Madrona Advogados merged with Fialho Salles Advogados in February 2023, creating transactional firm Madrona Fialho Advogados. Prior to this development, legacy firm Madrona Advogados had quietly, but efficiently, gone about its expansion since its launch and deserves credit for such a feat. A proven transactional powerhouse, this firm has won a seat on some of the most important and relevant corporate, capital markets and finance work on offer in Brazil. The firm aligns itself with the market trends, ensuring that it evolves with the demand for practice areas.
While the dust settles after the merger, the firm remains as committed to retaining its talent as it is to ensure that its practice groups are well-stocked with skilled lawyers. The firm puts its partnership to effective use by working with high-ticket clients and on landmark deals. Its transactional prowess is evident in the clientele that the outfit has attracted in recent years, an impressive sample study into how the firm has evolved from advising on middle-market transactions to top-tier matters. One such example is its advice to Vale as the company sold manganese and iron ore mines to J&F Investimentos for US$1.2 billion. The firm also featured in the US$21 billion merger of Brazilian health insurance companies Hapvida and Notre Dame, the country's largest corporate tie-up in more than a decade. It managed M&A matters for Hapvida in the deal.
Its transactional reach is accompanied by administrative and tax expertise – the outcome of its appointment with the consultancy firm Deloitte. The global group gave Madrona the advice to become a more full-service outfit, and the law firm has executed that action plan expertly, gaining a solid name for itself. These tax capabilities are set to be enhanced with the arrival of the team from Fialho Salles.
Lawyers at the firm are extremely hard working and take on client matters with serious attention to detail. Legal teams here are prepared to attend personally to urgent and last-minute queries as soon as they arise, while this firm's loyal client base also benefits from flexibility on fees. The firm approaches each client case with an understanding that not everything is clear-cut. If a deal does not reach closing or encounters specific difficulties, it is open to negotiating certain pricing options.
Ricardo Madrona, who founded Madrona Advogados in 2015, has been appointed CEO of Madrona Fialho. The executive committee is made up of former Madrona partners Eduardo Tristão, Milena Mazzini and João Toledo, as well as ex-Fialho Salles partners Alice Dourado and Gustavo Magalhães.
Offices
Madrona Fialho now has offices in São Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Brasília.