Mattos Filho is an industry powerhouse renowned for its experience in matters pertaining to the full breadth of the upstream, midstream, and downstream value chain. E&P companies, natural gas distributors, service providers, private equity firms and banks alike rely on the team for a host of transactional and regulatory advice, ranging from stock and asset purchases, to financings and issuance of debentures, project implementation and dispute management. Giovani Loss, licensed to practice in Brazil, England and Wales, and New York, brings a valuable business perspective to M&A transactions, financing deals, and regulatory issues, and is commended for being ‘very honest, transparent, and fight[ing] for the client until the end’. Felipe Feres demonstrates a high degree of ‘not only technical knowledge on the subject, but also vision about the business’ in supporting M&A, and projects in the petroleum, natural gas, and biofuels spaces, while Bruno Chedid assists with transactional and contractual matters specific to the sector. At the senior associate level, Iasmim Lisbôa has distinguished herself in acquisitions of onshore assets in the context of Petrobras’ divestment process, and Arthur Barbosa has been active in financing matters and joint ventures. Danielle Ludwig left the firm in October 2023.

A heavy hitter in the field of oil and gas, Tauil & Chequer Advogados is a one-stop shop for key players across the upstream, midstream, and downstream segments seeking comprehensive assistance with complex regulatory and transactional matters and integrated cross-border mandates. A deep bench of fully dedicated professionals service a broad repertoire of M&A transactions, high-value operational agreements, project development, bids and concessions, as well as litigation and tax advice. Practice head and market reference Alexandre Chequer, who splits his time between Rio de Janeiro and Houston, fields extensive experience in M&A, project development, regulatory negotiations, and dispute resolution. Bruno Belchior leverages corporate and M&A expertise in assisting with E&P asset acquisitions, midstream and downstream project development, and joint venture formation, and Victor Galante is particularly proficient in project development and M&A. Tiago Macedo focuses his practice on regulatory, contractual, and corporate issues affecting the oil, natural gas, and hydrogen sectors, while Luciana Sodré excels in the corporate elements of key industry transactions. Senior associate Henrique Rojas assists with cross-border M&A, asset acquisitions, and project development, and Leandro Duarte supports on the analysis, review, and negotiation of upstream and downstream contracts. Maritime and petroleum law specialist Juliana Senna joined the team in September 2023 from Kincaid | Mendes Vianna Advogados. Joyce Jacobsen left the firm in July 2023.

Distinguishing itself particularly in the context of financing matters, and ‘delivering quality technical work’, Cescon Barrieu is a prime choice for upstream, drilling, floating production storage and offloading (FPSO), oil royalties, and floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) deals involving novel structures and capital markets. Offshore asset transactions, M&A, tax and regulatory advice also feature among the team’s multidisciplinary capabilities. The practice is centred around Rafael Baleroni, whose ‘great knowledge of the energy sector and applicable laws’ positions him well in assisting foreign clients with navigating the domestic regulatory framework pertaining to E&P, offshore assets, natural gas, and downstream ventures. Associate Beatriz Carvalho supports on offshore asset financing, natural gas contract matters, and M&A transactions.

An instrumental player in the Petrobras divestment process in recent years, Machado Meyer Sendacz e Opice Advogados continues to be at the vanguard of the opening of the onshore E&P, gas and refinery markets, holding favour with traditional oil and gas giants as well as emerging E&P independents. M&A, greenfield projects, and debt-related transactions are common fare for the practice, which is also poised to assist large consumers with projects seeking to lower cost with gas as input. The team is led by Daniel Szyfman, whose ample experience is valued by both new investors contemplating entrance into the industry and established players considering expansion of core businesses into new markets such as biomethane. Maria Fernanda Soares finds her niche in natural and renewable gases, and has developed expertise in biomethane projects and the hydrogen industry, while Fernando Xavier is firmly entrenched in the E&P and downstream domain, advising on E&P asset negotiations, administrative litigation, complex regulatory matters, and greenfield biofuels projects. The senior associate ranks are filled out by Raphael Barboza Correia, an E&P, natural gas, and downstream specialist who advises on M&A transactions and regulatory advice, and Mariana Campos, who, having joined the firm in August 2023 from Souto Correa Advogados, brings with her acknowledged expertise in midstream and downstream regulatory matters. Mariele Milhorance focuses on natural gas, LNG, and the energy transition.

