Judicial and arbitral litigation is one of WATANABE PASCOWITCH’s primary areas of focus. The firm is recognized for handling complex, sensitive, and high-stakes disputes – matters that require not only technical excellence, but also strategic thinking, institutional awareness, and the ability to make sound decisions under significant pressure.
Our approach to dispute resolution is built from the ground up: we conduct a thorough analysis of the facts, the regulatory framework and the interests at stake, allowing us to develop litigation strategies that are consistent, realistic, and aligned with our clients’ objectives. We act assertively while continuously assessing legal risks, reputational exposure, and the economic consequences of each available course of action.
The firm has extensive experience handling complex commercial litigation and arbitration, including contractual, corporate, regulatory, financial, and infrastructure disputes, as well as matters arising from investigations and high-profile institutional conflicts.
In arbitration, we appear before the leading domestic and international arbitral institutions, advising clients on strategy, managing procedural steps, and navigating the interface with related judicial proceedings – including emergency relief, evidentiary matters, and the enforcement of arbitral awards.
Our litigation practice is defined by direct partner involvement, lean and highly qualified teams, and a rigorous, case-by-case approach that ensures each matter is handled with the depth and precision it demands.
WATANABE PASCOWITCH’s criminal practice covers a broad range of complex matters, including white-collar crime, financial crime, tax fraud, crimes against public administration, environmental offenses, consumer protection violations, property crimes, defamation, crimes against individual liberty, and other significant criminal offenses – always with a severe technical approach and a responsible litigation strategy.
In the area of corporate criminal law (white-collar defense), our practice is fully integrated with our strategic litigation, competition, compliance, and government relations teams. This allows for the coordinated management of situations involving significant institutional exposure, reputational risk, and major economic consequences. We handle matters from the investigative stage through final judgment – including criminal investigations, administrative enforcement proceedings, criminal prosecutions, and related measures.
In non-corporate criminal matters, the firm has deep experience handling highly sensitive cases, including jury trials, which require extensive technical preparation, the ability to perform under intense emotional and institutional pressure, and an unwavering commitment to the right to a vigorous defense. This experience has been instrumental in shaping the professional and ethical maturity that defines the firm’s criminal practice.
WATANABE PASCOWITCH also maintains a meaningful pro bono practice in criminal matters, reflecting the firm’s institutional commitment to access to justice, the defense of fundamental rights, and the social responsibility of the legal profession. This work is handled with the same technical attention, dedication and seriousness applied to all other areas of the firm’s practice.
Our criminal practice is guided by the conviction that criminal defense demands technical excellence, human sensitivity, intellectual independence, and a steady commitment to the protection of individual rights and guarantees – values that permanently shape the way we practice law.
WATANABE PASCOWITCH’s Family Law and Estate Planning practice is handled with a rigorous technical approach, strong institutional sensitivity and an absolute commitment to confidentiality – qualities that are essential in matters involving wealth, personal relationships and long-lasting consequences.
The firm handles complex family disputes, including divorces, property division, probate proceedings, inheritance disputes, and controversies related to the administration and transfer of assets. In these situations, our litigation approach is guided by strategy, discretion and a precise understanding of the legal, economic and personal circumstances involved.
On the preventive and advisory perspective, we guide clients on estate and succession planning, structuring solutions that balance legal certainty, tax efficiency and the preservation of family and business interests. Our integration with the corporate, tax and strategic litigation practices enables the development of robust structures tailored to complex asset situations.
The firm’s experience in thorough asset analysis and high-stakes litigation adds meaningful value to succession planning – allowing us to anticipate risks, identify vulnerabilities, and build comprehensive solutions within the bounds of the law, always focused on effectiveness and predictability.
Our Family Law and Estate practice reflects the firm’s ability to handle sensitive and strategic matters with technical precision, responsibility, and genuine human consideration, providing clients with sound legal counsel at pivotal moments in their lives.
