Former Trench Rossi compliance lawyers set out new boutique

A trio of former partners at Trench Rossi Watanabe have launched Maeda, Ayres & Sarubbi in Sao Paulo. 

Carlos Ayres, Bruno Maeda and Erica Sarubbi left their former firm in December 2016 to set out a boutique law firm focused on compliance, investigations and government enforcement.

Ayres have worked with compliance, investigations and government enforcement matters in Latin America since 2002. He joined Trench Rossi in 2008 and between 2009 and 2010 worked at the Chicago office of Baker McKenzie. This was followed by a stint at the enforcement division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, DC. Ayres currently coordinates and teaches the compliance course at Fundação Getúlio Vargas, School of Law in São Paulo where he also teaches at the White-Collar Crime Post-Graduation Program.

Bruno Maeda joined Trench Rossi in 1998 and has over a decade of experience in anti-corruption and compliance. His experience includes assisting Brazilian and multinational companies in the implementation of compliance programs as well as in conducting internal investigations and representation before authorities. Between 2005 and 2006, Maeda worked at the London office of Baker McKenzie and most recently was based in Sao Paulo, as the Chair of the Compliance and Investigations practice in Latin America.

Erica Sarubbi is licensed to practice law in Brazil and in New York. Sarubbi joined Trench Rossi in 2010 after three years at the in-house legal and compliance team of Kraft Foods (currently Mondelēz International). She has significant experience in compliance and anti-corruption matters in Brazil and internationally. While at Trench Rossi, Sarubbi acted on the investigation, reporting to local and international authorities and negotiation of settlement terms of Embraer, the first Brazilian company to settle an anti-corruption case with US and Brazilian authorities simultaneously.

At Trench Rossi Watanabe – in cooperation with Baker McKenzie, the compliance and investigations practice group now comprises 4 partners, 1 of counsel and 35 associates. The group is chaired by Esther Flesch.

Ignacio Abella

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