Delivering ‘service of the highest legal quality’, the oil and gas offering from Campos Mello Advogados in cooperation with DLA Piper encompasses regulatory, M&A, litigation, environment, tax, banking and finance, and labour advice on issues affecting all segments of the value chain. A conscious focus on LNG projects, including regasification initiatives to supply gas for consumers and thermal power plants, is supplemented by proficiencies in energy transition matters, particularly in biorefining, carbon capture storage (CCS), and carbon markets. Rogerio Campos was brought in from Veirano Advogados in July 2023 to strengthen the team’s capabilities in offshore E&P. Former co-heads Alexandre Bittencourt Calmon, Marcelo Frazão, and João Marçal Martins left the firm in November 2024, along with a group of other partners and associates.

Pinheiro Neto Advogados combines expertise across a breadth of legal spheres in advising oil and gas clients from the well to the stations, covering upstream, midstream, and downstream, and assisting service providers and equipment suppliers with both transactional and regulatory matters. The reorganisation of the sector as a result of Petrobras’ divestment plan has also been of keen interest to the team. Marcelo Viveiros de Moura is a key point of reference for international players with vested interests in the Brazilian market. Ricardo Coelho is frequently retained by major domestic and foreign companies, as well as international financial institutions, for support on ethanol and biofuel projects and financing. Francisco Werneck Maranhão excels in corporate reorganisations, financing transactions, joint ventures, and M&A, while Marcello Lobo specialises in M&A, joint ventures, and the regulatory aspects of financing. Luis Cláudio Furtado Faria is a civil and commercial litigator with extensive experience in oil and gas disputes, and Raphael Paciello advises ethanol and biodiesel producers in regulatory proceedings before the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP).

Schmidt, Valois, Miranda, Ferreira & Agel Advogados flaunts a recognised presence across the entire oil and gas chain, from wellhead operations to retail stations, advising on M&A transactions, regulatory issues, and cross-border ventures, as well as keeping abreast of the steady stream of interest in the energy transition. Paulo Valois Pires, a firm favourite of national and international oil companies and financial institutions for M&A, project development, and tenders promoted by ANP, and Rogério Miranda, whose business law acumen proves advantageous in M&A, joint ventures, contractual matters, and project finance, jointly lead the team. Sonia Agel’s prior experience in the public sector as a federal state attorney and as general counsel for ANP stands her in good stead in regulatory matters and judicial and administrative litigation. Isabela Faria is the principal point of contact for project financing, while Eduardo Cirne Lima is a corporate specialist well versed in M&A, corporate restructuring, and commercial contracts. Pedro Seraphim left the firm in December 2023.

Factoring in a strong aptitude in regulatory issues and judicial and administrative litigation, Trench Rossi Watanabe is a reliable choice for domestic and international oil and gas clients in all manner of M&A, cross-border investments, project development, and ESG compliance. Strategic cooperation with Baker McKenzie allows the team to pool resources especially in the context of hydrogen projects, biogas M&A, and the regulatory framework for carbon capture and usage. The ‘innovative, creative’ Danielle Valois leads the team, with longstanding credentials in cross-border transactions. Gabriela Bezerra Fischer, who was promoted to partner in July 2024, is an administrative and regulatory law expert who also supports on bidding rounds promoted by ANP. Associates André Sarian and Silvia Costa are well versed in the regulatory, corporate, and contractual law elements of oil and gas mandates.

