Areas of Expertise

Ensuring the fulfillment of legal rights and obligations, the Business Law is responsible for protecting and improving good civil life. Through preventives or contentious manners — in order to avoid conflicts of interests or to solve them — it presents the rules to guide individuals and companies in their daily relationships.

When dealing with civil matters, businesses may benefit from a proper advisory service, gaining advantages over competition and becoming able to precisely execute their projects. In this way, the Stürmer & Wulff offers a complete assistance to their clients, safeguarding their rights and duties in every single process.

From the earliest stages of a business planning to conflicts resolutions, we provide practical and efficient solutions to the following activities:

Advisory

• Contract Analysis, Drafting and Amendment;
• Contractual Responsibilities in Negotiations;
• Responsibility of Partners and Directors;
• Business Risk Pointing;
• Property Protection Projects;
• Family Relations;
• Inheritance Law and Inheritance;
• Family Asset Protection Projects;
• Debts and Relationships between Creditors and Debtors;
• Property Rights;
• Copyright and Intellectual Property;
• Adverse possession and Servitude;
• Leasing;
• Franchises;
• Buying and Selling Business, Brands and Real Estate;
• Negotiations, Conciliation and Conflict Overcoming;
• Insurance.

Litigation

• Extra judicial charge;
• Judicial Charge;
• Administrative Procedures;
• Filing of Lawsuits.

The management of businesses, independently of their sizes or sectors, is directly and indirectly influenced by global demands. In this context, for the maintenance or expansion of these companies — in volume, scope, and profitability — is essential to consider several aspects, such as the positive and negative consequences of the laws and agreements, whether local or international, that applies in places of interest.

Using this valuable information enables business managers to choose in advance what best meets their economic, financial, fiscal and operational purposes. Such practice may also represent differentials in matters of competitiveness, security and stability, contributing, as well, for the company growth across the years.

The office Stürmer & Wulff helps their clients to visualize opportunities and overcome challenges — in a global context — by pointing out effective solutions and alternatives for success in the face of international business complex demands. To this end, by providing a high-quality international coverage in over 155 different jurisdictions — as a member of the IR Global network — our services include:

Corporate

• Internationalization of Business and Companies;
• International Contracts;
• International Franchises and Joint Ventures;
• Customs Law, Foreign Trade and Transfer Pricing;
• Holdings and Estate Planning Abroad;
• International Patent and Trademark Registration;
• Business and Business Data Collection;
• Investment & Capital Advisory.

Tax

• International Corporate and Tax Planning;
• Business Site Selection;
• International Tax Consulting;
• International Tax Systems Training.

Labor

• Administrative and Judicial Litigation;
• Labor Consulting;
• Immigration of Executives, Employees and Investors;
• International Labor Contracts.

Acting in Corporate Law, Stürmer & Wulff’s specialists assist their clients to create an organized governance structure, that is essential for the healthy development of a company. As a premise, we are especially attentive to the fact that each company is unique and requires a specific corporate structure, according to its market and needs.

The extensive experience in corporate governance and the multidisciplinary nature of the firm’s attorneys – who also have a background in related fields such as administration and accounting – enable solid advice and support to companies of all sizes and sectors. The office’s performance is, in this sense, wide, encompassing the most diverse issues that daily interfere in business, such as their needs, goals and plans.

With this north, and with a complete portfolio of services, we operate in:

Advisory

• M&A;
• How to Start a Business;
• Corporate Planning;
• Succession Planning;
• Holdings;
• Corporate changes and transformations;
• Purchase;
• Credit Securities;
• Buying and selling of companies;
• Intellectual Property;
• Business Management;
• Partners Agreements;
• Corporate Disputes;
• Investments;
• Business improvement;
• Capital Markets;
• Corporate Responsibilities;
• Responsibilities with Consumers and Suppliers.

Litigation

• Protection and guarantee of rights in corporate relationships, through extrajudicial and judicial mechanisms;
• Judicial and Arbitration disputes.

Stürmer & Wulff currently has a multidisciplinary team made up of lawyers, engineers, patents and trademarks attorneys highly qualified. Through our talent group, we can act as real partners for our clients, guiding and actively working whenever necessary for a better protection, development and lawful and conscious utilization of intellectual property rights.

Acting in a global manner and with an expertise in the management of intangible asset portfolios involving brands, patents, industrial designs, copyrights, industrial secrets, software among others for both Brazilian and foreign clients, Stürmer & Wulff represents several industries, universities and individuals, inventors, artists and entrepreneurs, who perceive ntellectual property as an essential competitive advantage to add value to their businesses.

Focused on technical excellence and in the quick solution of matters involving intellectual property and innovation, Stürmer & Wulff has become a reference model in the industry, creating clear and measurable benefits to its clients.

Advisory

• Patent protection;
• Registrations of industrial designs;
• Computer software registrations;
• Copyright registrations;
• Repositioning strategies;
• Trademark registrations;
• Overseas registrations;
• Strategy & Intelligence;
• Intangible assets;
• Audit (Due Diligence);
• Monetization;
• Contracts, licensing and TT;
• Searches and FTO’s.

Litigation

• Studies and Opinions;
• Alternative Dispute Resolution;
• Litigation solutions.

