2022 CLS Brazil Forum - Speakers Biographies
Opening Remarks | CLS and the Brazilian Community: Strong Together
Julie Sculli
Julie Sculli is the director of the Executive LL.M. in Global Business Law at Columbia Law School. Julie joined Columbia after more than ten years at Brooklyn Law School, where she began working on program development and academic administration and was eventually tapped to establish and oversee all international program offerings. As senior director of international programs, Julie was responsible for building Brooklyn Law’s LL.M. program and providing wraparound support—from admission through graduation—to students and alumni. She also administered several international exchange and dual degree programs and gained a fluency in helping international students navigate complex administrative processes. Prior to joining Brooklyn Law School, Julie was an associate at two New York law firms, practicing criminal defense at one and structured finance at the other.
Julie earned her B.A. in political science and criminal justice from Indiana University and a J.D., cum laude, from Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
Panel 1 | When Democracy is Under Attack: Constitutional and Social Aspects
Thiago Amparo
Professor of International Law and Human Rights of Law School and International Affairs School at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV). Thiago earned his LL.B. at Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP), and his masters and doctorate degrees in International Law and Comparative Law at Central European University (Budapeste).
Thiago was also a visiting researcher at Columbia University and did a postdoctoral internship at New York University.
Joaquim Falcão
Joaquim Falcão is a Member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters and a full Professor of Constitutional Law at Fundação Getulio Vargas Law School (FGV-RJ), where he was also the founder and director.
Joaquim Falcão is also a Board member of the Brazilian Center of International Relations (Centro Brasileiro de Relações Internacionais), and member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters (Academia Brasileira de Letras).
Keith S. Rosenn
Keith S. Rosenn, Professor of Law Emeritus, received a B.A. from Amherst College in 1960 and an LL.B. from Yale Law School in 1963. He served as law clerk to Judge J. Joseph Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and then practiced law in Pennsylvania.
Before joining the Miami faculty in 1979, he spent 14 years as a law professor at Ohio State University.
Professor Rosenn has practiced law with a Brazilian law firm and has worked as a project specialist with the Ford Foundation, helping to establish a graduate legal education program in Rio de Janeiro. He is the author of six books and numerous law review articles in the fields of comparative law, Latin American law, and constitutional law. He was the chair of the LL.M. programs in International Law and in Inter-American Law.
He has taught courses in constitutional law, comparative law, Latin American law, and Doing Business in Latin America.
Ana Paula de Barcellos
Professor of Constitutional Law at Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). Ana Paula earned her LL.B., masters and doctorate degrees at UERJ, and her postdoctoral degree at Harvard University (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health).
Ana Paula is also a member of the Constitutional Studies Commission of Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil (OAB) and areviewer (parecerista). Ana Paula is a Brazilian lawyer and, also, a consultant in foreign law in New York and Massachusetts.
Panel 2 | Towards Efficiency in International Arbitration
Michael Fernández
Michael A. Fernández is Counsel in the New York office of Rivero Mestre LLP and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law.
Mr. Fernández has extensive experience representing foreign and domestic companies and individuals involved in arbitrations, litigations, and with investigations in the U.S., as well as parties to international commercial and investment treaty arbitrations conducted under the major international rules including UNCITRAL, ICSID and ICDR.
Prior to joining Rivero Mestre, Mr. Fernández practiced at leading international law firms where he focused on complex commercial litigation, international arbitration, and investigations, and at a national firm where he focused on federal and New York state litigation.
Mr. Fernández has published articles and spoken on various topics pertaining to international commercial and investment arbitration.
Mr. Fernández currently serves in various leadership roles, including Chair of the New York City Bar’s Inter-American Affairs Committee; the Vice Chair, North-America for Young ITA; and a YAF Representative of the ICC.
Mr. Fernández is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and is admitted to the arbitrator rosters for the Costa Rica Center of Conciliation and Arbitration (CICA), the Arbitration Center of Mexico (CAM), and the Conflict Resolution Commission of the Chamber of Industry of Guatemala (CRECIG).