The incorporation of Souto Correa Advogados’ energy team in September 2023 sees Veirano Advogados welcome Lívia Amorim as joint head of the oil and gas practice, which serves as a key port of call for refineries and distribution companies, companies involved in transportation, shipping and logistics, as well as service providers and the E&P sector, for advice on the full spectrum of regulatory and transactional concerns. Co-practice head Ali El Hage Filho capitalises on ‘enviable insights and great negotiation and articulation skills’ in the development, operation and utilisation of natural gas infrastructure, while Amorim’s ‘strategic vision’ is best employed in regulatory and structuring advice on oil, gas-to-power, and hydrogen projects. Associates Arthur Lardosa, Edoarda Victer, and Isabela Marzullo, all formerly of Souto Correa Advogados, increase the team’s capabilities in asset acquisitions, regulatory matters, hydrogen projects, and carbon markets. Tito Rosa is well versed in ANP bidding rounds, contract management, and administrative litigation. Former practice head Rogério Campos left the firm in June 2023.

Vieira Rezende divides its multidisciplinary expertise into core competencies in M&A transactions involving E&P assets, midstream and downstream natural gas, and LNG projects, and offshore service providers, the latter of which is reinforced by the firm’s Norwegian desk. Daniela Ribeiro Davila is the ‘outstanding and well-known’ head of the practice; she advises domestic and international companies on onshore and offshore asset acquisitions and divestments in Brazil, as well as the new regulatory natural gas framework for midstream and downstream activities. Thiago Luiz Pereira da Silva focuses his practice on E&P and the downstream segment, with additional proficiency in low-carbon hydrogen projects. Senior associate Candice Buckley Bittencourt, who returned to the firm in April 2023, combines contractual and litigation expertise in this space. Associate Marcio De Carvalho Silveira Bueno left the firm in May 2023.

Demarest Advogados’ client portfolio draws from the breadth of the oil and gas value chain, relying on the team for major corporate reorganisations, asset acquisitions, financing transactions, and E&P regulatory compliance. The practice is jointly steered by David Meiler, who assists large and independent oil companies and service providers with entry into and operation in the Brazilian market, and João Almeida, whose expertise in farm-outs, M&A, and financing provides comprehensive solutions especially for players in the upstream segment. São Paulo-based Marina Aidar, who joined the firm in September 2023 from Vieira Rezende, is particularly sought after by banks and financial services entities for advice on project finance. At the associate level, Roberta Batalha handles both regulatory and transactional matters, also from São Paulo.

Heralded for ‘its ability to integrate innovation into all aspects of its operations’, Lefosse Advogados covers the breadth of the oil and gas sector, but shines brightest in gas-to-power projects, with team capabilities encompassing regulatory, transactions, projects, and disputes. Leading the charge is Felipe Tavares Boechem, praised for his ‘ability to understand problems in a macro way, without focusing on legal details’, whether in project structuring, development, or M&A. At the senior associate level, the ‘extremely capable’ André Lemos is especially skilled in project development, regulatory matters, and business transactions relating to natural gas, while Pedro Vargas is adept in a variety of national and international transactions, spanning project financing, M&A, and the negotiation of complex, industry-specific contracts.

With a proven history in financial and corporate transactions involving oil and gas companies and assets, Stocche Forbes Advogados is also primed to assist upstream, midstream, and downstream clients with public bids, divestment processes, and interactions with regulatory agencies. São Paulo’s Guilherme Forbes, a veteran in M&A and financings, leads the practice alongside Rio de Janeiro’s Frederico Moura and Bruno Gandolfo, both project finance, capital markets, and M&A experts, as well as Mariana Saragoça and Marco Saliba in São Paulo, who respectively deal with administrative and regulatory law components of oil and gas matters, and infrastructure and project finance. From the associate ranks, Julia Barker in Rio de Janeiro focuses on public procurement, administrative agreements, and regulatory issues, while Ana Clara Viola, based in Belo Horizonte, counts among her strengths project development and contract management.