Debt restructuring and judicial reorganization processes in Brazil have grown in number and complexity through recent years. But success in these operations requires fast, effective and creative responses to each company’s difficulty, supplying their needs. Solutions must combine pro activity, strategic vision and risk mitigation, as also should reconcile the different interests at stake.

The Stürmer & Wulff mainly acts defending interests of creditors and investors, exploring alternatives and maximizing opportunities. With experience in coordinating complex projects, our professionals combine knowledge in different areas, such as:

/  Bank and financial transactions for companies with difficulties;
/  Structured operations for debt renegotiation;
/  Debt restructuring and lengthening of the payment term;
/  Mergers and acquisitions for company capitalization;
/  Judicial Recovery and Insolvency Proceedings.

Advisory

• Advising domestic and foreign investors, hedge funds, private equity funds and investment banks looking for opportunities;
• Legal Assistance to entities involved in restructuring and insolvency proceedings, such as trustees, escrow agents, surety agents and court administrators;
• Debt restructuring, bilaterally or in syndicated operations (structuring, negotiation and implementation);
• Acquisition or sale of assets, shares, credits, branches or isolated production units of companies in financial difficulty or in bankruptcy, as well as assessment of applicable legal risks.
• Judicial or extrajudicial recovery plans, defining the strategy of the procedure;
• Legal audit and corporate reorganization of companies in financial difficulties;
• Fundraising, whether or not backed by assets, in Brazil or abroad, to finance the activities of companies in financial difficulty.

Litigation

• Representation of creditors, or group of creditors, on committees and meetings, including enabling and recovering credits in judicial or extrajudicial reorganization proceedings, bankruptcies and executions;
• Creditors, investors and debtors in debt restructuring, credit recovery and extrajudicial recoveries;
• Various judicial measures to preserve claims and enforce guarantees.

Business models emerge every day, and with them new human resources management experiences that completely change work relationships. These advances collide with a complex labor law, which is affected by judicial precedents that can lead to insecurity in business administration. In this scenario, companies need to know how to manage and mitigate risks to remain competitive.

Stürmer & Wulff helps their clients overcome this challenge with a strategic approach that considers the impact of different labor regulations on businesses’ daily life. Our focus is on finding solutions that help companies modernize, be more competitive, and overcome legal complexity. In this context, our services include:

/  Risk assessment involved in each work situation;
/  Advice on labor negotiations and disputes;
/  Orientation, Labor Audit or participation in crisis committees.

Advisory

• Legal Advisory and Preventive Auditing for Human Resources departments;
• Elaboration and analysis of employment contracts, including for hiring foreigners;
• Formatting or harmonizing short- and long-term benefit packages and variable compensation, including stock option plans;
• Representation of companies and unions in collective bargaining agreements;
• Preparation of studies and opinions on labor law and social security issues, including private pension plans;
• Advising and conducting outsourcing processes;
• Support in union negotiations and collective bargaining, drafting collective agreements and participating in round tables and conciliation committees;
• Analysis of Environmental Risk Prevention Programs and Occupational Health and Medical Control Programs to assess their compliance with current legislation (Regulatory Standards – NRs);
• Promotion of Seminars in the company aiming to improve the professional qualification of employees responsible for labor relations;
• Assistance in preparing labor audits.

Litigation

• Representation of individuals and legal entities in judicial and administrative proceedings related to the application of labor and social security rules;
• Expertise in litigation, both administrative and judicial, with expertise in conducting matters before the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of Labor, both in investigative proceedings and in defense of public civil actions.

With complex legislation and sophisticated surveillance system, Brazil imposes challenges on companies in analyzing the tax effects of their operations, strategic decision on tax disputes and legal certainty of tax regimes that bring benefits to your business.

Stürmer & Wulff have the initiative, creativity and solid professional experience to provide consultative and contentious advice on the full range of tax issues affecting companies. We take a simple approach to highly complex issues, offering both sophisticated corporate and financial transactions and strategic support to litigation processes.

With a native practice in the Tax area that operates supporting clients on issues such as structuring new projects and financial operations, customs regulation, application of transfer prices, direct and indirect taxes, interpretation of international treaties, obtention of tax incentives and taxation of expatriates, our performance is divided into the following areas:

/  Tax Advisory;
/  Tax Litigation.

Advisory

• Tax planning;
• Assistance in structuring and reviewing the terms of implementation of merger and acquisition operations;
• Support in mapping and analyzing the different tax models to be adopted in infrastructure projects;
• Advisory to foreigners who intend to start activities in the country;
• Financial market analysis from the tax point of view, identifying the best way to go for each type of operation;
• Monitoring of supervision and defense at the administrative level, including Question Risk Assessment and How to Prepare for a Tax Litigation Scenario;
• Consultancy in cross border operations, multilateral treaties and interaction with foreign offices;
• Issuing of memoranda with the interpretation of new laws;
• Due diligence in merger and acquisition operations.

Litigation

• Presence in the Board of Tax Appeals (“CARF”), with regular monitoring of relevant precedents;
• Relevant presence and follow-up of the main leading cases at the Federal Supreme Court (STF) and Superior Court of Justice (STJ).
• Strict tracking of cases judged, contributing to the understanding of cases not led by our team;
• Orientation to problems in proving or settling tax issues and possible tax debts, including restructuring of tax debts, online attachment prevention (Bacen Jud) and other defense strategies.