"He is very straightforward and well respected in the area," reports a client, while another source adds that "he has many years' experience in tax law and is particularly focused on the oil and gas sector." He assists with indirect tax matters such as ICMS, as well as international taxation issues.
Chambers Latin America, ed. 2021

Overview

Ivan Tauil is the founding partner and Head of the tax law practice of Tauil & Chequer Advogados in association with Mayer Brown. He has extensive experience in local and international taxation. He is also the author of several articles and is often a lecturer at a number of legal and corporate events in Brazil and abroad. Ivan holds an LL.M. in constitutional law and theory of the state from PUC-RJ. He is the Chairman of the National Oil & Gas Law Committee of the Brazilian Bar Association, Director of the Brazilian Tax Law Academy, and a member of the Brazilian Finance Law Association, the International Fiscal Association and the International Bar Association. In addition, Ivan is also a member of the Editorial Board of Revista Tributária e de Finanças Públicas – Ed. Revista dos Tribunais. In 2016, both Global Chambers and Chambers Latin America recognized him as one of the “Leaders in their Field” for his legal work in the tax sector.

Spoken Languages

  • English
  • Portuguese
  • French
  • Spanish

Experience

  • Represented a foreign group in the tax restructuring of this group that had just been acquired under a transaction worth more than $3 billion. 
  • Represented a Brazilian client in connection with drafting the statement of defense for a tax fine involving more than $1.1 billion. 
  • Represented a German industrial group with revenues in excess of $4 billion in the tax structuring of its business in Brazil. 
  • Represented two international television companies in connection with structuring their $150 million joint venture in Brazil. 
  • Oversaw all of the civil and tax cases of a leading chemical company, with revenues in excess of R$200 million, as well as the cases of a company from the food market whose revenues are worth approximately R$100 million. 
  • Represented a UK-based real estate fund in connection with structuring, planning, and implementing the multi-million dollar acquisition of a high-end residential real estate project in northwest Brazil. 
  • Represented a Brazilian real estate developer in connection with raising funds in the US and EU capital markets for projects in Brazil. 
  • Represented a multi-billion dollar Brazilian pension fund in tax and real estate issues; currently representing this fund before Brazilian civil courts. 
  • Represented the largest Brazilian real estate developer in its international transactions involving second home sales for non-Brazilian buyers. 
  • Represented two global technology companies in their business and tax matters in Brazil. 
  • Represented a Brazilian energy company in its $250 million acquisition of a thermal generation plant located in Rio de Janeiro. 
  • Represented a Chinese company in relation to tax structuring and planning for a $1 billion EPC project in Brazil. 
  • Represented Ecopetrol Brasil in the acquisition of a 30% working interest in three offshore exploration blocks from Vanco Brasil, a subsidiary of the PanAtlantic Energy Group. Vanco Brasil will retain a 40% working interest and the operatorship. 
  • Represented a Fortune 500 US company in obtaining a preliminary injunction in Brazil in order to release a multi-million dollar drilling platform and related assets retained in Brazilian ports. 
  • Represented a Brazilian engineering company with collections and associated litigation related to its commissioning services provided during the construction of the $1.1 billion “P50” oil production platform in Brazil.   
  • Represented a national oil company in the acquisition of a $700 million refinery located in Texas.
  • Represented an oil service company before the Brazilian tax courts, and resolved a $120 million dispute. 
  • Represented American companies before Brazilian employment courts in sophisticated litigations involving multi-jurisdictional legal issues. 
  • Represented a member of a consortium for exploration and production of oil in Brazil, with respect to tax planning and representation in court aimed at obtaining a tax exemption for international remittances for the payment of services provided in the context of the exploration operations. 
  • Represented an oil and gas company in Angola in a project involving the reform of the Angolan oil regulatory framework.

