Melo Campos Advogados Associados

This is one of the key areas of our law firm. We adopt a prevention-based approach to tax planning in addition to drawing up legal opinions.

In litigation, the law firm defends the interests of the client before agencies with administrative jurisdiction – including tax inspection proceedings (notifications, tax assessments, and so forth) from the Federal Revenue Services (including Social Security). We also work diligently in the judiciary branch of government, bringing and following up on lawsuits in both legal instances, whether of a collective or individual nature, obtain certificates as well as analyze and restructure companies for tax planning purposes.

The firm renders full legal counsel during business negotiations, assisting its clients in the reorganization of companies (split-ups, amalgamations, mergers, acquisitions, purchase of assets) as well as joint-ventures or consortiums among companies.

In addition to tendering corporate and tax advice on M&A transactions, Melo Campos Advogados provide assistance in the pre-deal drafting and reviewing of agreements, analyzing the legal risks involved. The firm also advises on foreign investment matters, corporate restructuring and the preparation of companies for sale.

We carry out legal audits for the assessment of contingent liabilities; collect information on relevant lawsuits or those that may be subject to a compromise; appraise the technical quality of the legal service provided in lawsuits and administrative proceedings, whether they have ended or are still going on.

The law firm also renders services related to due diligence proceedings for the purposes of corporate restructuring and acquisitions (including organization and assistance in the preparation of virtual or physical data rooms), as well as of assessment and mitigation of legal risks in connection with investments and negotiations.

The firm performs legal assistance services to foreign companies that intend to establish branches or subsidiaries in Brazil by assisting them in forging partnerships with other companies that are already doing business or purchasing corporate equity, assets or other commercial establishments, negotiation of the partnership conditions, registration of capital, remittances and loans before the Brazilian Central Bank, obtainment of visas for investors, preparation of documents, as well as drafting and analysis of agreements.

Legal consultancy is rendered to national and foreign companies interested in hiring employees from other nationalities, assisting them in obtaining temporary and permanent visas.

We provide assistance in establishing mining companies, in addition to offering such services as due diligence processes, acquisitions of mining rights, obtainment of permits and authorizations from the DNPM (National Department of Mineral Production), as well as specific tax planning for mining companies.

The firm renders services of legal preventive consultancy to companies seeking to fulfill environmental regulatory requirements and assists them in the obtainment of permits from public agencies, as well as in environmental audit procedures, accreditation processes, studies on environmental impact and preparation of reports.

We provide assistance for mining, energy, oil and natural gas industries as well as legal consultancy services in the field of international environment, notably regarding trade relationships that involve foreign investment and/or suppliers of technology in general, for the consolidation of partnerships or joint ventures with national partners, for the purposes of implementing Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Energy Saving Mechanism projects, among others. We also provide assistance in business deals involving carbon credits under the Kyoto Protocol.

The law firm works in direct connection with the Labor Courts, Regional Courts, Superior Court, and agencies of the Ministry of Labor. The firm also renders full services of legal preventive consultancy to companies, with emphasis on the review of adopted labor procedures and on the suppression of any irregularities that may be deemed null and void under Brazilian law.

We collect statistical data through the documentation of employees and work routines performed at the company, which are aimed at verifying, in the light of labor and social security laws, the current status of the company’s human resources management so as to rectify any deviations, an issue of utmost importance in Mergers & Acquisitions.

We provide legal assistance for administrative contracts; public bidding proceedings, including those related to the concession, permission and authorization of public services; preparation and presentation of proposals; pledge of security; filing of administrative appeals; application for court injunctions, review and enforcement of agreements; lawsuits involving privatizations, expropriations, collection, and receipt of credits before Public Authorities.

The firm provides registration of trademarks, patents, and software; the drafting of agreements for the licensing and transfer of technology and copyright or intellectual rights, whether preventively or litigiously.

We have extensive experience in legal issues related to both Information Technology and Biotechnology, which is continually growing as a result of sound partnerships established with important entities and companies in these fields.

The firm drafts and reviews agreements, files and follows up on lawsuits, providing consultancy and assistance in contract law, with emphasis on civil liability and matters involving the purchase, sale and lease of real estate properties, as well as real estate incorporation and corporate contracts linked to real estate operations. The firm also works with family law (amicable and contentious divorces, alimony, etc.), as well as inheritance-related matters (probations, wills, partitions of estates, etc.).

The firm offers consultancy and assistance in matters involving consumer relationships, preparation and review of commercial agreements, and terms of warranty and technical assistance, while providing work on individual and collective lawsuits and legal advice for the preparation of advertising campaigns.

The firm provides assistance services to banks and financial institutions for the recovery of credits, whether judicially or extra-judicially, the issuance of securities, international financial operations, in addition to reviewing and drafting agreements.

Assistance to companies on granting and taking out loans in both national and foreign currencies and leasing operations, including but not limited to the negotiation of conditions, the review of agreements, the structuring of collaterals, amongst other services.

Our firm renders assistance in forestalling conflicts within a family while protecting their holdings, reviewing and preparing agreements and wills and testaments, as well as adopting procedures for corporate reorganization.

Our firm provides services to companies that are momentarily going through financial difficulties, placing emphasis on applications for judicial or extra-judicial recovery. The firm assists companies facing bankruptcy lawsuits.

We offer consultancy, analysis and preparation of articles of incorporation and by-laws for associations and sports clubs, as well as contracts with professional athletes and contenders. We are active in the Sports and State Court Systems.

We assist companies interested in implementing and/or restructuring their internal legal departments or even in their outsourcing.

We can also arrange courses and seminars to meet the specific interests of associations, trade unions and companies.

We apply a differentiated methodology to render legal services developed by our law firm, aimed at ensuring permanent consultancy, which is in line with all other relevant sectors of the companies as well as with their planning and strategic objectives. Our services involve a broad and proactive analysis of the routines, aimed at preventing the accruance of liability and developing tax planning, labor auditing, due diligence, diagnosis and restructuring of legal departments, among others, with an absolute focus on results.