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Practice Areas

O&G| M&A and JVs|Offshore Supply and Oilfield Services|Pipeline Operation & LNG Projects|Private Placements|Project and Corporate Finance|Mining

Paulo Valois Pires

  • O&G| M&A and JVs|Offshore Supply and Oilfield Services|Pipeline Operation & LNG Projects|Private Placements|Project and Corporate Finance|Mining

His practice involves the representation of IOCs, NOCs, private equities, financial institutions and suppliers in O&G, M&A, private placements, offshore supply, pipeline construction, LNG projects, infrastructure, and tax related matters. He represents international and domestic clients in international tenders promoted by the Petroleum Agency and Petrobras for the divestment of onshore and offshore blocks, and also in complex bidding procedures for the charter of FPSOs, FSRUs, and FSOs. He started his career in 1989 as in-house counsel for Shell in Brazil. He is the co-head of the O&G practice group of the firm and managing partner of the Rio de Janeiro office.

  • Assistant Professor of Law at Univeridade Cândido Mendes (1999-2002) and at Master Business in Petroleum of COPPE/UFRJ (2000-2004).
  • He was nominated as a leading lawyer (Band 1) in “Energy and Natural Resources” by Chambers Global and Latin America 2006 - 2010, 2011 (“spot light table”), and 2012-2018 editions.
  • He is top ranked in the 2007-2017 “Experts’ Guide to the World’s Leading Energy and Natural Resource Lawyers” of Euromoney, and recognized as “The Best of the Best in Latin America” in 2012-2017 by the same institution.
  • Also quoted by Best Lawyers in Brazil, since 2009 (“Lawyer of the Year” for his work in Natural Resources in 2018, Energy in 2019 and Oil and Gas in 2020); by The International Who´s Who Legal Energy 2009-2017 editions (“Most Highly Regarded Individuals”- 2016 and “Thought Leader – Energy 2018”) and by the Latin American Corporate Counsel Association (LACCA) in the 2014-2018 editions.
  • Recommended in Oil & Gas and Projects & Infrastructure by the international publication Legal 500 and highly recommended by Latin lawyer 250.
  • He was nominated by the Brazilian edition of the GQ Magazine in 2014 as one of the most influential lawyers in the country.
  • Brazilian Anuário Análise Advocacia has recognized him as one of the most admired lawyers in Brazil.
  • Legal assistance in the project finance for the development of the “Albacora field” located at the Campos Basin offshore Brazil. The oil production from the “Albacora field” represented at that time, approximately, 10% of the total Brazilian oil output.
  • Legal assistance in the acquisition of a concession interest in the “Frade Field” , at Campos Basin offshore Brazil.
  • Legal assistance in the due diligence for the acquisition of 50% of the “Peregrino Field” located at the Campos Basin offshore Brazil.
  • Legal assistance in the due diligence and partial acquisition of 35% interest in the blocks S-M-1037, S-M-1102, S-M-1101 and S-M-1165, Santos Basin offshore Brazil.
  • Legal assistance in the acquisition of 51% operating exploration interest in 21 blocks located at the Solimões Basin onshore Brazil.
  • Legal assistance in the strategy and farm down of a great number of onshore blocks (POT-T-392, POT-T-393, POTT-403, POT-T-404, POT-T-434 and POT-T-477, POT-T-701 and POT-T-881, BT-POT-43; BT-POT-48; BT-POT- 49; BT-POT-63; BT-POT-64; BTPOT-403; BT-POT-404; BT-SEAL-8; BT-SEAL-15) located at the Potiguar and Sergipe Basins.
  • Legal assistance to a non-operator in all legal and regulatory matters and in the crisis management committee as a result of the Frade oil spill, Campos Basin offshore Brazil.
