TozziniFreire´s partner in the Corporate Law and Foreign Investment, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Maria is highly skilled in complex contracts, having led some of the most relevant transactions conducted in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in the last decade. She answers for strategic relations in the innovation ecosystem, operating as a bridge for venture capital funds and large companies focused on open innovation and corporate venture. Maria was a permanent associate in the M&A team at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Los Angeles, USA, having previously worked as a legal intern with a judge at the Superior Court of California.
// Academic education
LL.M. degree from the University of California, Berkeley, USA, 2007. Graduate of the Law School of PUC-RS (Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul), 2005.
// Recognition
Recommended by Chambers Brazil, Leaders League (Startups & Innovation), Latin Lawyer 250, Latin Lawyer National and Análise Advocacia 500. Maria is LACCA Approved. She was also recognized as a Lawyer of the Year in 2020 in the M&A category in Rio Grande do Sul by Best Lawyers, as a Rising Star by Expert Guides (Euromoney) in the Corporate, M&A and Private Equity practices, and as a Leading Individual in Commercial, Corporate and M&A by The Legal 500. Shortlisted among Americas female lawyers for the M&A Lawyer of the Year award by Euromoney Women in Business Law Awards Americas 2022.
// Additional Activities
- Vice Chair of the M&A/JV Committee of ABA (American Bar Association) International Law Section.
- Board member of PROCEMPA (Porto Alegre City Data Processing Company).
- Advisor at Wow Accelerator.
- Advisor at EA Angels.
- Member of the State Bar of California.
- Professor at the specialization program in Business Law at PUC-RS.
- Mentor in the Women in Law Mentoring program.
- Member of the Governance Commission for Startups and Scale-ups at IBGC (Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance).
- Member of the IBGC Women on Boards Forum.
// Publications
- "Investimentos em startups: desafios jurídicos e medidas protetivas ao investidor" article (co-author). In: Fusões e Aquisições em Foco. Rio de Janeiro: Lumen Juris, 2022.
- Corporate Venture Capital: como transformar e exponencializar sua empresa fazendo investimentos em negócios inovadores e startups (co-author), 2022.
- "O Direito Societário em Ambientes Digitais Descentralizados" article (co-author). In: Metaverso: Aspectos Jurídicos. São Paulo: Almedina, 2022.
