Demarest announces the hiring of three partners to its mergers and acquisitions practice

João Busin, Juliana Maluf and Beatriz Seixas, our new M&A partners

Focusing on Private Equity and Venture Capital, a team of seven professionals arrives to further strengthen the offering of the firm, which has just completed 76 years

In a landscape that is seeing a gradual rise of merger and acquisition transactions, and in line with its strategic plan for the period 2024-2026, Demarest Advogados, one of the largest full service law firms in Latin America, announces the hiring of three new partners to reinforce its M&A practice as it celebrates 76 years of history.

With more than 20 years of experience in the sector, João Busin focuses his practice on Private Equity and Venture Capital, together with partners Juliana Maluf and Beatriz Seixas, as well as a team of four associates who will join Demarest.

With a specialization in Business Management from Business School São Paulo, João graduated from PUC-SP (Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo) Law School, after which he worked as a foreign associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP in London, João advises national and foreign investors in corporate operations involving a wide variety of sectors such as telecommunications, broadcasting, ports, oil and gas and mining, managers and investors in private equity and venture capital, and the formation of funds and investments in Brazilian companies (private and public).

Juliana Maluf holds a bachelor of laws degree from PUC-SP, a master’s degree in law from Columbia University in New York, a postgraduate degree in Business Law from FGV (Fundação Getulio Vargas) and worked as an associate lawyer at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton in New York. She has more than 14 years of experience in M&A operations in sectors such as healthcare, retail, automotive, education and technology, corporate restructuring, private equity and venture capital investments.

Beatriz Seixas holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from University of São Paulo Law School, a master’s degree in Corporate and Financial Law from the London School of Economics (London) and a specialization degree in Administration from FGV in São Paulo, after which she worked as a foreign associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in New York. She has extensive experience in M&A as well as private equity investments, debt restructurings and IPOs.

“M&A transactions regained momentum at the beginning of this year and the private equity and venture capital industry should further boost investments over the next few months, which brings opportunities for new businesses in different segments. The expectation is to combine the experience of our team with that of Demarest, so that we can participate in transactions of greater complexity and prominence in the economy,” says João, who began his career as a student at Demarest 25 years ago. “I am immensely proud to return as a partner to the home that welcomed me so well when I still was a student.”

For Paulo Coelho da Rocha, Managing Partner at Demarest, “the arrival of João, Beatriz, Juliana and their  team, all highly qualified and experienced, further strengthens our firm in private equity and venture capital and expresses our commitment to excellence in the services we provide to our clients.”

“In April, we celebrated the 76^th anniversary of the firm – a history built with commitment, excellence and, above all, the talent of each of our professionals. This is how we will continue to make a difference in the market”, says Paulo.

The arrival of the three new partners to the Mergers and Acquisitions practice area is part of a strong expansion movement at Demarest, which began in September 2023 and remains part of its strategic plan. Since then, 11 new partners and 14 lawyers have joined the Demarest “Liga”, (the professional bond among the entire firm focused in excellence), in addition to the promotion of five senior associates to partners in January this year. The firm now totals 84 partners, working together to provide high quality legal services to more than 1,500 clients in Brazil and abroad.