Brazil Business Law

Brazilian corporate law, run for foreign companies.

The business arm of Brazil Legal Shield. Market entry, company formation, contracts, tax structure, hiring, and disputes — handled by OAB-licensed Brazilian attorneys in English, on flat fees agreed before any work begins.

100%
Foreign ownership allowed in most sectors
24h
Written scope & flat-fee quote
EN·PT
Board-ready documents in English
1
Team for entry, operations & disputes
For Companies, Not Just Individuals

Same firm. Same contact. Built for businesses.

Brazil Legal Shield is best known for helping individuals move to, invest in, and build a life in Brazil. Brazil Business Law is the same firm, the same attorneys, and the same single point of contact — pointed at companies instead of people. If you are a foreign business entering Brazil, an investor acquiring a Brazilian company, or an established operation that needs local counsel that actually answers, this is your page.

Brazil rewards companies that set up correctly and punishes the ones that improvise. A foreign-owned entity can own 100% of a Brazilian company in almost every sector — but the structure work underneath it (resident representation, central-bank capital registration, the right tax regime, enforceable contracts) is what separates an operation that runs from a CNPJ that becomes a liability. We do that work, explain it in English, and price it as a flat fee before we start.

What We Handle

The legal work a foreign business in Brazil actually needs.

01 Company formation & structuring LTDA and S.A. formation with foreign partners, holding structures, subsidiaries, and branches — designed before a single document is filed.
02 Foreign investment & capital Central-bank registration of foreign capital (RDE-IED), so profits, dividends, and exit proceeds can leave Brazil through the documented channel.
03 Commercial contracts Distribution, supply, services, SaaS, agency, and NDAs — drafted bilingually with the clauses Brazilian courts actually enforce.
04 M&A & corporate transactions Acquisitions, joint ventures, quota and share transfers, and legal due diligence on the Brazilian target before you wire anything.
05 Tax structuring & compliance Tax-regime election (Simples / presumido / real), cross-border withholding, and a compliance calendar that keeps the entity clean.
06 Employment & labor CLT-compliant hiring, executive contracts, terminations, and the contractor-vs-employee (PJ) risk that catches foreign companies off guard.
07 Regulatory, licensing & data Municipal and sector licenses, import/export (RADAR) habilitation, and LGPD data-protection compliance for companies handling personal data.
08 Disputes & debt recovery Commercial litigation, arbitration, enforcement of foreign awards, and collection when a Brazilian counterparty stops paying.
Why Brazil Legal Shield

Corporate counsel that reports back in a language your board reads.

Foreign companies in Brazil tell us the same story they tell us as individuals: slow replies, fees that drift, and documents in Portuguese they're told to "just sign." We built the firm to fix exactly that — and the standard doesn't change because the client is a company.

01

Flat fees, in writing, first

Formation, a contract, a deal — you get a written scope and a flat fee before work starts. No hourly meters running quietly in the background.

02

One business day responses

Every message answered within one business day, for the life of the engagement — the response standard your in-house team expects.

03

Board-ready English

Engagement letters, contracts, corporate resolutions, and legal opinions arrive in English by default — bilingual where both sides must truly understand the text.

04

One team, entry to operations

Formation, tax, labor, contracts, and disputes under one engagement — and runnable remotely by power of attorney, without flying executives in.

How It Works

From first email to operating company, the path is fixed.

1

Scoping call

Tell us the business goal — entry, acquisition, hiring, a contract. A lawyer replies within one business day and we map what the Brazilian side actually requires.

Days 1-3
2

Structure on paper

Entity type, ownership, capital, resident representation, and tax regime decided and written down — with a flat fee — before anything is filed.

Within the first week
3

Formation & registration

Articles at the board of trade, CNPJ, central-bank registration of your capital, municipal and sector licenses, and the file Brazilian banks expect to open an account.

Typically 4-8 weeks
4

Ongoing counsel

Contracts, a compliance calendar, employment support, and disputes when they arise — the same single point of contact, in English, at agreed fees.

As needed
Related Practice Areas

Already have a detailed page on your need?

Several pieces of business work have their own in-depth practice pages. Everything below routes back to the same engagement and the same contact.

Common Questions

Business questions we hear most.

Can a foreign company or person own 100% of a Brazilian company?
In nearly all sectors, yes — full foreign ownership, with no Brazilian partner required. You'll need registration as a foreign investor, a resident representative for legal service, and an administrator who can act in Brazil. A handful of sectors (media, some aviation, rural land) carry foreign-ownership limits; we flag those before you commit.
How long does it take to incorporate?
A straightforward LTDA with foreign partners typically runs four to eight weeks end to end. The long pole is usually the foreign-partner paperwork — apostilled, sworn-translated powers of attorney — which we run in parallel with the local filings. Banking can add time; Brazilian banks are demanding with foreign-owned companies, and we prepare the file they expect.
Do we need a Brazilian partner or a local director?
No partner. You do need a resident representative for legal purposes and an administrator who can lawfully act in Brazil — both standard structure work, arranged so you keep control. We set this up routinely for companies whose decision-makers are entirely abroad.
Can we run the company from abroad?
Yes. Between resident representation and properly drafted powers of attorney, the formal Brazilian side can run without your executives boarding a plane. Strategy happens on video calls; execution happens by POA, with written updates at every milestone.
How do profits and exit proceeds get back out of Brazil?
Through the documented foreign-exchange channel — which is why registering your capital with the central bank (RDE-IED) at formation matters so much. Capital that comes in registered can have its dividends and eventual sale proceeds remitted abroad cleanly. Capital that comes in undocumented creates problems on the way out. We register it correctly from day one.
Can you draft our contracts in English?
Yes — bilingual where both sides need to truly understand the text. Between the parties an English contract is generally valid, but to be used before Brazilian courts, registries, or authorities it needs a sworn translation, and certain acts require Brazilian notarial form regardless of language. Bilingual drafting solves both upfront.

Tell us what your company is trying to do in Brazil.

Describe the goal — entry, an acquisition, a contract, a hire. A lawyer replies within one business day with real questions and a written flat-fee quote. Same firm, same contact, no obligation.

Talk to a Lawyer

contact@brazillawyer.com