Francisco Müssnich, Paulo Cezar Aragão e Pedro Lanna Ribeiro were elected leading lawyers in Banking in a research made with clients and peer lawyers by Euromoney Banking Lawyers Expert Guide.

The initial stage of the research process involved the distribution of 4,000 questionnaires to senior practitioners or in-house counsel involved in the banking area in 80 jurisdictions, being later concluded by a select group of advisers from legal centers worldwide, including: New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney, Frankfurt and Buenos Aires. The researchers identified 866 specialists in 49 jurisdictions – of these, 18 in Brazil.

To download the file, click here.

Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão is Brazil’s most admired law firm, survey shows

A survey of more than 2500 business owners and senior executives, carried out by DCI (Journal of Commerce, Industry and Services), shows that Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão Advogados is Brazil’s most admired law firm. Executives of companies in 18 Brazilian states took part in the survey over a period of one year, from October 2004 to October 2005. The results were used by the journal to elect the most admired companies in Brazil by business sector.

The same distinction was awarded to Nestlé, Petrobras, Embraer, General Electric, IBM, McDonald’s and other leading companies in their respective business sectors.

The business community’s perception of BM&A is an endorsement of the firm’s dedication to quality and creativity.

The English version of the release follows below:

“Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão leads the list of most admired law firms

Business owners and executives interviewed by DCI - Diário de Comércio, Indústria e Serviços (Journal of Commerce, Industry and Services) identified Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão Advogados as Brazil’s most admired law firm. Founded in 1995 in Rio de Janeiro, the firm is a major presence in Brazil’s legal and business community. Its reputation for excellence in mergers and acquisitions and capital markets now extends to the other areas of its practice, such as corporate, administrative, intellectual property law, among others. “Our distinctive characteristic is the ability to solve complex problems creatively, expertly and quickly,” says Bruno Camara Soter, one of the firm’s partners.

With offices in Brasília, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, in 2005 Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão joined Taxand, an international network of tax consulting firms represented in 19 countries. According to the survey, Pinheiro Neto and Demarest are the next most admired law firms in Brazil.”

Source: DCI - Comércio Indústria e Serviços, November 1, 2005.

The growth of Affinitas

The Affinitas alliance, represent in Brazil by Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão Advogados, have more two members: the firms Barros & Errázuriz, at Chile, and Gómez-Pinzón Linares Samper Suárez Villamil, at Colombia. The net has now 35 offices and more than 1,900 attorneys over Argentina, Brussels, Brazil, Spain, United States, Mexico and Portugal, in addition to Chile and Colombia. Until the end of the year the alliance will also be represented at China and Morocco, as one of the firms will have branches at these countries.

New Partners at BM&A

Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão Advogados has now 6 new partners. They are the lawyers Alex Cukier, Alexandre Couto Silva and Mauro Teixeira Sampaio, at Corporate Law, Andrei Furtado Fernandes, at Tax Litigation, Luiz Felipe Tenório da Veiga, at Labor Law, and Tatiana Malamud, at Banking and Capital Markets. The office has now 22 partners.

BM&A highlighted in Latin Lawyer 2005

BM&A is in highlighted in the 2005 issue of Latin Lawyer, the major publication about law offices at Latin America. In the Latin Lawyer Ranking, the office has become the 6th largest in Brazil and the 8th largest at Latin America, considering the total number of lawyers. The law offices Bruchou, Fernandez Madero, Lombardi & Mitrani and Mijares, Angoitia, Cortes y Fuentes, members of Affinitas, are respectivaly in 4th at Argentina and 16th at Latin America and in 9th at Mexico and 62nd at Latin America. To view the Brazilian and Latin America Rankings, and the notes about BM&A, click here.

Joins BM&A new partner Luiz Antonio de Sampaio Campos

Luiz Antônio de Sampaio Campos is the office´s new partner, joining the Corporate Law and Capital Markets areas. Mr. Sampaio Campos was founding partner of the office, from 1995 to 2000, when he quitted to take the position of director of the Comissão de Valores Mobiliários (CVM) - the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Comission -, from 2000 to 2004, taking part in the creation of rules that allowed significant reestructuring in the Brazilian Capital Markets, like CVM instructions n° 361 and n°400.

Paulo Cezar Aragão named one of the best brazilian attorneys by Who´s Who Legal

Paulo Cezar Aragão is given special mention in the May 25, 2005 edition of Exame magazine, in a report on the best Brazilian attorneys in Mergers and Acquisitions named in the 2005 edition of Who's Who Legal. Aside from Who's Who Legal, Paulo Cezar Aragão is named as a top Brazilian attorney in Chambers and Partners 2005 and the lastest editions of Euromoney Expert Guides "Private Equity", "Mergers and Acquisition Lawyers", "Capital Markets" e "Corporate Governance".