Cássio Braga Arantes
Senior Foreign Legal Consultant
Cássio Braga Arantes is part of the Corporate and Latin America Practice Groups and a member of the firm’s Brazil Desk. He regularly advises a diverse range of businesses – from startups to well-established multinationals operating in the energy, chemicals, industrial, manufacturing and technology sectors – both inbound and outbound international transactional matters involving Latin America, including international contracts, mergers and acquisitions, tax planning/litigation, data privacy advice, and investigations.
Prior to joining the firm, Cássio held several senior management positions at Brazilian infrastructure conglomerates, global professional service networks, geophysical service companies and major multinational integrated energy companies, dealing with a wide variety of high-profile projects and transactions in different areas. In Brazil, his work portfolio includes greenfield LNG, farmouts, JVs formation, unitization, shipyard/port terminal infrastructure, FPSO’ EPCs, oil/fuel trading and biofuels plants. Internationally, the experience included the formation and management of large-scale offshore corporate structures in Europe and Southeast Asia, and participation in tenders in Central and South America.
- Serving as a legal counsel in Brazil for a US publicly traded chemical company, including the negotiation of a full range of agreements with contractors and major clients.
- Representation of US and European clients in due diligences associated with Brazilian asset acquisitions and disposals.
- Advises several US publicly traded tech, and media measurement companies to achieve compliance with the Brazilian General Data Protection Act (in Portuguese, LGPD, Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados).
- Representation of BP’s commercial, tax and treasury teams on tax, corporate and regulatory matters associated to the formation of Gas Natural Açu (GNA) joint venture, the biggest gas-fired power project in Latin America, accounting for circa 3GW capacity and associated LNG regasification facility in the port of Açu*.
- Representation of BP on tax matters in its sale of Polvo Field to PetroRio S.A. (formerly HRT) for US$135 million*.
- Representation of BP in its M&As, from both buyer and seller sides, farmouts, and joint venture formations, including tax inputs to economic models*.
- Represented BP on ANP regulatory matters involving ethanol, gasoline and diesel import operations to Brazil*.
- Represented BP on the implementation of tax planning strategies involving three ethanol plants, with a combined capacity of 10 Mton/year*.
- Represented OSX Brasil S.A. in its tax planning of an order book of 19 Offshore Units corresponding to US$5 billion: FPSO OSX-1; (EPC with BW); FPSO OSX-2 (EPC with SBM); FPSO OSX-3 (EPC with Modec); WHPs 1 and 2 (EPC with Techint); P-67 and P-70 (Integration to Petrobras); 1 PLSV (construction to Sapura); and 11 MRs (construction to Kingfish)*.
- Represented El Paso Corporation on tax matters in its Camarupim field (Petrobras) unitization with BM-ES-5 Block (Petrobras-El Paso). One of the first few Brazilian offshore unitizations*.
- Represented several Brazilian companies, engaging in public affairs activities and negotiation of tax incentives directly with federal, state and municipal government authorities*.
Education
- University of Houston Law Center, LL.M., Energy, Environment and Natural Resources, 2019
- Instituto Brasileiro de Estudos Tributarios, SC:L, Tax Law, 2008
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, LL.B., 2004
Admissions
- Brazil, 2006
Memberships and Affiliations
- Member of the Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels Legal Committee of the Rio de Janeiro Section of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB/RJ)
- Member of the Brazil-Texas Chamber of Commerce (BRATECC)
- Member of the Houston Bar Association (HBA)
- Member of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB)
- BP’s representative to the Taxation Subcommittee of the Brazilian Petroleum Institute; 2013-2018 (IBP)
Languages
- English
- Portuguese
- Spanish