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During the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Mattos Filho has committed to remaining accessible and connected, given the importance of acting quickly, being close to its clients, understanding the needs of its professionals and, also, those of the people who — directly or indirectly — are impacted by the firm. All this without deviating from its outlook into the future and its long-term vision.

“More than a health crisis, we are faced with a humanitarian crisis. Guided by our social DNA, we have redirected our pro bono and Corporate Citizenship activities to act strategically in reducing the impacts caused by the virus, as well as in promoting and defending the rights of vulnerable groups,” Mattos Filho managing partner Roberto Quiroga pointed out.

Aware that constructing alternative approaches to manage the crisis depended on everyone’s collaboration, Mattos Filho put its legal expertise at the service of society. The firm has expanded its cooperation with clients and companies, supporting projects to enable private investments in public health policies and income distribution. It has also stepped up its free legal services to civil society organizations.

“To cite just some examples, we have advised projects that aim to expand the country’s coronavirus detection system and increase the offer of hospital services to the Brazilian population. We have also increased the initiatives of our volunteer and Diversity and Inclusion programs,” explained Quiroga.

“All of these actions were planned and executed with a focus on the public interest and the greater good,” added Marcelo Mansur, a partner of the Insurance, Reinsurance and Pensions practice area who has been leading the firm’s pandemic-related actions since March 2020. “In the legal world, we talk about the concept of force majeure from the time we are at law school, but there are rare opportunities to apply it in a concrete case. In the pandemic, we have seen important cases that discussed whether to apply this theory or not.”

To expand the population’s access to Covid-19 tests, the firm supported the #2em2 movement, idealized by the companies Rappi, Renovatio, Cia. Da Consulta, and Vitta. For each test purchased on the project’s official platform, another was donated to the public health system. In the same sense, Mattos Filho cooperated with the diagnostic medicine group Dasa in an action to significantly expand the testing system for coronavirus in the country, in agreement with the Ministry of Health.

Video cover. Text: the social role of law firms in the pandemic

More than a health crisis, we are faced with a humanitarian crisis. Guided by our social DNA, we have redirected our pro bono and Corporate Citizenship activities to act strategically in reducing the impacts caused by the virus, as well as in promoting and defending the rights of vulnerable groups.”

Roberto Quiroga, managing partner
A picture of Marcelo Mansur, standing on a balcony. He is wearing a dark gray suit, light blue shirt, a tie printed with an orange and white geometric design and glasses. São Paulo's Avenida Paulista (Paulista Avenue) can be seen in the background.

In the legal world, we talk about the concept of force majeure from the time we are at law school, but there are rare opportunities to apply it in a concrete case. In the pandemic, we have seen important cases that discussed whether to apply this theory or not.”

Marcelo Mansur, Insurance, Reinsurance and Pensions partner

The firm is also participating in the Covid Radar initiative, which aims to map data on the virus’s development in Brazil, and was among the companies that supported the construction of field hospitals in the cities of Campinas and Rio de Janeiro. Mattos Filho has also supported a project to donate personal protective equipment (PPE) to health clinics in the state of São Paulo.

Mattos Filho partnered with XP Investimentos to create Juntos Transformamos, a fund for helping Brazilian families in socially vulnerable situations.

In 2020, more than 4,100 work hours were dedicated to projects that sought to minimize the impacts of the pandemic, through institutional support to clients, companies, and civil society organizations.

Contributing further to society in the face of the crisis, the firm has also been intensively involved in the production and free distribution of guides to facilitate vulnerable populations’ access to their rights. In cooperation with human rights entities, the Mattos Filho 100% pro bono and Corporate Citizenship practice areas have released almost a dozen publications focused on women’s rights, the LGBTQIAP+ population, people with disabilities, and refugees.

“With a multidisciplinary approach that counts on the engagement of professionals from various areas of the firm, we have had teams working tirelessly to give these initiatives legal certainty, in accordance with the urgency of each project,” explained Bianca dos Santos Waks, coordinating lawyer of the Mattos Filho 100% Pro Bono practice.

The assistance to individuals during the pandemic has been directed to requests for emergency aid, support for refugees and migrants in custody actions and regulation of visits to women in situations of violence in family courts.

The pro bono team also has participated in webinars regarding the legal impacts of the pandemic on civil society organizations, involving topics such as changes in labor legislation. In association with the ProA Institute, the firm’s professionals have recorded videos on emergency income, contractual and real estate issues, domestic violence and other topics of interest to the families of the students supported by the organization.