Education

Universidade de Coimbra, Specialization degree in European Law

Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, LLM, Constitutional Law and Theory of the State

Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Bachelor of Law (JD equivalent)

Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Bachelor of Social Science

Admissions

  • Brazil

Activities

  • Chairman, National Oil & Gas Law Committee of the Brazilian Bar Association
  • Former Chairman, Oil & Gas Committee of the Brazilian Bar Association, Rio de Janeiro Chapter 
  • Director, Brazilian Tax Law Academy 
  • Member, Urban Land Institute (ULI) 
  • Member, Association for Real Estate Project Development in Brazil (ADIT) 
  • Chairman, Science Board of the Brazilian Academy of Tax Law 
  • Member, Editorial Board of Revista Tributária e de Finanças Públicas, edited by Revista dos Tribunais 
  • Member, Brazilian Institute of Constitutional Law (Instituto Brasileiro de Direito Constitucional) 
  • Member, American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) 
  • Member, International Bar Association 
  • Member, International Fiscal Association
  • Member, Brazilian Finance Law Association
  • Ranked as “Highly Recommended” in Tax at Latin Lawyer 250, 2019-2024
  • Ranked as “Highly Recommended” in Energy at Latin Lawyer 250, 2023 and 2024
  • “Ivan Tauil fronts a contingent of highly praised tax lawyers from the firm’s Rio de Janeiro office, which also features Guido Vinci, Flávia Cavalcanti, Eduardo Maccari Telles and Carolina Bottino.” Latin Lawyer 250, 2024
  • Ranked in Tax Advisory at The Legal 500, 2023
  • “Tax has long been a key focus for founder and practice head Ivan Tauil, whose team includes Guido Vinci for transactional and VAT matters and Eduardo Maccari Telles for litigation”. The Legal 500, 2023.
  • Ranked as “Recommended” in Tax: Advisory at Leaders League, 2023
  • Ranked as “Recommended” in Tax: Litigation at Leaders League, 2023
  • Ranked as “Band 3” in Tax: Rio de Janeiro at Chambers, 2022
  • “Head of department Ivan Tauil has vast experience in national and international tax law mandates. He maintains a strong focus on oil and gas taxation”. Chambers Brazil, Tax Rio de Janeiro, 2022.
  • A market commentator says co-head of department Ivan Tauil is "a very astute person with a good level of technical quality." He has experience advising clients from an array of industries, including food and beverages, oil and shipping, on tax planning and the fiscal aspects of corporate reorganizations. Chambers Latin America, 2021.
  • Ranked as “Highly regarded” at IFLR 2021
  • Ranked as “Highly Recommended” in Tax: Counsel at Leaders League, 2019, 2020 and 2021
  • Ranked as “Highly Regarded - Tax Controversy Leader” at (ITR) International Tax Review – World Tax, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
  • Ivan Tauil regularly advises national and foreign clients on a range of contentious and non-contentious tax issues. "He is very straightforward and well respected in the area," reports a client, while another source adds that "he has many years' experience in tax law and is particularly focused on the oil and gas sector." He assists with indirect tax matters such as ICMS, as well as international taxation issues Chambers Latin America, 2021
  • One interviewee admires "his great soft skills and overarching tax perspective." Another client says: "Ivan assists with the strategic side of the cases and also helps to translate the tax legal jargon into commercial language." Chambers Latin America, 2020
  • Clients say: "He has great business acumen and in-depth knowledge of tax law, so he is able to advise us on a variety of matters." Chambers Global, 2019
  • “Name partner Ivan Tauil is a well-regarded tax lawyer and leads a large team in Rio de Janeiro” Latin Lawyer 250, 2019
  • “Ivan Tauil is well regarded for his expertise advising on the taxation of major infrastructure projects in the oil and gas sector. He is also noted for his considerable knowledge of international tax law.” Chambers Latin America, 2018
  • “Ivan Tauil is a bright and hands-on tax lawyer.” (ITR) International Tax Review – World Tax, 2017
  • “Recognized among market commentators for his solid background advising companies from the oil and gas industry on fiscal matters.” Chambers Latin America, 2017