Rossi, Maffini, Milman & Grando Advogados

A well-established firm in the southern region of Brazil, Rossi, Maffini, Milman & Grando Advogados started as Rossi Advogados Associados back in 1993. The current formation of the firm is the result of the merging of Rossi Advogados with two other firms, all  three of which began their activities in the past century. Dante Rossi started his professional trajectory in the second half of the 1960s, dedicated to labor law. Over time, his children, Mônica and Benôni, also entered the firm. Rafael Maffini introduced the field of public law in the late 1990s. Finally, in the early 1980s, Fabio Milman began his work in the field of private law. In the middle of 2006, they gathered and after a careful outsourced process of appraising and confirming their profiles, instrumental organization, and pairing of procedures, in 2008 Rossi Advogados changed its name to Rossi, Maffini & Milman Advogados. A few years later, in 2012, Felipe Grando, who by then had a decade of experience in tax law under his belt, came to expand the firm’s service portfolio. Thus, in September 2016, the firm began operating under its current name: Rossi, Maffini, Milman & Grando Advogados.

More recently, in May 2019, Eugênio Hainzenreder Júnior, professor in labour law and, at the time, member of the Presidency of the Association of Corporate Labour Lawyers in Rio Grande do Sul (SATERGS), joined the firm’s board of directors alongside its naming partners. In the same period, Rossi, Maffini, Milman & Grando Advogados launched an office in São Paulo, which offers to clients the same effectiveness and values ​​that constitute the base of the firm.

Currently, we have over 40 attorneys and more than 20 administrative collaborators in the field of law dedicated to translating the efforts of professionals with a vocation for helping achieve fairness and legal security.

With the goal of disseminating culture and encouraging the improvement of its members and its community of clients, external collaborators and students, the Dante Corporate School emerged in the first semester of 2014. It is the educational branch that has been offering an ongoing calendar of courses, lectures and meetings.

Practice areas
Agribusiness: One of the main foundations of the Brazilian economy is the agribusiness sector. Thus, to ensure that the risks and costs incurred are no higher than necessary, knowledge specific to the cultivation of each agricultural specialty, together with technique and pertinent legal knowledge are required, thus avoiding future lawsuits to solve potential conflicts.  agriculture contracts; repossession lawsuits; evictions lawsuits.

Bankruptcy: As well as the risks inherent to the activities of every business person, the Brazilian economic scenario is marked by severe instabilities. Consequently, companies can face crises that demand restructuring or, in some cases, their dissolution. This department includes activities such as representing creditors and debtors in legal recoveries and bankruptcy and debt restructuring.

Compliance and government affairs: We provide assistance in the institutional relationship between companies and public/government agents with the goal of promoting and/or safeguarding organizational interests always within the limits of the law, ethics and good governance.  The competitive context demands that companies have an administrative structure capable of conveying trust both in the public and private sectors. Our goal is to provide trustworthy consultancy to help our clients conduct their own compliance programs, optimizing costs and maximizing benefits. Our services include: defense in administrative and judicial processes; review and implementation of compliance programs and internal policies; leniency agreement negotiations; training sessions

Corporate: Defining the rules inherent to corporations, as well as the relationships among partners is of utmost importance. Adequate advisory begins with the choice of corporate type and includes the celebration of agreements among partners, being especially relevant in merger or acquisition operations. Furthermore, it is common for conflict to arise among partners. The main activities of this department are: forming corporations (private unlimited, limited, and incorporated), and Sole Proprietorship of Limited Liability (EIRELI); drafting shareholders’ agreements; M&As; dissolution of corporations and verification of assets

Our team is also qualified and available to prevent litigation and/or obtain subsidies to defend interests at stake in the routine of relationships. On-demand or ongoing advisory services; written or informal legal opinions; participation in meetings and assemblies; drafting and analysis of contracts, deeds and documents.

Crisis management: Moments of crisis in the lives of individuals and companies can cause high-costing and even irreparable harm. Effectively dealing with a crisis means minimizing risks and reducing damage. forming crisis management committees; training teams; prevention strategies; coordination with personal assistance at the crisis front.

Dispute resolution: Consumer class and individual action lawsuit: Laws and consumer needs have increasingly pointed to class actions as a form of accessing justice. Prosecution; defense.

Arbitration: Arbitration processes involving private and public agents. We are prepared to practice the law at all levels of jurisdiction. Preliminary injunctions (based on urgency and evidence); case management and assistance; appeals; special civil part; representation before government organizations.

Civil liability: Every person whose actions incurs injury to others is liable to reparation for the injury. Actions for damages; defense.

Recovering credit: There can be much lack of commitment in honoring freely assumed obligations. Judicial and extrajudicial credit charging; defending creditor lawsuits.

Judicial and extrajudicial litigation: We are prepared to practice the law at all levels of jurisdiction. Preliminary injunctions (based on urgency and evidence); case management and assistance; appeals; special civil part; representation before government organizations.

Entertainment and media
Entertainment law: This is one of the most complex areas of law practice, involving multidisciplinary knowledge. Contracts; incentive laws; consultancy.

Media law: Considered by many a fourth branch of government, the media involves the delicate balance between public and private interest. Pre-publication advice; claims and defenses; right of reply.

Internet: The World Wide Web has shortened distances and made content dissemination incredibly fast. Defense for internet service providers (ISP); ISP responsibilities; administrative representation; judicial representation.

Family law and successions: No area is more delicate in the field of human interactions than family relationships, especially in moments of loss. Recognizing and dissolving common-law union both judicially and extrajudicially; consensual and litigious divorce; pension; interests of minors; custody; visitation; interdiction; judicial and extrajudicial inventories; entertainment, media and telecoms.

