José Meirelles Represents Angélico Advogados at the Latin America Ethics Summit
São Paulo, Brazil (PRWEB) July 11, 2013 -- On Wednesday, July 10, José Meirelles, a partner at the Brazilian law firm Angélico Advogados, participated as a panelist at the Latin America Ethics Summit in São Paulo, Brazil. Meirelles shared his insights on the topic “Ethics and Compliance Issues in Brazil.”
The Latin America Ethics Summit is a two-day event that brings together CEOs, board chairs, legal professionals, governance risk and compliance professionals, and government and regulatory officials to discuss the challenges that compliance and ethics professionals face in Latin America. Hosted by the Ethisphere Institute and Thomson Reuters, the goal of the Summit is to raise the bar on best practices for effective corporate ethics and compliance.
On July 4, the Brazilian Senate approved what has been called the “Anti-Bribery Law” that establishes heavy penalties for companies for the bribery of Brazilian and foreign public officials. The legislation is now awaiting Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s signature.
The significance of the new law is that it imposes civil and administrative penalties on corporations for the acts of corporate directors, officers, employees and agents. Another result of the Anti-Bribery Law is that foreign companies doing business in Brazil are subject to penalties for bribery of Brazilian officials.
“Since 1999, Brazil has experienced an evolution in the areas of transparency and compliance,” says Meirelles. “We must start talking now about how effective the regulations are, how they are changing, and how they are being enforced.”
The anti-corruption law puts Brazil on the path of ethical compliance similar to the U.K. Bribery Act and the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. “There is a big difference between the letter of the law and the actions of corporations and their employees,” observes Meirelles. The value of the Latin American Ethics Summit is that it helps elevate the level of discussion about how companies and government agencies can use best practices to build an ethical culture in Brazil.
Angélico Advogados is a premier, boutique law firm that has been serving the legal and business needs of clients throughout Brazil for more than 20 years. The firm assists clients in a wide range of practice areas including international law, corporate, civil litigation, family, employment, tax, real estate, banking, and finance. A partner at the Brazilian law firm, former tax judge, and former general counsel for an impressive list of multinational companies, Meirelles advises clients on all aspects of business and tax law.
For more information about the business law practice of Angélico Advogados, visit the firm’s website at http://www.AngelicoLaw.com, read their blog at http://www.TheBrazilLawblog.com, or contact the firm at 1-866-606-4118.
About Angélico Advogados
Angélico Advogados is a São Paulo, Brazil based law firm that has been serving the legal and business needs of clients throughout Brazil for more than 20 years. Starting as a family operated law firm handling transportation legal matters, the firm has grown in recent years to include strong corporate, litigation, employment, and family law practices. Angélico Advogados also has a growing international law practice that assists foreign individuals, as well as small and midsize companies, with their business activities in Brazil.
Greg Barnett, Angélico Advogados, http://www.angelicolaw.com, 1-866-606-4118, [email protected]
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