B/LUZ announces new tech transactions partner and female-focused

In early February, thriving São Paulo-based law firm Baptista Luz Advogados announced the hire of a new Technology Transactions partner, renowned attorney Vanessa Pirró, in addition to the promotion of three former associates – Milene Fachini Jacob (Fintechs), Gabriela Locks (Labor) and Juliana Calçada (Commercial Contracts) - to partners, in a move that bolsters the firm’s practice and raises its partner count to 20. 

According to BLUZ, the arrival of such an established name as Ms. Pirró, in addition to the female-focused promotion round, is a “part of a recurring movement at a firm known for innovating and investing heavily in technical development and career opportunities.”.  

The new partners  

Vanessa Pirró has almost two decades of experience in the legal market and specializes in Intellectual Property, Technology and Data Protection matters. She has a extensive experience in the negotiation and reviewing of contracts related to technology, intellectual property rights and media, civil and administrative litigation cases, and in implementing privacy and consulting programs related to data protection legislation for national and multinational companies.  

Ms. Pirró previously worked for high-end domestic law firms, such as Pinheiro Neto Advogados and KLA Advogados before joining BLUZ. Academically, she holds a Master’s degree in Commercial Law from Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUCSP) and a specialization in Privacy and Data Protection from Data Privacy Brasil. She is also certified by the IAPP – International Association of Privacy Professionals as Certified Information Privacy Manager.  

“I am very happy to join the Technology Transactions & Intellectual Property team at Baptista Luz and I hope to contribute to the development of the area. The Baptista Luz way of advising clients, becoming a business partner and adopting a practical approach, is very well-recognized in the market and legal community and it is an honor to be part of such an innovative practice.”, stated Ms. Pirró about her new partnership.  

According to Pedro Ramos, Media, Technology and Data Protection partner of Baptista Luz Advogados, "Vanessa brings a deep experience with technology and media clients, highlighting her background in complex transactions and intellectual property. Her arrival, along with other talented professionals, is extremely aligned with our purpose: to be an innovative office at the service of innovative clients.". 

Gabriela Locks joined Baptista Luz Advogados in 2021, coming from distinguished law firm Vella Pugliese Buosi e Guidoni Advogados. With over 10 years of experience in the labor law market, Ms. Locks focuses her practice on aligning legal obligations with the best and most efficient people management practices, as well as on lawsuits and administrative proceedings, advisory issues on diverse labor-related day-to-day challenges of business, structuring benefits, amongst others.  

Academically, she has a Bachelor of Laws from PUC-SP, as well as Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). 

According to Ms. Locks, “becoming a partner at Baptista Luz goes beyond a personal and professional achievement, it is to be in a place that truly invests in new knowledge, technology, BI and management tools, promoting, in all its technical and administrative staff, the “think outside the box. Being one step ahead is a mission taken seriously here. I'm very happy and excited for this new phase!" 

Additionally, Luiz Felipe Baptista Luz, the firm’s founding partner, also stated:"Gabriela joined our team in June last year with the challenging mission of structuring our labor area, forming a team of excellence, organizing internal processes and building a portfolio of clients in just over six months, she has made impressive progress on all these fronts. In addition to a strong cultural alignment with our office, Gabriela has demonstrated more than enough technical capacity, entrepreneurial vision and leadership to qualify her for the partnership. With Gabriela, our Labor team is moving towards a leading position in the market, especially with regards to the new working relationships fostered by the technological development of recent years." 

Milene Fachini Jacob co-heads BLUZ’s Fintechs department, with almost two decades of experience in the market. She has previously worked for major companies and financial institutions before joining the firm in 2021, such as Johnson & Johnson, Banco Citibank, Stone, Elopar, Stelo, Banco Modal and Omni Conectado, in addition to spending two years in Velloza & Girotto Advogados Associados as an associate attorney.  

Ms. Jacob has actively participated as a member of the Central Bank Working Groups related to the structuring of projects such as PIX, Open Banking and the update of the regulatory environment of the Brazilian Payments System. Academically, she holds a Bachelor of Laws from Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie.  

"I'm happy with the recognition! I believe in our potential to be vectors of disruption and generation of value to clients through a legal practice that combines innovation and excellence. We have an incredible team and we work with the most relevant clients in the market", stated Ms. Jacob about her new partnership. 

Fabiano de Melo Ferreira, leading partner of the firm’s Fintech department also commented that "the promotion of Milene represents a fair recognition of her experience in the sector, which has as a differential the in-depth technical knowledge about the main operational problems faced by Fintechs. The purpose of Baptista Luz Advogados' Fintechs area: to offer effective legal solutions, consistent with the operational reality of the market." 

Juliana Calçada is the head of Bapista Luz’s Commercial Contracts department since July 2020, having begun her career in the dispute resolution field, in which she worked for 10 years. As most of the disputes she handled originated from poorly drafted documents, she migrated to the preventive area, dedicating her academic studies to contractual theory.  

With over 18 years of experience in the legal market, Ms. Calçada has previously worked for notable law firms, such as Albino Advogados Associados, Demarest Advogados and Mundie e Advogados. Academically, she holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Master’s degree from PUC-SP.  

According to Ms. Calçada, she is "very happy to become a partner of this firm that breathes innovation and proposes to apply the law as an instrument for transforming society, exactly as I have always believed that the practice of law should be." 

In addition, Patrícia Nakahara, partner of the Contracts department based in Shangai, also praised the new partner, stating that "The promotion of Juliana to partner is the expansion and consolidation of the firm's contracts area. Since July 2020, already coordinating the team, Juliana has demonstrated exquisite technical knowledge combined with dynamism and strategic vision in conducting the demands of our clients. Its proximity to the customers' operations, allows the team to be able to support not only the day-to-day operations, but also their strategic movements. Her development as a team leader and as a technical reference ended up paving her way to the partnership."