Maria da Paz Tierno Lopes will concentrate her practice in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, advising mainly foreign clients and investors
Demarest Advogados, one of the largest full-service firms in Latin America, announces the hiring of Maria da Paz Tierno Lopes as a new partner in the M&A practice area. This is the fourth M&A lateral recruitment in the past two months, and the practice now totals 31 partners.
Maria da Paz holds a bachelor’s degree in Law from Universidade Lusíada, in Lisbon and a master’s degree in Corporate Law and in Financial and Capital Markets from Fordham University School of Law, in New York.
Demarest’s new partner has more than 25 years of experience in cross-border transactions, advising international clients from Latin America and Europe (mainly from Spain and Portugal) in M&A transactions, joint ventures, commercial and corporate law, including sectors such as infrastructure, hospitality, among others. She has also worked in the international firms White & Case (New York and São Paulo) and Cuatrecasas (Lisbon and São Paulo).
Having lived in Brazil for 13 years, Maria da Paz believes that the Brazilian M&A market is ripe with opportunities for both clients and investors and, based on her expertise, she believes she can contribute to closing new deals. “In the first half of 2024, we have seen an increase in operations and opportunities for foreign clients and investors. The prospects for 2025 are even more optimistic, despite the uncertainties that surround the global economy in 2024 and that could affect the market,” she says. Among the sectors with the greatest potential to generate new deals, Maria da Paz highlights infrastructure, energy, and technology.
Maria da Paz is confident that her experience in advising foreign clients – in tune with Demarest’s strategic vision of valuing complex transactions – will allow for a successful partnership aimed at fostering new deals and contributing to the firm’s international strategy.
Paulo Coelho da Rocha, Demarest’s managing partner, highlights that Maria da Paz’s arrival is in line with the firm’s current strategic planning and will strengthen the M&A and Corporate teams even further, which are among Demarest’s largest practice areas.
“As M&A transactions are gradually resumed in Brazil – aligned with the strategic planning for 2024-2026 –, Demarest has been investing in highly-qualified professionals, such as Maria da Paz, in order to provide our clients with first-rate services as well as assist them in carrying out even more business in their own segments. These are long-standing characteristics along Demarest’s 76-year path: delivering top- quality services and creating opportunities for sustainable growth in an increasingly competitive environment”, highlights Demarest’s managing partner.
Expansion underway
As part of Demarest’s strategic business plan for 2024-2026, over the last 10 months the firm has hired 16 new lateral partners and 20 lawyers in the areas of Infrastructure and Project Finance; M&A; Listed Companies; Capital Markets; Dispute Resolution (Arbitration and Litigation); Tax; Alternative Investments; Private Equity and Venture Capital.
In addition to lateral hires in eight practice areas, Demarest has also promoted five senior associates to partners, reaffirming its ongoing commitment to valuing and recognizing talented professionals who already make up the team.
Currently, 86 partners are actively working to serve approximately 1,500 domestic and foreign clients of the firm – which has approximately 600 employees, including both the legal and administrative departments.
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