WATANABE PASCOWITCH’s real estate practice is focused on providing strategic legal counsel in complex property transactions, with particular emphasis on legal certainty, economic viability, and the proper allocation of risk.
The firm advises clients across a broad range of urban and rural real estate transactions, including acquisitions and dispositions, project development and structuring, land subdivisions, real estate security interests, legal due diligence, and the drafting and negotiation of standard and customized real estate agreements.
Our real estate practice is defined by its integration with our corporate, tax, and litigation areas, enabling a comprehensive analysis of each transaction and early identification of potential disputes. This approach is especially valuable in larger-scale projects involving multiple parties, complex regulatory frameworks, and significant financial exposure.
As a complement to our credit recovery practice, WATANABE PASCOWITCH provides specialized asset investigation services, focused on identifying hidden, transferred, or improperly shielded assets, as well as uncovering structures used to frustrate the satisfaction of obligations.
Our engagement involves an in-depth analysis of corporate structures, financial flows, and relevant transactions, enabling us to take effective legal actions for asset recovery and to hold debtors and third parties accountable. This practice is conducted with accuracy, discretion and technical precision, and it integrates seamlessly with our strategic litigation, restructuring, and corporate practices.
Credit recovery is one of WATANABE PASCOWITCH’s most significant and fastest-growing practice areas, reflecting the firm’s commitment to legal strategies centered on effectiveness, value preservation, and the achievement of concrete results for our clients.
We regularly advise financial institutions, banks, investment funds and domestic and international institutional creditors in the recovery of claims in complex situations, often involving sophisticated debt structures, multiple debtors, varied security interests, and high levels of litigation.
Our approach combines deep litigation experience, strategic analysis of debtors’ asset structures, and the coordinated use of procedural tools designed to maximize recovery. We act across the full spectrum: from judicial collection and enforcement to judicial reorganization, bankruptcy, and corporate restructuring proceedings, including against jointly and severally liable parties, co-obligors, and third parties.
The firm’s proven track record in this area stems from the integration of our strategic litigation, restructuring and insolvency, asset investigation, and corporate practices, enabling us to identify opportunities, anticipate debtor moves, and develop legally sound, economically efficient strategies.
Credit recovery at WATANABE PASCOWITCH is treated as a long-term strategic practice, conducted with technical precision, responsible management and constant attention to the economic and institutional impact of every measure taken – making it one of the firm’s central pillars.
WATANABE PASCOWITCH has a well-established practice in corporate restructuring, judicial and out-of-court reorganization proceedings, and insolvency matters, advising creditors and other stakeholders in situations of significant economic and legal complexity.
Our practice is guided by a strategic analysis of the financial and asset position of the companies involved, an understanding of the negotiating dynamics between creditors and debtors, and the identification of legal actions capable of preserving rights, limiting losses, and maximizing value recovery.
We represent clients in debt recovery proceedings involving distressed companies – including in judicial reorganization and bankruptcy proceedings – as well as through judicial and extrajudicial enforcement actions against jointly and severally liable parties, co-obligors, and responsible third parties. The firm’s extensive litigation experience allows for technically rigorous representation in highly contentious situations.
The firm also advises clients on the drafting, negotiation, and oversight of restructuring and reorganization plans, as well as corporate reorganizations associated with distressed situations, always maintaining an integrated view across corporate, tax, and litigation considerations.
Our restructuring and insolvency practice reflects the firm’s broader aptitude for handling critical, demanding, and sensitive matters – delivering responsible, strategic legal solutions aligned with long-term value preservation.
WATANABE PASCOWITCH’s corporate practice is focused on the legal structuring of complex business transactions and the efficient organization of corporate relationships, with an emphasis on legal certainty, governance, and the economic viability of each operation.
We draft and negotiate corporate documents and strategic agreements, including shareholder and investor agreements, investment instruments, corporate reorganizations and acquisition, divestiture, and asset combination transactions. Our work is defined by attention to detail, a genuine understanding of the interests involved, and a commitment to solutions that are legally sound and operationally viable.
