Szazi, Bechara, Storto, Reicher e Figueirêdo Lopes Advogados

Founded in 2002, Szazi, Bechara, Storto, Reicher and Figueirêdo Lopes Advogados (“SBSA”) is a pioneering law firm specialized in charities, social responsibility, environment and human rights, that connects the experience its partners – Eduardo Szazi, Erika Bechara, Paula Raccanello Storto, Stella Camlot Reicher, Laís de Figueirêdo Lopes and Aline Gonçalves de Souza, who since mid-1990s have been working in the field of civil society organizations (CSO).

The firm respects persons with disabilities, gender, ethnic-racial, sexual, and religious diversity. It values sustainability by encouraging the recycling of materials and the purchase of organic and local products. It encourages freedom of expression and opinion. SBSA also cares about  the work environment and adopts practices aimed at avoiding discrimination, harassment, and constraints. Women are a majority among the partners and team members. In internal relations, hiring and relationships with stakeholders, the firm respects diversity and repudiate all forms of discrimination.

Involved in consultancy and advocacy, SBSA partners directly participated in the formulation of laws affecting civil society organizations and human rights, such as Law 9.790/1999 (OSCIPs Law), the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006 and Law 13.019/2014 (Legal Framework for Civil Society Organizations – MROSC).

They have also been involved in other legal initiatives to enable a better environment for civil society organizations, in matters involving tax exemptions, tax incentives, and labour and voluntary work regulation, at national, state and municipal levels. They are professionals with significant experience in the field, acting as lecturers and teachers in undergraduate and graduate courses related to the subjects they work with, and participate in research and consulting projects of renowned educational institutions such as PUC/SP, FIA/USP and FGV.

The firm’s clients are leading national and foreign associations and foundations operating in various fields, such as environmental, educational, sports, cultural, assistance, health, human rights, local development, information technology, protection of children, adolescents, people with disabilities and the elderly, among others. The clients are also companies from different economic sectors, especially those aligned with ESG practices, B corps, those maintaining corporate institutes and foundations, and those adopting corporate social responsibility, diversity, and inclusion programs.

In 2018, its longstanding practices and values were consolidated in its Compliance Program, Integrity Policy and Code of Ethics and Conduct, and the firm’s expertise in this field is also offered to its clients.

SBSA practices combine deep knowledge on charities and the non-profit sector with comprehensive understanding of case law and precedents in matters concerning social business and human rights law. Legal practice in this field is still quite rare. What most prominently distinguishes SBSA’s from other law firms in Curitiba is that we focus on CSO demands, social business and human rights law, providing legal advice through a team of extremely specialized attorneys.