Brazilian Highly Recommended firm Souto Correa Advogados has strengthened its life sciences, tax, foreign trade and customs capabilities by hiring a lawyer from Elite outfit Cescon Barrieu, one independent practitioner and two advisers from a local consultancy as of counsel.
The firm announced the arrival of Érico Süssekind on 17 June, following the appointments of Aline Ferreira de Carvalho da Silva on 1 June, Roberto Magno on 18 May and Augusto Oliveira on 13 April. Souto Correa now counts 42 partners and 12 of counsel.
Süssekind joins the firm's tax practice in Rio de Janeiro from Elite firm Cescon Barrieu, where he spent more than seven years as a senior associate. He advises clients on judicial and administrative tax litigation involving federal, state and municipal taxes, and has led strategic disputes for companies in sectors including sanitation, telecommunications, oil and gas, mining, retail, pharmaceuticals and energy.
Silva, who was most recently an independent practitioner, joins the life sciences and healthcare practice with more than 15 years of experience in intellectual property, patents, strategic litigation and regulatory matters involving the pharmaceutical and innovation sectors.
Meanwhile, Magno strengthens the firm's foreign trade and customs offering after more than two decades running consultancy Solução Integrada Assessoria e Consultoria. He advises clients on customs regulations, import and export operations, tariff classification and compliance matters.
Oliveira joins from the same consultancy as Magno, where he worked for two years. He strengthens the foreign trade and customs team, bringing more than 35 years of experience, including a long career at Brazil's Federal Revenue Service, where he most recently served as president of the first appellate chamber of customs dispute resolution body CEJUL.
In a statement, the firm says the appointments reflect the increasing complexity of Brazil's regulatory and business environment, particularly in sectors where clients require specialised technical knowledge and industry-specific expertise. The hires form part of the firm's strategy to deepen its capabilities in highly regulated markets and provide multidisciplinary support to clients operating across Brazil and Latin America, the statement concludes.