Intellectual property: Preventing conflict and searching for the emerging rights of the human intellect. Registration; administrative refutations; judicial defense; urgent measures.

IT and startups: The increasingly intense presence of technology as a way to optimize performance of activities connected to various sectors of the economy is a well-established fact. In this context, the firm has highly qualified professionals who understand the technical aspects relative to information technology and who can provide consistent legal advisory. Some of the activities performed by this department are: advisory for startups; drafting software licensing, maintenance and implementation agreements; advisory to companies about acquiring use licenses and software implementation and maintenance services; drafting nondisclosure agreements (NDA); drafting service level agreements (SLA); technology transfer agreements; discussions involving software intellectual property rights.

Labor
Collective bargaining: We have conducted and participated in several collective bargaining processes, both with labor unions and by directly assisting companies. We also work with judicial collective bargaining. Assisting labor unions with collective bargaining agreement processes; assisting in judicial collective bargaining and collective bargaining related to a strike

Preventive law: Our labor team works preventively, helping companies to analyze risk of liability and manage already existing liabilities. We work with strategic management together with the client service human resources department. Analyzing employment contracts to provide security to employers and avoid creating liabilities; advising companies regarding the implementation of variable remuneration policies, profit sharing plans, and career and wage plans; due diligence: Legal investigation to quantify labor liabilities, provide information for company acquisitions, mergers, demergers or incorporations.

Labor law: We work to defend clients in judicial lawsuits before labor courts, both in individual and class lawsuits and indemnity lawsuits due to work-related accident or disease. Formulating defense and appeals in general; assistance in hearings and oral arguments; filing debt collection suits of contributions to labor unions; providing information about the contingency of liabilities and risk analysis.

Ministry of Labor, Social Security, Labor Public Prosecutor’s Office: We represent clients at the administrative level before the Ministry of Labor and Labor Public Prosecutor’s Office. Defending clients in civil proceedings and citizen suits; administrative defense related to assessment notices; preparations related to TAC signing – Conduct Adjustment Agreement.

Insurance: Even when damages and emergency situations are included in the purchased coverage, disputes often ensue in the field of insurance. Case assessment; legal action within the scope of administrative discussion; judicial action.

Public law: Our team is experienced and specialized in preventive assistance, due diligence, administrative and judicial litigation related to public and administrative law, for individuals, legal entities and representative associations. We count on the trans-disciplinary support from the firm’s other areas. Among these services, we highlight: Judicial and administrative defense related to administrative, constitutional and environmental law, in addition to reviews of constitutionality; defending individuals and legal entities in citizen suits and administrative misconduct; public service concessions, permissions and public-private partnerships (PPP); legal opinions and consultations; public bidding and administrative contracts; due diligence and in-company training; administrative and judicial defense of civil servants and third-parties in litigation with public administration authorities; civil service examinations; defense before courts of auditors and administrative courts; defense in social security third-party claims; property expropriation and restrictions; actions with the National Council of Justice, the National Council of the Prosecutor’s Office and superior courts (Supreme Federal Court and Superior Justice Court); traffic law; representation and defense of class associations entities and associates; notary and registry law

Real estate: Buying and selling real estate requires certain precautions. Our goal is to always search for security in transactions. Risk assessment; contract drafting and review; assistance with deeds; maintenance and repossession claims; Usucaption; defense of ownership and property

Developers: The construction market often reserves unpleasant surprises. Among these we cite delayed deliveries, construction non-compliance, differences between what is promised and what is actually delivered, and undue commission paid to real estate agent. In turn, many times buyers also make undue demands after the property is delivered.; extrajudicial and judicial defense of buyer’s interests; extrajudicial and judicial defense of developer’s interests.

Construction and engineering: Technical areas that require specific knowledge and continuing education. Contract drafting and review; relationship with suppliers, collaborators and clients; Legal treatment of nonconformities; lawsuits.

Condominiums: The routine of condominiums is difficult, full of mishaps. Conflict mediation between the condominium and its members and among members; prosecuting defaulters; defending condominiums in court.

Tax: Our tax law services include consultancy, audits and disputes, both at the administrative and judicial level. We provide partners with a better understanding of taxes and fiscal obligations, including those related to social security. Through preventive planning or contentious actions, based on legal provisions and administrative and judicial jurisprudential interpretations, we focus on obtaining the result that will lead to the least amount of conflict with tax authorities. We value providing in-depth explanations of the alternatives, benefits and occasional risks involved in each case, allowing clients to base their decisions on as much information as possible. Multidisciplinary action enables the integration of tax law with other areas, which leads to the exchange of knowledge with other expert professionals, who weigh the labor, social security, societal, banking and financial impacts that ensue from tax-related issues. Our practice includes: Judicial and administrative defense in the case of tax notices or executions; Judicial and administrative measures for recognizing credit and tax returns; tax counseling; legal opinions; inheritance, property and individual tax planning for inheritance via customized tax solutions; Due diligence; interaction and guidance for company controllership and accounting; identifying the best tax regime that best optimizes the company’s activity; obtaining and preventive maintenance of certificates of good standing.

Tax review: The complexity and constant changes in the Brazilian tax system, whether at the federal, state or municipal level, makes it difficult for companies, leading to incorrect calculations and collections. When identified in time, companies can recover over-payments, such as by regularizing hidden liabilities. Furthermore, choosing the right tax regimes is essential for optimizing the tax burden. In sum, our activities comprise: Review of federal, state and municipal taxes and social security contributions; identifying credit and hidden liabilities; choosing tax regime; retention review/withholding tax review; guidance on compensations; analysis of the incidence of Social Security (INSS) taxes on labor lawsuits.