Mr. Fernández received his B.A. from Yale University in 2007, where he was awarded the Albert Bildner Yale Class of 1937 Prize for an outstanding essay on Latin America. He received an M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in 2012.
Mr. Fernández received his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2012, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and recipient of a Parker School Certificate for Achievement in International and Comparative Law. He was also a managing editor for the Journal of Transnational Law and treasurer of the Latino Law Students Association.
Eduardo Damião Gonçalves
Eduardo is a partner at Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. e Queiroga Advogados and represents clients in domestic and international arbitration and complex commercial litigation on issues related to M&A, corporate and shareholders disputes, infrastructure (particularly in conflicts arising from construction agreements), commercial agreements, technology and environmental cases. He is member of the Brazilian Bar; Vice- President of the ICC Court of Arbitration; member of ICC Arbitration Commission; Former Chairman of the Brazilian Arbitration Committee; Former Vice-Chair of the IBA Arbitration Committee and Former Chair of the ITA America ́s Initiative.
Eduardo earned his LL.B. at Universidade de São Paulo (USP), his masters degree in Private Law and International Commerce with specialization in Arbitration at Université de Paris II, and his Ph.D. in Law at USP.
Recognitions: Análise Advocacia 500; Benchmark Litigation; Chambers Global – Dispute Resolution: Arbitration; Chambers Brazil (old Latin America); Euromoney Expert Guides – Best of the Best Latin America; GAR 45 Under 45; IFLR 1000 Financial and Corporate – Notable Practitioner; LACCA Approved – Arbitration; Latin Lawyer 250 – Arbitration; The Legal 500 – Leading Individuals Dispute Resolution; The Legal 500 - LatAm Arbitration Powerlist ; Who’s Who Legal Global – Arbitration; Who’s Who Legal Though Leaders – Arbitration; Who’s Who Legal Brazil – Commercial Litigation.
Eliana Baraldi
Eliana Baraldi is the Founding Partner of Baraldi Mariani Advogados in São Paulo.
Eliana Baraldi holds a Master´s Degree in International Law from Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Brazil, and has more than 25 years of experience as counsel and arbitrator in international and domestic arbitral proceedings, as well as in corporate court litigation.
Former President of the Brazilian Bar Association Arbitration Chamber-CAMCA (São Paulo Chapter). Member of the International Association of Defense Counsel - IADC. Member of the Arbitration and Mediation Commission of ICC Brazil.
Eduardo Vieira de Almeida Filho
Eduardo Vieira de Almeida Filho, partner at Cesar Asfor Rocha Advogados, Counselor of the Superior Counsil of Legal Affairs of the Federation of Industries of State of São Paulo (Conjur-Fiesp), LLM in Civil Procedure at the University of São Paulo, LLM in Banking & Finance at the University of London - Queen Mary College.
Gretta Walters
Gretta is a partner at Chaffetz Lindsey. Prior to joining Chaffetz Lindsey, Gretta was an Associate at Mayer Brown, Legal Counsel at the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, and a Visiting Lecturer at Stockholm University.
Gretta earned her B.A. at University of Maryland, cum laude, her J.D., American University, Washington College of Law magna cum laude (Articles Editor American University Law Review), and her LL.M. at Stockholm University.
Gretta’s experience spans a broad range of commercial and investment disputes in domestic and international arbitration and in state and federal courts. She has worked on matters arising under the ICDR, AAA Employment, AAA Commercial, AAA Construction, BCICAC, ICC, LCIA, SCC, SMA, and UNCITRAL Rules. Her cases have included disputes concerning construction/infrastructure projects, energy projects such as oil & gas, wind, solar, coal-fired, and hydroelectric projects, licensing and distribution agreements, investment agreements, banking and finance, securities laws, manufacturing and sales contracts, employee disputes, executive compensation agreements, and healthcare management agreements.
Gretta is an adjunct professor at New York University Law School, where she teaches a course on international arbitration and the CISG and also co-coaches the Foreign Direct Investment and Vis International Commercial Arbitration moot court teams. She is also on the Executive Board for ICDR Y&I, the Steering Committee for CPR Y-ADR, and a member of the Arbitration Committee of the New York City Bar.
