Trench Rossi Watanabe stands out in the Brazilian legal market for its established – yet modern – management style. It is also impossible to talk about the firm without mentioning the experience, knowledge and quality of services that it benefits from thanks to its association with global firm Baker McKenzie. With more than half a century in the market, Trench Rossi leverages its vast experience and global connections to significant effect, often winning some of the most complex mandates ahead of its rivals.
While transactional work is a mainstay for Trench Rossi, with a particularly active corporate and M&A team that can often be seen working with its counterparts across the region on cross-border deals, the firm has also invested in its smaller departments. Recently, it added two women to its partnership, hiring a data protection and technology partner from a local outfit and promoting a senior associate in its labour team. A promotion round halfway through 2022 saw six new partners added to the tax, intellectual property, public law, and corporate and finance areas.
Two years ago, Trench Rossi renewed its executive committee. Cláudio Moretti is now the managing partner, while José Roberto Martins and Simone Dias Musa remain on the committee. In another recent development, the firm appointed its first chief compliance officer (CCO). The move strengthens Trench Rossi’s compliance procedures.
The firm believes that multidisciplinary work, which combines its strong transactional and non-transactional practices, generates more revenue and will be in greater demand. For this reason, the firm created multidisciplinary groups led by senior partners that focus on specific industries, allowing lawyers to develop important business acumen to complement their practice area expertise. Trench Rossi has implemented significant changes to its compensation system, which have been developed with the help of consultants and place more emphasis on collaboration.
Its long-term non-exclusive partnership with global giant Baker McKenzie singles Trench Rossi out in this chapter. The Brazilian firm benefits from the exchange of information on best practices and the latest developments in technology. Trench Rossi values the culture of friendship that exists among lawyers from the firms, who frequently work together in deals and attend conferences together.
Trench Rossi works hard at its diversity policies and strategies. The effort has paid off; the firm’s gender balance is something to be proud of and Trench Rossi is truly leading the way in this aspect. More than half of its partners are women, and the firm has taken great care to make sure women and men are remunerated equally.