Lefosse announced the return of Mauricio Paschoal as a partner in the Corporate/M&A practice, and the arrival of Cristiano Melo as a partner in the Project Development/Infrastructure practice. Joining Cristiano is counsel Michele Pimenta do Amaral, who will also be working with the same focus. These moves reinforce the firm’s investment in strategic practices for the 2026/2027 economic outlook.

“These additions perfectly illustrate the type of strengthening we are seeking: professionals with a proven track record in complex transactions and a strategic vision for sectors that will gain even more relevance in the coming years, such as M&A, special situations, and infrastructure. These moves expand our capacity to serve clients during such diverse, challenging, and highly opportune times,” commented Rodrigo Junqueira , managing partner of Lefosse.

“Brazil has enormous pent-up demand for infrastructure projects, and the next government will certainly have to accelerate an agenda of granting and renewing concessions in the sector,” said Cristiano Melo. “The energy sector also presents great promise, in the context of the energy transition and rising oil prices due to geopolitical factors, which are driving new investments in the area. Furthermore, the firm’s team’s reputation for excellence and the breadth of its areas of expertise and practice can generate synergies with other infrastructure areas.”

“The combination of technical excellence, expertise in complex transactions, a transactional focus, and commercial alignment is what motivated me to return to Lefosse. Personally, I am very happy to be working again with great friends and lawyers whom I have admired for many years,” Mauricio Paschoal emphasized. Regarding the sector’s outlook, the partner noted that “despite the challenging environment, especially due to high interest rates, there are opportunities for those with the right positioning: large-scale transactions continue to take place, as do transactions in infrastructure sectors, where cycles are longer.”

Learn more about the new professionals

Mauricio Paschoal, partner in the Corporate/M&A practice, handles corporate and M&A matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, alliances and other complex contracts, regulatory issues, publicly traded companies, and executive compensation. He advises both buyers and sellers, strategic and financial players, and local and international clients in various sectors, including infrastructure, healthcare, energy, TMT, industrials, finance, retail, agribusiness, and real estate.

He holds a law degree from the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) and an LL.M. from Columbia Law School, where he was recognized as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.

Cristiano Melo, partner in the Project Development/Infrastructure practice, is dedicated to the preparation and negotiation of complex and structured contracts in the areas of project development and construction law, the development of joint ventures for investment in projects and the leasing of large equipment, with a focus on infrastructure, especially logistics and energy.

He holds a law degree from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) and a postgraduate degree in Oil and Gas Law and Business from the Brazilian Institute of Oil, Gas and Biofuels (IBP).

Michele Pimenta do Amaral, counsel in the Project Development/Infrastructure area, has experience in the preparation and negotiation of complex and structured contracts in the areas of project development and construction law, in the development of joint ventures for investment in projects and in the leasing of large equipment, with a focus on infrastructure, especially logistics and energy.

She holds a law degree from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) and a postgraduate degree in Finance from the COPPEAD Institute of Postgraduate Studies in Administration at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).

The addition of the new partners continues a series of admissions and promotions throughout the year: the arrival of Tomaz Lyra and Marcela Levy as Dispute Resolution partners, the promotion of Isis Teixeira in the same practice and those of Luana Torres, Gabriel Queiroz and Rafael Martins to Corporate/M&A, Corporate Criminal and Oil and Gas partners, respectively.