  • Legal assistance in an arbitration conducted by the Agência Nacional do Petróleo – ANP over Bolivia-Brazil pipeline access (Gasbol). This is the leading case in the gas sector in Brazil.
  • Legal assistance in the divestment of an equity participation in Transportadora Brasileira Gasoduto Bolivia-Brasil – TBG, the operator of the Bolivia-Brazil gas pipeline (Gasbol).
  • Legal assistance to an international LNG supplier in a bid promoted for the operation of a FSRU regasification unit.
  • Legal assistance in negotiations of a charter and services agreement for the operation of three semi-submersible ultra-deep water drilling units (West Eminence; West Taurus and West Orion); this is considered as a leading charter in Brazil.
  • Legal assistance in the structure and negotiations with a shipyard in the upgrade of the “Atlantic Star”, a floating and semi-submersible unit, and the “Olinda Star”, a mobile offshore drilling unit.
  • Legal assistance to a Singaporean supplier with negotiations of a lay-up and O&M agreement of a FSO, and in a bid promoted for the charter of a FSO at the Campos Basin offshore Brazil.
  • Legal assistance in connection with the engineering, procurement and construction of 8 Hulls and 4 Floating Production Storage Offloading Units (“FPSO HULLS”), and in structuring the construction of the largest portico in Brazil, at the Rio Grande shipyard.
  • He is the author of the book “A Evolução do Monopólio Estatal do Petróleo” (1999) and organizer and co-author of the collection of articles “Temas de direito do petróleo e do gás natural I - II” (2002 and 2005), both published by Lumen Juris.
  • “The success of the deep-water tender in Mexico: “the Tequila effect in the Caipirinha Brazil”, TN Petróleo, 2017, (Paulo Valois Pires and José E. Siqueira).
  • “ANP realiza audiência pública sobre a individualização da produção”, TN Petróleo, 2017, (Paulo Valois Pires, Sônia Agel e José E. Siqueira).
  • “Realismo Mágico: o “farm-out” parcial das áreas objeto de Cessão Onerosa”, TN Petróleo, 2017 (Paulo Valois Pires and José E. Siqueira).
  • “Local Content and the current trends in the Oil & Gas sector”, TN Petróleo, 2012 (Paulo Valois Pires and Danielle Ludwig).
  • One of the contributors of the “Dicionário do Petróleo em Língua Portuguesa : exploração e produção de petróleo e gás: uma colaboração Brasil, Portugal e Angola” Eloi Fernández y Fernández, Oswaldo A. Pedrosa Junior; António Correia Pinto, 2009.
  • “Background and Trends of Upstream Activities in Brazil”, Association of International Petroleum Negotiators – AIPN nº 298, 2009 (Paulo Valois Pires and Peter Landsberg).
  • “The taxation of upstream activities in Brazil”, Latin Lawyer, 2009 (Paulo Valois Pires, Tacito Matos, and Ana Lucia Soares).
  • “A questão do livre acesso”, TN Petróleo nº 46, 2006.
  • “The Future of the Oil Industry”, Brazil Energy, September-October, 2006.
  • “New perspectives for the development of marginal fields in Brazil”, TB Petroleum, nº 21, 2006.
  • “Commentary on the Notice of Public Tender for the 7th Bid Round” TB Petroleum nº 20, 2005.
  • “Sétima Rodada de Licitações – As regras do edital”, TN Petróleo nº 44, 2005 (Paulo Valois Pires and Mariana Heck).
  • “Comentários sobre os aspectos jurídicos decorrentes da negociação de blocos em fase de desenvolvimento e de produção de óleo e de gás natural.” Temas do Direito do Petróleo e Gás Natural II, 2005.
  • “Prospects for foreign investments in Brazil's oil refining industry” Latin America Energy Report, 2004 (Adriano Pires and Paulo Valois Pires).
  • “Key tax concerns in Brazil's upstream hydrocarbons sector” Latin America Energy Report, 2004.
