Message from the Managing Partner

Renewed trust

Mattos Filho’s overall performance in 2013 was outstanding. We have remained on our course of steady growth, once again leveraged by coordinated efforts across a wide range of business law practice areas. The resulting synergy allows us to identify the best solutions and opportunities for our clients.

Our entrepreneurial approach calls for a continuous investment in business intelligence and professional training that keep us ahead of the curve in relevant matters to the practice of law. Our team is constantly sensitive to new developments and opportunities in our markets.

It takes more than first-class attorneys to turn a law firm into a benchmark for excellence: a top-notch administrative staff also plays a role. With this in mind, in 2013 we restructured our support departments and invested in a more skilled administrative staff. These efforts are aimed at keeping up with the many requirements of a demanding and dynamic market, and securing the future of our business.

We worked hard in 2013, but we never lost sight of important values such as trust and respect. These values are ingrained in our identity and business practices. The results are reflected in the accolades we have received.

Mattos Filho received more awards than any other Brazilian law firm in 2013. For the second year running, we were named Brazilian Law Firm of the Year by Chambers Latin America and, for the third consecutive year, Best Law Firm in Brazil by LatinFinance magazine.

We closed approximately one hundred merger and acquisition (M&A) deals during the course of the year. Thanks to our strong Competition Law practice, we are one of the firms with the highest number of cases submitted to the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (Cade). We handled major corporate transactions. Our Insurance and Reinsurance practice played a role in creating new products for major institutions and winning the structuring award with the BB Seguridade IPO, the largest capital market transaction of the year.

Eight new partners joined us in 2013, demonstrating once again that our partnership model sets us apart in the Brazilian market and creates opportunities for our lawyers. Seven of these new partners were previously valued associates (two from our Tax Law practice area, two from our Corporate Law practice area and the other three from the Environmental Law, Antitrust Law and Capital Markets practice areas). The eighth new partner, Fabio Kujawski, joined the Intellectual Property and TMT (Telecommunications, Media and Technology) practice area.

Our strategy for enhancing our international exposure also reached an important milestone last year, with a well-defined action plan for the five continents and the strengthening of our ties to major foreign law firms. Additionally, our New York office moved into prime premises on Fifth Avenue. This was one more step towards our goal of expanding our connections throughout the U.S.

We have established productive relationships with international law firms which enabled us to implement a foreign lawyer exchange program in 2013 and receive lawyers from friendly foreign firms. This is another initiative as an effort to foster the sharing of experiences and expertise. It also brings us even closer to these law firms, all of which are leaders in their practice areas in their respective jurisdictions. Our attorneys also had opportunities to practice with partner firms under our international internship program.

Domestically, we believe that Brazil will offer excellent opportunities in 2014 for both local and international companies, in an economy where businesses have become more compliant and courts have become increasingly capable to resolve effectively all kinds of legal disputes. Over the next year, we plan to continue implementing our strategy of growth and excellence in client care, while keeping pace with new developments and striving to stay ahead of the trends and demands of a more mature and sophisticated legal environment.

I hope you enjoy reading this report.

Roberto Quiroga Mosquera
Managing Partner