Hogan Lovells Opens São Paulo Office

SÃO PAULO, 15 January 2014 – Hogan Lovells announced today it has opened an office in São Paulo, Brazil; its second in Brazil with Rio de Janeiro. Hogan Lovells’ latest expansion in Brazil is another significant step in the growth of its top-tier Latin America practice, further providing services to its global clientele of multi-national companies and financial institutions doing business in South America’s biggest economy.

As in Rio de Janeiro, the São Paulo office will operate as a foreign legal consultancy, offering international legal capabilities to Brazilian and non-Brazilian companies and financial institutions that are entering or already doing business throughout Brazil and the rest of Latin America as well as Brazilian companies that are going abroad. 

“Adding a São Paulo office to our existing Rio de Janeiro operations brings differentiation and diversification to our Brazil and broader Latin American practice,” said Claudette Christian, Managing Partner of Hogan Lovells’ Rio de Janeiro office.  “We continue to see interest in Brazil from existing global clients as well as companies that are entering the market for the first time, and we wanted to be able to offer clients a full breadth of expertise in equity and debt capital markets, private equity, infrastructure development and finance, and corporate transactional work across Brazil.”

Adding to the growth of Hogan Lovells’ Brazil practice is the addition of Isabel Costa Carvalho, who joins the firm as a partner resident in São Paulo. Ms. Costa Carvalho was formerly at Clifford Chance where she spent more than two decades in the Capital Markets practice, a group she led in Brazil since 2007. She advises on international capital markets transactions, including having served as counsel in over 50 IPOs and a variety of debt transactions. Ms. Costa Carvalho recently handled the largest IPO in Latin America in the last five years - an IPO for BB Seguridade with an estimated value of US$6 billion. Ms. Costa Carvalho also assisted major Brazilian corporate clients on high profile international banking and cross border M&A work, including in Asian and African transactions.  At Hogan Lovells, Ms. Costa Carvalho will lead a team that broadens the firm’s existing Brazil practice and strengthens the Latin America-based equity capital markets, corporate and international debt capital markets practices.  She brings in depth knowledge of financial institutions and the energy sector in Brazil.

“A recognized capital markets partner and proven business development lawyer, Isabel is the right lawyer to bolster our regional capabilities,” Ms. Christian said. “Isabel’s 20-year career has been centered on sophisticated cross-border transactions and she is perfectly positioned to complement our New York, Washington and London based capital markets practices focused on Latin America.” 

“Hogan Lovells’ move to Brazil in 2013 was exciting to see locally, and this rapid move into São Paulo is indicative of the firm’s commitment to growth in this region. I believe Hogan Lovells’ global footprint offers me and my clients exciting new opportunities; in particular, our well-recognized and leading U.S. corporate, finance and regulatory practices are tremendous assets for my clients,” said Ms. Costa Carvalho. “I look forward to working with Claudette and other members of our global team to successfully expand the breadth and depth of our capabilities in Brazil and Latin America and to leverage our global footprint of 46 offices to serve the needs of my Brazilian-based clients.” 

The expansion of Hogan Lovells’ Brazil practice is part of the on-going expansion of its longstanding Latin America practice; along with Ms. Costa Carvalho joining the firm and the opening of the São Paulo office, Oscar Stephens, a Chilean lawyer based in Hogan Lovells’ New York office, was promoted to partner effective 1 January, 2014.  Mr. Stephens, a member of the international debt capital markets team becomes one of only a few Chilean-licensed lawyers ever to be elevated to partner in a major global law firm.  Additionally, Hogan Lovells’ New York and Miami offices feature seasoned lawyers who regularly represent financial institutions, project sponsors, investors, contractors, private equity funds, governmental bodies, international financial institutions, and export credit agencies on some of Latin America’s largest and most challenging offerings and projects.

About Hogan Lovells

Hogan Lovells is a leading global law firm providing business-oriented legal advice and high-quality service across its exceptional breadth of practices to clients around the world.

“Hogan Lovells” or the “firm” is an international legal practice that includes Hogan Lovells US LLP and Hogan Lovells International LLP. For more information, see www.hoganlovells.com.