“Internally, we also created the Legal Support Network, a free legal advice project to assist colleagues experiencing personal problems due to the pandemic, such as the renegotiation of lease agreements or the cancellation of wedding ceremonies. The project has allowed lawyers to help other professionals with issues they have expertise in, counting as volunteering,” said Mansur.

With a multidisciplinary approach that counts on the engagement of professionals from various areas of the firm, we have had teams working tirelessly to give these initiatives legal certainty, in accordance with the urgency of each project.”

Bianca dos Santos Waks, coordinator of the Mattos Filho 100% pro bono practice

Governance TO ENSURE EXCELLENT CLIENT SERVICE AND PROFESSIONALS’ HEALTH

As soon as Covid-19 began to take hold in Brazil, the firm quickly adapted itself to remote working operations, offering infrastructure and technology for the best remote work experience. Through this measure, the safety of the professionals and the excellence in client service have been guaranteed.

Mind – Mattos Filho’s mental health program – began to focus on stress management with changes in social and professional routines, and also anxiety in the face of the uncertain scenario. Healthcare services adapted to social distancing have also been provided, such as drive-thru vaccinations against influenza, as well as telemedicine care.

Even before the first cases were confirmed in Brazil, the firm’s clients received full legal support on the consequences of the pandemic for their business in contractual, labor, and healthcare aspects. Único, Mattos Filho’s news portal, has gained an exclusive area for information on the consequences of Covid-19 in the firm’s practice areas.

“A committee was created to coordinate Mattos Filho’s pandemic initiatives, to ensure that the actions put into practice were effective and consistent with the firm’s unique culture,” explained Marcelo Mansur, who coordinates the committee. The group had the job of analyzing and coordinating internal and external initiatives, from online and business-partner events to client communication and pro bono work.

Regarding the lessons and the impacts of this crisis on the future of the firm’s operations, Mansur recalled that there is already a working group composed of professionals from the firm and external consultants looking at this topic. “Are we going to travel for work as much? Do we need as much physical space? We are now beginning to think about the future. A classic example is that the pandemic has now led to the expansion of remote working culture, which is something that should continue, even if in a hybrid model.”

The power of information AMID THE CRISIS

Mattos Filho bet on the power of quality information to promote human rights in the face of the Covid-19 crisis. Among the materials produced by the firm, two briefings detail the operation of important legal and social services for the care of women in situations of violence and the LGBTQIAP+ population during the pandemic.

Another informative document – distributed in four languages and produced in association with Cáritas of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro – clarifies the ways for refugees to access guaranteed care in the period of social distancing. The Mattos Filho 100% pro bono team also released a document with a selection of relevant legal aspects for civil society organizations in the context of Covid-19.

Soma, the affinity group focused on the promotion of racial equity, prepared a document on the impacts of the pandemic on the black population of the country. Meanwhile, EmFrente, the group promoting the rights of people with disabilities, released a booklet with relevant information for its audience.

Access all publications:

Professionals donate time AND KNOWLEDGE IN VOLUNTEER ACTIONS

With the need for social distancing, Mova – Mattos Filho’s volunteer program – needed to reinvent itself and became Mova Digital, carried out its activities remotely for the safety of volunteers and beneficiaries. In this format, professionals were even able to expand their range of activities and contribute to partner organizations outside of the cities where they reside.

The first action of Mova Digital was the collection of hand sanitizer for a nursing home in the neighborhood of Vila Mariana, in São Paulo. At least once a week the volunteers also spoke on the phone with the elderly people who live on-site. A similar initiative was developed with patients in both the palliative care unit and children’s unit at Barretos Cancer Hospital in the state of São Paulo, who had limited routine visits because of the pandemic.

To maintain the motivation of the young people served by the education organization Dream Learn Work (DLW) during this period of isolation, Mattos Filho professionals have organized a series of webinars on a variety of topics – from culture and well-being to legal and behavioral issues. The initiative has gone so well that it became the Academia Social Digital (‘Digital Social Academy’), which brings together volunteers from the firm interested in sharing knowledge in webinars with partner institutions. This project is being integrated into Mova.

During the Abra a Gaveta (‘Open Your Drawer’) initiative, conducted in association with Parceiros da Educação, the firm encouraged the donation of computers, tablets, and mobile phones for public school students in São Paulo to be able to attend online classes. In an initiative that united solidarity and the fight against waste, more than eight hundred food and beverage products from the Mattos Filho offices were donated to three partner institutions in São Paulo and Brasilia, as the offices were temporarily closed because of the pandemic.

Institutional support during the pandemic (2020)

4,100
hours dedicated to cooperating with clients, companies and civil society organizations’ projects
12
collaborative actions with companies in public-interest projects with social impact