Manuela Demarche Mello

Practice Areas

Environmental, Sustainability, ESG and Climate Change

Career

Manuela Demarche joined Trench Rossi Watanabe in 2017, and has been working with Environmental Law since 2010. She is currently a Senior Associate of the firm’s Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change practice group.

She has several years of experience in complex matters connected to environmental, sustainability and climate change, and her practice focus on a wide range of matters, particularly in connection to environmental liability, licensing proceedings, carbon and M&A transactions and cross-border disputes. During 2022, she did an attorney training program in the U.S. and has worked as a Legal Extern for the American Clean Power Association.

She regularly advises international and domestic clients in relevant cases, including preparing opinions, overseeing due diligences, drafting administrative and judicial claims for disputes arising from controversial environmental matters. Under her umbrella, she regularly deals with regularization (air pollution, effluents, solid waste, contaminated areas), circular economy, take-back schemes, extended producer responsibility, carbon markets, REDD+, biodiversity and crisis management.

Professional Memberships

Admitted to the Brazilian Bar

Eligible to sit for the New York State Bar Examination

Member of UBAA (Brazilian Union of Environmental Law)

Publications

- “Legal Aspects of Sustainability: Business as (un)usual?” published in the book Environmental Advocacy Challenges and Perspectives, 2021

- “Environmental key risks related to Real Estate Acquisition” published in the book Real Estate Operations: structuring and taxation, 2016

- “Environmental Licensing in Brazil” published in the book Brazil Infrastructure Law. International Commerce and Arbitration series, 2016;

- “Environmental licensing of waterways that run through Indigenous Lands” published in the book Infrastructure in Environmental Law, 2016.

Personal

Manuela graduated from PUC-SP with a law degree and holds two specialization in Environmental Law from FGVLaw and Escola Paulista da Magistratura. She is an expert in Sustainable Capitalism & ESG by Berkeley Law Executive Education and holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Environmental and Energy Law from Georgetown University Law Center, Washington D.C., where she graduated with a merit scholarship and a CALI Excellence for the Future Award.

Languages Spoken

Portuguese (native)

English (fluent)

Spanish (basic working knowlegde)

Awards