Recognitions: Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration – Future Leaders; Stockholm University, ICAL Alumni Association Outstanding Alumna.
Panel 3 | Current Issues on M&A
Julia Visconti
Julia is a partner at Lobo de Rizzo Advogados. She is a specialist in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, private equity, contracts and corporate matters, advising Brazilian and international companies from various sectors on sophisticated domestic and cross-border transactions. Between 2014 and 2015, Julia worked as foreign associated in corporate and mergers and acquisitions in a renowned law firm in New York.
Julia is graduated in Law from Pontifícia Universidade Católica (PUC-SP), 2007; specialized in Brazilian Corporate Law from the same institution, 2009; LLM in Corporate Governance & Practice from Stanford Law School, 2014.
Rafael Vanzella
Rafael Vanzella is a partner at Machado Meyer’s Infrastructure and Energy Sector. He provides legal assistance to companies and other stakeholders on infrastructure projects, including private-public partnerships modeling and concessions, privatization procedures, M&A in Infrastructure, joint venture agreements, public procurements, incorporation of SPVs and shareholders’ agreements, construction contracts, supply, and off-takes, paying in of capital structure, and divestiture transactions. His practices are recognized by Leaders League; Latin Lawyer 250; IFLR1000; The Legal 500; Análise Advocacia.
He is Professor at Getulio Vargas Foundation School of Law (Executive Program, São Paulo). Rafael obtained his Ph.D. and undergraduate’s degree at University of São Paulo, and he was a Visiting Researcher at Max Planck Institut and University of Hamburg (2007-2009).
Marcos Flesch
Marcos is a founding partner at Cescon, Barrieu, Flesch e Barreto Advogados. He represents foreign and domestic clients in local and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, sale and acquisition of assets, joint ventures and other corporate transactions, involving various segments of the economy.
Marcos is recognized as one of Brazil’s leading lawyers in the fields of Corporate Law and Governance, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity by Chambers and Partners, IFLR 1000 and Legal 500.
Carlos Mello
Carlos Mello is a partner in the corporate and M&A and capital markets areas of Lefosse. He has acted as leading counsel in several of the most important transactions in the Brazilian capital markets in recent years. He has developed relationships with issuers, coordinators and regulatory authorities, and expanded his activities into the areas of mergers and acquisitions and private equity.
Carlos holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Columbia University and was admitted to the New York State Bar Association in 2002. He has experience as a foreign associate at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy in New York.
Recognitions: Chambers and Partners; The Legal 500; IFLR 1000; LACCA Approved; Who’s Who Legal; Análise Advocacia 500.
Francisco R. Núñez
Francisco R. Núñez is a partner in the New York office of Milbank LLP and a member of the firm’s Global Corporate Group.
Francisco’s practice focuses on the representation of public and private companies, private equity firms and family offices in connection with domestic and cross border mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, majority and minority equity investments, joint ventures and related transactions.
Francisco obtained his LL.M. degree in 2008 from New York University School of Law, where he received the Arthur T. Vanderbilt scholarship (a full-tuition scholarship awarded on the basis of outstanding academic merit. Francisco obtained his Abogado degree in 2005 from University of Buenos Aires School of Law, where he was designated as abanderado (graduation standard-bearer) on the basis of outstanding academic merit. Francisco is admitted to practice in the State of New York and is a native Spanish speaker.
Panel 4 | White-Collar Crime: The Importance of Compliance
Frederick Davis
Frederick T. Davis is a former federal prosecutor and member of the Bars of New York and of Paris. His practice has focused on multi-jurisdictional criminal investigations. He teaches and writes extensively on comparative and cross-border criminal matters.
