Launch of Chambers Brazil Contentious 2026 Guide

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The Chambers Brazil research team is pleased to launch the Chambers Brazil Contentious 2026 guide. 

This guide is the result of 1,221 submissions. In terms of interactions with the market, we conducted 1,165 interviews and 4,727 surveys and questionnaires, an increase of over 8% compared to last year. 

The more we engage with the market, the more robust, consistent and well-founded our ranking decisions become. 

In this article, we share the main changes and developments introduced in this edition of the guide, as well as the key market trends identified throughout this research cycle. We conclude by highlighting some figures that help illustrate the current landscape of the Brazilian legal market. 

This year, we implemented two significant changes. 

First, we created a new practice area dedicated to law firms and lawyers with a strong contentious real estate practice. In response to clear market demand, the Real Estate: Litigation ranking launches with 16 departments, spread across three bands, as well as 21 lawyers, also organised into three bands, including the Up and Comings and Associates to Watch categories. 

The second change concerns the division of individually ranked lawyers in Dispute Resolution: Litigation, Labour & Employment, and Tax: Litigation into The Elite and Highly Regarded categories. Until last year, this distinction applied only to firms, while lawyers were listed in a single table. Following an editorial decision already adopted by Chambers in other jurisdictions, we decided to introduce this distinction for individuals as well. 

As a result, lawyers practising at firms ranked as The Elite are now listed in a corresponding individual table, with the same approach applied to lawyers at Highly Regarded firms. 

Alongside this change, we also adjusted the lawyer tables to four bands, aiming for an even fairer and more precise segmentation, while creating space for emerging talent to enter our rankings in future cycles. 

Below, we highlight some of the key trends identified across major areas of the guide: 

Issues such as the Supreme Federal Court’s discussions on pejotização and outsourcing continue to be closely monitored, given their potential impact on the market. Another recurring topic was the update to Regulatory Standard No. 1 (NR-1), which now explicitly includes workers’ mental health within the scope of workplace conditions and working hours. Referees also reported increased enforcement activity by the Labour Prosecutor’s Office, alongside a strengthening of unions and a rise in collective actions compared to previous years.

In Social Security, discussions focus on expectations of legislative changes, particularly in light of developments related to the tax reform and the updated NR-1, which may increase companies’ contributory burdens. This is compounded by recently approved changes to payroll taxation and the expansion of contributory criteria, such as the inclusion of occupational noise, demonstrating a regulatory environment in continuous transformation.

In the competition arena, the market remains shaped by macroeconomic volatility, uncertainties linked to the electoral cycle, and an increase in international merger and acquisition activity, also driven by tariff-related developments. CADE (Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica) is undergoing a period of institutional transition, which may significantly affect its strategic direction. At the same time, discussions around the regulation of digital platforms are advancing, including the possible creation of a dedicated regulator for digital markets. This measure could increase both the volume and complexity of competition analyses, particularly in technology-driven sectors. From a conduct perspective, HR-related matters remain central, given the still-limited case law and the ongoing methodological adjustments in investigations. A growing trend towards the judicialisation of competition cases has also been observed. 

Our research for the new Real Estate: Litigation ranking indicates that in 2025 the real estate sector experienced pressure from high interest rates, macroeconomic instability and increased insolvency risk, with notable effects on agribusiness. This environment led to a rise in renegotiations, defaults and commercial disputes. Sources also highlighted legal uncertainty and regulatory pressure as key risk factors. Tax reform has emerged as a particularly sensitive topic, with direct implications for lease agreements, funds, corporate reorganisations and a potential expansion of contentious matters. Environmental issues, land regularisation and property disputes remain in focus, while the development of new projects has increased demand for due diligence and conflict prevention strategies.

In International Trade / WTO, we observed a buoyant market, particularly in trade defence matters. Measures such as the US tariff hikes have increased demand for legal services aimed at safeguarding production and export channels. According to our Brazilian interviewees, the wave of anti-dumping proceedings against Asian suppliers shows no signs of slowing down.

Tax reform is the dominant topic in Tax: Litigation, with expectations of a significant volume of legal work linked to its implementation. As one interviewee noted, “there is a race among companies to make use of tax credits and to accelerate the discussion of leading cases before the higher courts”.

Arbitration continues to expand in public-sector contracts and regulated infrastructure projects and is increasingly used to manage high-value disputes. There is also growing demand for simplified and faster procedures, even in sophisticated markets, as a means of controlling time and costs through more rigorous case management. This trend runs alongside a persistent sectoral concentration, particularly in construction, engineering and energy, where technically complex project disputes arise most frequently.

Over the past year, firms have remained highly active in complex corporate litigation. Clients highlighted distinguishing attributes among the most highly regarded firms, including strong partner involvement, responsiveness and availability, and solid relationships with the judiciary. There was also frequent recognition of preventive and pre-litigation strategies, which in many cases helped avoid the escalation of disputes into prolonged court proceedings. The substantial financial value involved in these matters underscores the importance of precise procedural strategies aligned with clients’ business objectives. 

With the introduction of Real Estate: Litigation, the Chambers Brazil Contentious guide now covers 17 practice areas. We recorded growth from 266 to 311 ranked firms. As a single firm may have more than one ranked department, this resulted in a total of 576 rankings, representing an increase of over 21%. 

Growth was also significant in the number of ranked individuals. We identified 903 lawyers, an increase of 11.5% compared to the previous year. As individuals may appear in more than one table, this brings the total to 1,012 individual rankings, 12% more than in 2025. 

Pinheiro Neto breaks its tie with Demarest and takes the lead this year, with 14 ranked departments. Demarest remains with 13 departments, now tied with Trench Rossi Watanabe and Veirano, which moved up into second place. Cescon Barrieu also deserves particular mention, having recorded notable growth from 8 to 10 ranked departments, joining TozziniFreire in fourth place. The full figures are shown below. 

When looking at firms with the highest number of departments ranked in Bands 1 and 2, Pinheiro Neto retains first place. In this cycle, Mattos Filho appears alone in second position, having increased from 8 to 10 departments in these bands. BMA also achieved significant growth and now shares third place with TozziniFreire. The data can be seen below. 

The top three firms remain unchanged from last year when analysing those with the highest number of ranked lawyers. Demarest and Machado Meyer, however, showed a modest improvement in 2026, moving from fifth to fourth place. The detailed figures are presented below. 

Below, we highlight the firms that stood out for having the highest number of lawyers ranked in Bands 1, 2 and Star Individuals, reflecting a strong concentration of recognised professionals at the top tiers of the guide. 

We remain constantly attentive to opportunities to enhance our research. With that in mind, we would like to highlight some upcoming developments for the Transactional 2026 guide: 

Once again, we thank you for your continued partnership. The launch of a guide is the result of a long and meticulous process, built on thoughtful and insightful conversations with the Brazilian legal market. 

The Chambers Brazil research team thanks every firm for submitting their materials and client referee lists. The steady growth in market participation throughout our research cycles reinforces confidence in the independence, rigour and depth of our work. We remain committed to delivering increasingly precise rankings and even more valuable insights for the Brazilian legal market. 

See the latest rankings and insights in our new Chambers Brazil Contentious Guide 2026 here.