Brazilian lawyer for twenty years, working in family and succession law. If you or your partner is Brazilian, part of your separation is governed by Brazilian law — wherever the two of you live now. I negotiate where there is room for a safe agreement, and act firmly in court where there isn't. In English, by video, from anywhere.
Rodrigo Rosa — São Paulo, Brazil
You don't need to understand Brazilian law to take the first step. You need to know what happens after it.
A WhatsApp message is enough — no long form to fill in. A few lines about your situation. I read it and reply myself.
A video call, arranged around your hours rather than mine. By the end you know what can be settled at a notary, what has to go before a judge in Brazil, how long it usually takes and what it costs.
Where there is room to negotiate, I negotiate on the basis of a clear assessment of the risks. Where there isn't — or where there is violence or risk — the matter goes to court and is handled firmly.
Everything happens in Brazil, under Brazilian law, while you stay where you are. See how it works at a distance →
From protecting assets before a relationship to settling an inheritance during your lifetime — including matters involving property, companies and investments that call for careful analysis. I am qualified in Brazil and advise on Brazilian law; where your matter also engages the law of the country you live in, I work alongside your lawyer there rather than replacing them.
People who leave Brazil tend to find out late: still married there; a divorce granted abroad that has no effect in Brazil until it is registered; an estate left open for years, blocking the sale of a family property. Distance doesn't suspend Brazilian law — it only makes the paperwork feel out of reach.
Most of that is settled by public deed at a notary — without a hearing and without a flight. I act for you in Brazil.
I work in English. That is often what unblocks a matter where a partner, their lawyer or a foreign notary doesn't speak Portuguese. Calls happen in your time zone: an evening call from São Paulo is routine here, not a favour.
A marriage celebrated in Brazil, a flat in São Paulo, an inheritance opened there — these stay under Brazilian law however long the two of you have lived somewhere else, and whatever is decided by a court where you are now. That is the part I handle.
This page exists in English for one reason: before anything begins, you should be able to see who you would be dealing with, and how I work. I assess each case before recommending a route, and I negotiate wherever an agreement is safe and workable. Where a separation is genuinely consensual, Brazilian law allows a single lawyer to act for both of you — and where it isn't consensual, you should have your own. I'll tell you which of the two your situation is, plainly, in our first conversation.
Ask me anything before you commit to anything →
Not ready to talk to anyone yet? Read “Before you divorce” first — a short guide, no email required.
I have practised law in Brazil for twenty years, working in family and succession matters. Every matter starts with an analysis of what is at stake — assets, children, risks and objectives — before any route is chosen.
Where there is room to negotiate, I work towards a safe and efficient agreement. Where there isn't, or where there is violence or risk, I take the matter to court and handle it firmly. Either way, you know the consequences of each decision before you take it.
Alongside my legal training, I hold a postgraduate qualification in neuroscience and behaviour — useful in negotiation, where decisions are made under pressure and clear communication matters.
I don't need to be, because I'm not acting under your local law. I am qualified in Brazil, registered with the Brazilian Bar as OAB/SP 278.278, and I advise on Brazilian law only — the law governing a marriage celebrated in Brazil, a property held there and an inheritance opened there. Where your matter also engages the law of the country you live in, I work alongside your lawyer there — a solicitor in the UK, an avocat in France — rather than replacing them. A good share of my instructions arrive that way.
Not until it is registered in Brazil. A consensual divorce granted abroad is generally recorded directly at the Brazilian civil registry; a contested one may first need to be recognised by Brazil's Superior Court of Justice. Until that is done you remain married in Brazil, which matters for property, remarriage and inheritance.
In most consensual matters, no. Divorce, estate administration and division of assets can be completed by public deed at a Brazilian notary, using a power of attorney signed at your nearest Brazilian consulate or before a local notary with a Hague apostille. See how it works at a distance →
Far more depends on the route the case takes than on the firm you instruct. A consensual divorce at a notary costs a fraction of a contested one, where years of proceedings and expert reports multiply the bill. I give you the figure in our first conversation, before you commit to anything.
A consensual divorce at a notary can be completed in a matter of days once the documents are in order. A contested case can run for years. Which route fits your situation is assessed at the outset.
In Brazil, yes — where the separation is genuinely consensual, a single lawyer may act for both parties, which keeps costs down. It stops being appropriate the moment the interests actually diverge, and I'll say so rather than carry on. Where there is violence, pressure or risk, it is never the right route.
No. I deal directly with your spouse, their solicitor or a foreign notary in English. In a binational marriage a good share of the friction comes from something lost in translation rather than from genuine disagreement.
Those sit outside my remit and belong with your lawyer locally. What I take care of is everything governed by Brazilian law: property, bank accounts, company shares and inheritance in Brazil. The two halves of a case usually run in parallel, and I'm used to coordinating with foreign firms so that neither one undoes the other.
Every case needs its own strategy. Negotiate where there is room; go to court, firmly, where there isn't.
Send me a message on WhatsApp with a few lines about what's happening. From there we work out which route makes sense for your case. Everything by video, in English, arranged around your hours.