Cambridge University Press has published his book American Criminal Justice: An Introduction (2019), which provides an overview and evaluation of US criminal procedures, noting important ways in which those procedures differ from those applied in many other parts of the world. Davis is also the author or co-author of several book chapters, including “Financial Crime in France” in Practical Law (2020), and “France” in The International Investigations Review (2020), as well as a new chapter in the same book on “Managing the Challenges of Multijurisdictional Criminal Investigations.” He is a frequent contributor to blogs such as The Global Anticorruption Blog (Harvard), the Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement (NYU), and the International Enforcement Law Reporter. He has published several scholarly articles in English and French on issues relating to cross-border and comparative criminal procedures, taught one semester as the Nomura Lecturer on International Law at Harvard Law School, and is a frequent lecturer at the Ecole Nationale de la Magistrature and at Paris 2 in France. He served as advisor to the Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and participated as counsel for victims in the trial of Chadian ex-dictator Hissène Habré in Dakar, Senegal, for international human rights violations. He appears frequently on national TV in France to address issues related to American and international criminal justice. For a list of his publications and further information about his practice, see https://freddavisnylaw.com/
Davis was an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York from 1974 to 1978, where he served as Chief Appellate Attorney. He was law clerk to Honorable Henry J. Friendly, Chief Judge of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and to Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart.
Davis received his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1972, where he was the writing and research editor of the Columbia Law Review. He earned his B.A. from Harvard University in 1967. He is a Life Member of the American Law Institute and an elected Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and of the International Academy of Financial Crime Litigators, and the French Government has named him a “chevalier” of the National Order of Merit of France. He is a past co-chair of the Business Crime Committee of the International Bar Association, and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law.
Lisa Alfaro
Lisa Alfaro is the partner in charge of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP’s São Paulo office and a member of the White Collar Defense and Investigations Group. Prior to moving to São Paulo, Ms. Alfaro was based the New York office ofGibson Dunn.
For more than 25 years, Ms. Alfaro has advised U.S. and multi-national companies on their most significant and critical matters, including corporate transactions, corporate compliance and investigations. Ms. Alfaro’s representations include Petrobras in connection with allegations arising out of Operation Lava Jato.
Ms. Alfaro leverages her corporate experience in the planning and implementation of internal corporate investigations, advising on the structuring, implementation and assessment of compliance management systems and representing Brazilian companies before U.S. authorities. She guides compliance officers, senior executives, legal officers and board members in analyzing and managing risk in their business operations and provides day to day counsel on strategic matters.
Ms. Alfaro joined Gibson Dunn in 1995 after earning her Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School. She received herBachelor of Arts degree in government with high honors from the University of Texas in 1991.
Ms. Alfaro is a member of the California and New York bars and speaks Spanish and Portuguese.
Fernando Q. Merino
Fernando Q. Merino is a Managing Director at Steptoe & Johnson LLP.
Fernando is a seasoned multicultural who works with multinational companies and investors operating in Latin America in a variety of matters ranging from compliance, investigations, and investment dispute resolution and related corporate and securities matters.
For more than 18 years, Fernando managed legal and compliance departments for major industrial and retail companies as well as financial institutions operating throughout Latin America. These roles included acting as general counsel for thelargest retail and distribution company in Brazil and for one of the region's largest conglomerates active in the steel,mining, railroad, and energy industries. He was also the regional general counsel and chief compliance officer for premierinvestment banks, supporting the development of their business and products while overseeing compliance with local andinternational regulations. In these roles, he worked on various complex cross-border, multijurisdictional matters such asacquisitions, disputes, and investigations. Prior to his in-house career, Fernando was an associate with prominent leadinglaw firms in the United States and United Kingdom, where he worked on various transactional matters.
Fernando's diverse background has allowed him to establish a well-grounded reputation in the business and legalcommunities in the region.
Bar & Court Admissions: New York and Brazil. Fernando Merino is a Managing Director, Investigations and White-Collar Defense and does not provide legal advice.
Education: LL.M., Columbia University School of Law, 1994; J.D. equivalent, University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, 1990.
Lisa Vicens
Lisa Vicens, a partner in Cleary’s New York office, has extensive experience working in Brazil and Latin America on FCPA and other cross-border issues.
