19 Jan 2026
TozziniFreire appoints Gustavo Rugani and Laura Souza as partners
"TozziniFreire hires Gustavo Rugani as partner in capital markets, M&A and corporate, and Laura Souza as partner in infrastructure and energy."
Gustavo Rugani has more than 20 years of experience. He served as head of the Capital Markets practice at one of Brazil’s largest law firms and led that firm’s Belo Horizonte office for over a decade. Recognized as a leading reference in the sector, Rugani is noted for his work on large-scale transactions and for advising publicly held companies on strategic matters. His practice covers the design, analysis and implementation of complex capital markets transactions, advising on the structuring, planning and execution of mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations and corporate governance, and representation of companies and executives before regulatory agencies. Among his recent assignments, he advised JBS on the dual listing of its shares on the New York Stock Exchange and B3. Rugani holds a law degree from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, an LL.M. from the University of California, Berkeley, and gained international experience at Clifford Chance US LLP between 2010 and 2011.
Laura Souza has more than 25 years of experience and is recognized as a leading authority on law applied to the electric power sector and related transactions. Her practice includes strategic support in project structuring, guidance on mapping different business models within the sector, and consulting for foreign companies commencing operations in Brazil. She also has solid expertise in energy regulatory matters and has provided legal support across the entire electricity chain — generation, transmission, distribution and trading — as well as to energy-intensive industries, large consumers and organizations that incorporate power generation into their operations. Souza holds a law degree from Universidade Cândido Mendes, a postgraduate degree in Tax Law from Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, an LL.M. in Commercial Law from Fordham University School of Law, and is a member of the Brazilian Institute of Energy Law (IBDE).