The firm advises clients on corporate and asset planning and reorganization, the formation of joint ventures and partnerships, as well as legal due diligence in connection with M&A and significant investments. In these areas, our integration with the tax and litigation practices allows for early identification of risks and the development of sustainable long-term structures.
On the corporate litigation perspective, we represent clients in complex corporate disputes involving conflicts between shareholders, governance controversies, management of liabilities and the enforcement of shareholder agreements.
Our corporate practice reflects the same strategic logic that guides all of our work: a deep understanding of the client’s business, an integrated view of legal risks, and the ability to build solutions that balance legal certainty, efficiency and alignment with business objectives.
WATANABE PASCOWITCH’s labor and employment and social security practice is focused on strategic risk management, the prevention of liabilities, and the technically rigorous handling of significant disputes – always in close alignment with each client’s operational and economic realities.
In labor and employment matters, we advise both companies and individuals in consultancy and litigation, structuring employment relationships, drafting and reviewing contracts and internal policies, managing liabilities and handling administrative and judicial proceedings. Our approach prioritizes legally sound solutions aligned with best market practices and the specific characteristics of each client’s business.
In employment litigation, we handle individual and collective disputes, as well as proceedings before the Labor Prosecutor’s Office and other relevant authorities, with litigation strategies tailored to each client’s objectives, institutional exposure, and financial implications.
In social security matters, the firm provides comprehensive advice to individuals and companies on matters related to Brazil’s General Social Security Regime, including the granting, review, and reinstatement of benefits, as well as preventive counseling and social security planning. Our goal is to provide legal certainty, predictability, and clarity in the decision-making process.
The integration of our labor, employment and social security practices with the firm’s other areas – particularly strategic litigation, corporate, and tax – enables a coordinated, consistent approach that delivers comprehensive solutions in complex business environments.
WATANABE PASCOWITCH’s tax practice is robust, highly sophisticated, and recognized as one of the firm’s key strengths – particularly in advisory, litigation, and transactions, where it operates in close coordination with our corporate, regulatory, and restructuring practices.
Our tax practice is grounded in a deep understanding of our clients’ business activities, corporate structures, and financial flows, which enables us to identify risks, spot opportunities, and develop legally sound tax solutions aligned with each client’s business strategy.
In tax litigation, we represent clients in audits and disputes involving both direct and indirect taxes across municipal, state and federal levels, with a strategic approach from the administrative phase through the courts. The firm’s litigation experience ensures technically rigorous handling and ongoing assessment of the financial and institutional implications of every dispute.
On the advisory perspective, we guide clients on the interpretation and application of tax legislation – including social security-related and customs-related matters –, assist with transaction structuring, and provide guidance on conflict prevention with tax authorities. We also conduct tax due diligence in the context of M&A, corporate reorganizations, and significant investments, always with a focus on risk mitigation and value preservation.
Our tax practice is deeply engaged in one of the most significant shifts in Brazil’s fiscal landscape in decades: the ongoing transition to the new consumption tax framework, which entered into force in 2026. The firm has been actively advising clients – across a broad range of sectors and business models – on the legal, operational, and financial implications of the new system, which introduces fundamental structural changes to how consumption taxes are assessed, collected, and credited throughout the supply chain. Our approach goes beyond legal interpretation: we leverage cutting-edge technology to model and simulate transition scenarios, enabling clients to quantify the projected impact of the reform on their operations, reassess pricing strategies, review contract structures, and make well-informed business decisions in a moment of significant regulatory uncertainty. This combination of legal expertise and technological capability allows the firm to provide concrete, forward-looking guidance, ensuring that clients are not only in compliance with the new rules, but are strategically positioned to navigate and benefit from the transition.
The firm’s tax practice works in constant dialogue with our strategic litigation and corporate teams, enabling a coordinated approach and comprehensive legal solutions in complex business environments.