Andrade GC Advogados, a business law firm founded in Manaus, is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a new step in its history: its arrival in São Paulo. The firm now has its own office in the city, at Rua Quintana, 887, Cidade Monções, expanding its presence among companies, executives and partners with nationwide operations.
The expansion comes as the firm strengthens its practice beyond Brazil's North Region. Over three decades, Andrade GC has built a significant part of its experience advising companies based in Amazonas and on matters related to the Manaus Free Trade Zone (ZFM), an environment with distinctive tax, labour, regulatory and business features.
The São Paulo presence is intended to bring this experience closer to decision-makers at companies that already operate in the Amazon or are considering opportunities related to the region.
“These 30 years reflect a history built in Amazonas, working closely with companies as they and the region's business environment evolved. Being in São Paulo allows us to broaden this dialogue and bring our experience closer to companies making decisions at the national level, while preserving the identity and expertise we have developed in the Amazon,” says Germano Costa Andrade, founding partner of Andrade GC Advogados.
Bringing Amazonian experience closer to the São Paulo market
The opening of the São Paulo office also reflects a shift in the profile of the matters handled by the firm. Issues related to Brazil's Tax Reform, investment planning, labour relations, corporate transactions and incentives under the Manaus Free Trade Zone increasingly involve decisions made by business groups headquartered and managed outside Amazonas.
Against this backdrop, a physical presence in São Paulo creates a more direct bridge between the knowledge developed in the region and companies seeking to understand how the economic model in Amazonas operates.
According to Victor Bastos da Costa, the partner leading the firm's activities in São Paulo, this closer connection allows Andrade GC to bring to the São Paulo market a perspective shaped by practical experience advising companies based in the Manaus Industrial Pole.
“The region's potential goes far beyond tax incentives. Amazonas has established itself as a strategic base for industry, logistics, technology and foreign trade, and that calls for legal counsel capable of handling increasingly sophisticated operations,” says Victor.
Bringing São Paulo and the Amazon together
To mark its 30th anniversary and arrival in São Paulo, Andrade GC hosted a dinner for guests in the city in September, presenting the firm's history and identity during an evening that brought together business, ideas, culture and Amazonian hospitality.
More than an anniversary celebration, the event embodied the connection the firm intends to strengthen through its new presence: bringing São Paulo's business community closer to the opportunities, distinctive features and economic discussions involving the Amazon.
Brazil's Tax Reform increases interest in the Manaus Free Trade Zone
The expansion also comes amid a transformation of Brazil's tax system. The implementation of the Tax Reform requires companies to make a series of decisions concerning their operating structures, supply chains, investments and tax planning.
For companies that operate or are considering establishing operations in Amazonas, the issue has an added dimension. The new tax system has preserved specific mechanisms intended to maintain the competitive advantage of the Manaus Free Trade Zone, which should keep the model at the centre of discussions on industrial location and tax strategy in the coming years.
It is at this intersection of local knowledge and national decision-making that Andrade GC intends to position its São Paulo practice.
The move does not represent a change in the firm's roots, but an expansion of its reach. Andrade GC aims to bring the São Paulo market closer to experience developed over three decades in one of Brazil's most distinctive business and tax environments.
“Our vision for the future is to grow in step with the region's development, expanding our role in national and international matters while maintaining the specialisation we have built here. We believe in a model of strategic business law that stays close to clients' operations and is guided by data, governance and risk prevention,” says Germano Andrade.
The São Paulo opening therefore adds a new address to a history that continues to have the Amazon as its starting point.
About Andrade GC Advogados
Serving Brazilian and international companies, Andrade GC Advogados brings together lawyers specialising in Tax, Labour and Employment, Civil, Contracts, Corporate, Real Estate and Public Law, with particular experience in matters related to the Manaus Free Trade Zone and the Manaus Industrial Pole. The firm is recognised by Chambers and Partners in General Business Law: North Brazil and Labour & Employment Brazil.
Manaus: Rua Salvador, 460, Adrianópolis
São Paulo: Rua Quintana, 887, Cidade Monções
Website: www.andradegc.com.br
Instagram: @andradegcadv
LinkedIn: Andrade GC Advogados