As part of its commitment to reinforcing its strategic and important areas for its clients, Felsberg Advogados has announced the hiring of

Diego Vieira

, who will be taking control of the firm’s Intellectual Property department. The new partner has 20 years’ experience working in the area’s key sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, fashion, foodstuffs and retail, long having advised domestic and foreign companies on all the important strategic aspects of IP, from the discovery phases, cases in the administrative sphere, licensing, dispute resolution, and CONAR (the National Council for Advertising Self-Regulation), through to issues in the judicial sphere.

In Felsberg Advogados’ view, the coming years should see more business growth in areas such as infrastructure, public law, tax law, competition law and arbitration - as well as the area of intellectual property itself. For João Carlos Mendonça, the partner responsible for M&A and Private Equity, “announcing Diego as a new partner at Felsberg shows that we are alert to the potential of the area in Brazil and globally. IP and its ramifications in relation to the issue of data protection will be increasingly important in M&A operations, for example.”

Further to this, Diego comments that “today, a lot of brands are more valuable than the companies that own them. This is why IP is a monetizing tool for companies. Whoever registers a patent, has 20 years of protection on the market, which is a vitally important competitive advantage. In addition to this, a successful business depends on a strong and valuable brand. Just as is already happening in other countries, issues concerning intellectual property have become so important that the Brazilian courts have started specializing on the matter.”

The entry of the new partner comes with more than 4,000 new cases of brands and patents, both in Brazil and abroad, as well as numerous lawsuits that are already under way. “For the firm to operate at a high level of quality in this area, it needs to have a large number of cases, because you are open to all that can happen. We gain in scale and experience,” explains Vieira.

Amongst his clients are companies listed in the Fortune 500 ranking, including some that are already Felsberg’s clients in other areas. This is a synergy that reinforces the concept of cross-selling that the firm has been developing to get strategic and complementary areas working together in a singular, focused way. “Intellectual Property is a transversal area in the firm,” explains Diego “since, if we look at sectors such as Life Sciences,Fashion Law and Technology, the work of the IP and Regulatory departments are always involved.”

Diego Vieira holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the Cândido Mendes University and a Post-Graduate degree in Intellectual Property from PUC/RJ, and in Business Management from the IBMEC/RJ. He is recognized by legal publications such as IP Star, World Trademark Review - WTR 1000, ILO Client Choice Award and Análise Advocacia 500 as one of the best Intellectual Property attorneys in Brazil. Furthermore, through until December 2018, he was a member of the Intellectual Property Commission of the Rio Grande do Sul State Bar Association and has participated in numerous study committees with the INTA – the International Trademark Association, including the Repression and Unfair Competition Committee.

2019: a new period of growth

Felsberg Advogados is preparing a new period of growth in 2019. The firm is going through a time of expansion and, as such, will be investing in strategic areas such as Economic and Competition Law, Restructuring and Insolvency, M&A, Innovation/Technology, and Intellectual Property, as well as its International Desks. “We are in a very positive phase and we intend to expand 30% in the next three years,” reveals the firm’s founding partner Thomas Felsberg.

About Felsberg Advogados

Felsberg Advogados is a full-service Brazilian law firm that is a pioneer in various legal areas and is a member of the international Meritas and Legalink networks. Founded in 1970 by Thomas Felsberg, the firm has been responsible for the development of areas such as Restructuring and Insolvency, Project Finance, Venture Capital, and others in the Brazilian market.

In 2018, Felsberg presented new partners in the legal areas of M&A, Tax, Labor, Restructuring and Insolvency, Compliance, Life Sciences and Infrastructure/Sanitation.

http://www.felsberg.com.br/