  • “Perspectivas da 6ª Rodada de Licitações” Valor Econômico, 2004 (Paulo Valois Pires and Mariana Heck).
  • “Contrato de concessão de petróleo na 6ª Rodada de licitações da ANP” Valor Econômico, 2004 (Paulo Valois Pires and Mariana Heck).
  • “O licenciamento ambiental de petróleo e de gás natural” Valor Econômico, 2004 (Paulo Valois Pires and Mariana Heck).
  • “Reflexões sobre o regime de licitação da Nova Lei das Estatais e a Lei do Petróleo”, TN Petróleo, 2017, Paulo Valois Pires.
  • “Environmental Licensing for Exploration and Production of Oil and Natural Gas in Brazil” Latin America – Energy Report, 2004 (Paulo Valois Pires and Mariana Heck).
  • “A 6ª Rodada de licitação e a ‘unitização” Valor Econômico, 2004.
  • “Aspectos tributários do petróleo e gás natural” Valor Econômico, 2004 (Paulo Valois Pires and Gustavo Brigagão).
  • “A review of Brazil's rules concerning open access to gas pipelines” Latin America Energy Report, 2003.
  • “Comentários sobre os aspectos jurídicos decorrentes da negociação de campos maduros” Temas de Direito do Petróleo e Gás Natural, 2002.
  • “Brazil Petroleum Agency releases new rules for downstream market”, Latin American Law & Business Report, 2002 (Adriano Pires and Paulo Valois Pires).
  • “Regras para derivados do petróleo” Gazeta Mercantil, 2002.
  • “Licitação simplificada seria ruim”, Gazeta Mercantil, 2002.
  • “As bases do sucesso para a abertura do downstream”, Brasil Energia, 2002 (Adriano Pires and Paulo Valois Pires).
  • “Comentários sobre a constituição de consórcio para o desenvolvimento da produção de óleo e gás natural à luz do artigo 63 da Lei do Petróleo” Temas de Direito do Petróleo e do Gás Natural, 2002 (Condorcet Pereira de Rezende and Paulo Valois Pires).
  • “Breves considerações sobre o regime jurídico do downstream”, TN PETRÓLEO nº 13/2000.
  • “Balanço dos leilões de petróleo e do gás natural ‘Os resultados dos leilões impõem uma reflexão mais cuidadosa” Valor Econômico, 2000 (Adriano Pires and Paulo Valois Pires).
  • “REPETRO – os principais problemas do Regime Aduaneiro Especial de Exportação e de Importação de Bens destinados à exploração e à produção de petróleo e de gás natural” TN Petróleo nº 15, 2000.
  • “Considerações sobre o REPETRO”, Brazilian Business Revue - AMCHAM BRASIL, 2000.
  • “Distribuição do gás canalizado” POWER Petróleo, eletricidade e energias alternativas, Edição 3, 2000.
  • “The new role played by consortia in the upstream sector”, Brazilian Business Revue - AMCHAM BRASIL, 2000.
  • “Oil and gas regulation in Brazil: overview”, Thomson Reuter, 2017 to 2019.
  • “Oil and gas regulation in Brazil: overview”, Thomson Reuter, 2017 to 2019.
  • Admitted to Portuguese Bar Association.
  • Vice-chairman of the Brazilian Center of Mediation and Arbitration (CBMA - 2014-2016).
  • Director of the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in Rio de Janeiro (2015-2016).
  • Tax Committee of National Organization of Oil Industry (ONIP - 2000-2002).
  • Vice-chairman of the Energy Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce (2000).
  • Member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN) since 2005 and former alternate regional director of the AIPN Latin America Chapter.
  • Master Degree in International Law by the University of São Paulo.
  • Master Business in Petroleum - MBP by the Federal University of State of Rio de Janeiro/COPPE.
  • Post-graduate diploma in International Law by the Université Robert Schuman, Strasbourg, France: Certificat des Hautes Études Européennes.
  • Law Degree by the University of State of Rio de Janeiro.
  • Portuguese, English, French and Spanish.