She regularly represents public companies and their boards in internal and governmental investigations, advises on the development of compliance and integrity programmes, and counsels clients in advance of strategic transactions. Lisa has worked on a number of internal investigation of allegations of corruption or fraud for companies in Brazil and Latin America, and has represented companies and individuals before various US authorities and in parallel litigation proceedings. She has also provided advice in the region on assessing risk in connection with strategic transactions or conducting compliance and integrity programme reviews.
With more than a decade of experience, Lisa’s recent matters include investigations of allegations of corruption for GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes, M. Dias Braco, and BNDES. She also has experience representing Petrobras in connection with securities class actions filed against it in the Southern District of New York and FCPA investigations by the DOJ and SEC in connection with Operation Lava Jato.
She has been recognized by Chambers USA for FCPA, The Legal 500 Latin America for Compliance and Investigations, Benchmark Litigation as one of the Top 250 Women in Litigation, Latinvex’s Top 100 Female Lawyers in Latin America and Global Investigations Review’s Top 100 Women in Investigations.
Tatiana R. Martins
Tatiana is a partner at Davis Polk in the White Collar Defense & Investigations area.
Tatiana represents companies and individuals in white collar defense and regulatory enforcement matters and in conducting internal investigations involving violations of the anti-bribery laws, money laundering and financial frauds. She also advises on compliance matters.
An experienced trial lawyer, Tatiana has tried multiple cases to jury verdict. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the SDNY, she tried high-profile cases including that of former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. As Chief of the SDNY Public Corruption Unit, she oversaw major investigations and prosecutions, including cases against Michael D. Cohen, NCAA basketball coaches and high-level U.N. officials.
While at Davis Polk, Tatiana has represented large multinational corporations in connection with DOJ and SEC investigations of bribery-related allegations in Latin America, Europe and Asia, including Siemens AG and AstraZeneca
Tatiana is recognized for her white collar work by Chambers USA, where sources say she “has excellent judgment” and “always produces excellent legal analysis without losing sight of the practical and strategic implications.”
Tatiana is on the boards of the Office of the Appellate Defender and the Tinker Foundation.
Closing Remarks | From Lawyering to Management: Connections Between Brazilian law firms and the U.S. legal market
Francisco Müssnich
Chico Müssnich is a founding partner of BMA. He has unmatched experience in providing strategic advice in wide range of corporate matters and in highly complex M&A transactions. Chico is active in both national and international arbitrations and provides strategic advice in hostile takeovers and corporate disputes. He has represented clients, all leaders in their sectors, in historic transactions in Brazil in recent decades.
Chico acts as arbitrator on the Court of Arbitration for Sport – CAS and was the lead attorney for the Local Organizing Committee for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil. In 2016, he was the only Brazilian among the 12 attorneys appointed as arbitrators to the CAS's ad hoc Division for the XXXI Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. He is also the only Brazilian appointed to serve as arbitrator at the XXXII Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo in 2021.
Chico was named one of the 15 most powerful lawyers in Brazil and is frequently recognized as a leading lawyer in the legal sector's top rankings and publications. Chico is frequently consulted by lawyers and law firms for his recognized expertise in highly intricate corporate transactions and disputes. He is the author of Cartas a um Jovem Advogado (Letters to a Young Lawyer) and O Insider Trading no Direito Brasileiro (Insider Trading in Brazilian Law).
Chico has lectured in Corporate Law at the law school of the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro – PUC/RJ since 1981, and at the law school of the Fundação Getúlio Vargas – FGV since 2005. He has been visiting professor at the Vanderbilt Law School since 2010, where he lectures in the International Mergers and Acquisitions course.
Education: PhD (in progress) – Goethe Universität Frankfurt, dissertation on dual class shares (expected conclusion: 2022); LL.M., Fundação Getulio Vargas - FGV (2015);
LL.M., Harvard Law School (1979); JD, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro – PUC (1976).
Recognitions: Chico is frequently recognized as a leading lawyer in his areas of practice by major legal publications as Chambers Latin America, Chambers Global, Latin Lawyer, Who's Who Legal, The Legal 500, International Financial Law Review – IFLR, Best Lawyers, Expert Guides, and Acritas (part of Thomson Reuters) – in which he was recognized as an Acritas Star.