Career
Rodrigo de Castro is a Rio de Janeiro-based partner and focuses his practice on all aspects of real estate and development transactions. Mr. Castro is the practice leader for the firm’s fast growing Real Estate practice. With almost two decades of real estate experience, Mr. Castro advises Brazilian and foreign investment groups and companies, from countries as diverse as Spain, Portugal, England and Mexico, participating in the dynamic real estate construction and development market.
Although Mr. Castro trained as a lawyer, in 1995, he joined the Notary and Real Estate Registry Office of Petrópolis, a city located in the State of Rio de Janeiro, to work first as a notary public clerk, and then as the Head Notary and Officer of the Real Estate Registry Office. From 2003 to 2005, he passed several public examinations, such as three for Notary and Real Estate Registry Offices in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Minas Gerais and for the position of Attorney for the National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES). Also at this time, he began teaching real estate law and notary and real estate registry law at several Rio de Janeiro-based universities and associations. Mr. Castro’s unique experience, both as a notary and real estate registrar and as a lawyer, enables him to provide clients with advice that takes into consideration both the commercial and business issues and the perspective of the governmental entity that regulates real estate transactions in Brazil.
In 2007, Mr. Castro returned to private practice and quickly built a sophisticated commercial real estate and development practice. Since then, Mr. Castro has focused on several strategic areas of the real estate market, including structuring of real estate development projects; activities related to real estate investment fund creation; drafting contracts for buying and selling, swaps, payment in kind, constitution of mortgages, trust receipt of real estate holdings and surface rights, among others; preparation of construction and lease contracts; coordination of real estate audits to evaluate the real estate holdings of corporations; formation of joint ventures and consortiums to act in the Brazilian real estate market; structuring of shopping malls, medical centers, hospitality and leisure assets.
Since 2009, Mr. Castro has been the President of the Rio de Janeiro Chapter Notary Law and Real Estate Title Registry Bar Association Commission (OAB/RJ), where he leads a study group of expert lawyers in real estate notary and registry issues.
Professional Memberships
Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) - Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo;
Rio de Janeiro Registry and Notary Association, pro bono legal advisor, since 2006;
Brazilian Bar Association, Rio de Janeiro Chapter (OAB/RJ), pro bono legal advisor concerning real estate registry and notary issues, since 2009;
Member of Brazilian Institute for Real Estate Law (IBRADIM);
Member of Notary and Registry Law Committee, Brazilian Institute for Real Estate Law (IBRADIM);
Member of Brazil's Association Real Estate and Tourism Development (ADIT).
