Brazil Business Mediation Congress: Changing the Way Brazil Resolves Conflict, CPR, 2013

On April 29,2013, CPR in association with Camarb and Pro-Acordo/Parceiros Brasil sponsered the first Brazil Business Mediation Congress in Rio de Janeiro at the auditorium of FGV DIREITO RIO. The objective of the Congress was to raise awareness in Brazil as to the availability and suitability of mediation as a method of resolving disputes. Shell, Ambev, GlaxoSmith Kline,  Swiss Re, Pinheiro Neto, Sergio Bermudes were among the supports of the event. Please read more about this successful Congress at
http://www.cpradr.org/AcrossBorders/BrazilCongress.aspx or Click  below to read an article in Portuguese. 

Public Notary Clerks to be mediators in Brazil?

Public Notary in Brazil is an office with powers  to certify documents, signatures, declarations as well as to retain contracts and wills for safekeeping. A tradition that continues to modern life. Now the Department for Internal Affairs of Justice in São Paulo wants the Notary Offices to be mediators too. The Bill (Provimento 17/2013) allows the Notary Public Servants to mediate, as if mediation is something to be bought over the counter. The São Paulo Bar Association has made a legal request asking to revoke this decision. Although it has been finally suspended, final decision is still pending. This Bill shows that mediation is still considered as something very trivial by authorities. Click read more to see topics in Portuguese.

The French Rothschild Case: A Threat for Unilateral Dispute Resolution Clauses?

The French Cour de Cassation invalidated a jurisdictional clause in the Rothschield case on the grounds that one of the contracting parties has the power to bring about or prevent the jurisdiction and therefore such clauses are void for lack of mutuality of obligation.This article published by Kluwer (by Maxi Scherer, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr) explains the details of the case and why this is a concern since it was done in an important jurisdiction:
http://kluwerarbitrationblog.com/blog/2013/07/18/the-french-rothschild-case-a-threat-for-unilateral-dispute-resolution-clauses/

M&A Due Diligence In Latin America

M&A Due Diligence In Latin America, Matt Atkins, July 2013, Financial Times
The rapid growth of Latin American markets presents firms and investors with attractive business opportunities. But while M&A opportunities are plentiful, so too are the countries in the region viewed as ‘corruption prone’. Read more at: http://www.financierworldwide.com/article.php?id=10798                                       

The Accelerated Growth Program for Small and Medium Sized Business

Competitiveness is the ability to innovate your business. Private investments in Brazil make up 18.5% of GDP in the years 2011 and 2012. According to FIESP (the largest commercial association in Brazil) India and China invest 2 to 3 times more than this in their countries. Realizing this deficit, the Brazilian commercial community is proposing to add incentives for Brazilian Companies to become more competitive. This platform of incentives is called The Accelerated Growth Program for Small and Medium Sized Businesses  ("PAC-PME"). It is being developed on a pro-bono basis and it has been up and running since July 2012 by a supporting group consisting now of 153 entities.  See  Rodolfo Zabisky article:
http://www.pacpme.com.br/pacpme/web/conteudo_pti.asp?idioma=0&tipo=44348&conta=45&id=178439