Overview
Fernando Q. Merino is a seasoned multicultural lawyer who works with multinational companies and investors operating in Latin America in a variety of matters ranging from compliance, investigations, and investment dispute resolution and related corporate and securities matters.
For more than 18 years, Fernando managed legal and compliance departments for major industrial and retail companies as well as financial institutions operating throughout Latin America. These roles included acting as general counsel for the largest retail and distribution company in Brazil and for one of the region's largest conglomerates active in the steel, mining, railroad, and energy industries. He was also the regional general counsel and chief compliance officer for premier investment banks, supporting the development of their business and products while overseeing compliance with local and international regulations. In these roles, he worked on various complex cross-border, multijurisdictional matters such as acquisitions, disputes, and investigations. Prior to his in-house career, Fernando was an associate with prominent leading law firms in the United States and United Kingdom, where he worked on various transactional matters.
Fernando's diverse background has allowed him to establish a well-grounded reputation in the business and legal communities in the region.
- Admitted in New York and Brazil only and practicing under the supervision of an active member of the D.C. Bar
- LL.M., Columbia University School of Law, 1994
- J.D. equivalent, University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, 1990
Areas of Work
Speaking Engagements
- "ESG as a Risk Matrix for International Business Relations," 1st International Seminar on Negotiation, Mediation and Arbitration in Foreign Trade, hosted by Associação de Comércio Exterior do Brasil - AEB, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 21, 2023
- Moderator, "Sustainable Trade: Global Trends, Barriers and Opportunities", Joint Event Brazil-U.S. Business Council & National Confederation of Industry, Brasília, Brazil, May 9, 2023
- "U.S.-China Regulatory Risks and Expectations of Economic Restrictions, Export Controls and Tightening of Sanctions", China-Brazil Business Council, February 23, 2023
- "The Wave of Investors' Claims Against Brazilian Publicly Held Companies," 2nd Annual Georgetown Brazilian Arbitration Day, Washington, DC, January 26, 2023
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"Motivations, implementation and possible impacts on Brazil of legislation against deforestation in the US and the EU," Amcham-Brasil, November 22, 2022
- "A responsabilidade dos administradores no contexto do novo coronavírus" ["The responsibility of executives in the context of the novel coronavirus"], Capital Aberto Webinar, May 28, 2020
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"The Journey of Sugar: Global Obstacles," UNICA Ethanol Summit, São Paulo, Brazil, June 17, 2019
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"Law and Corporate Governance: Rethinking Gatekeepers," Faculty of Law of the University of São Paulo Roundtable: Law and Management, São Paulo, Brazil, May 21, 2019
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"Compliance and M&A," LEC's 7th International Compliance Congress, São Paulo, Brazil, May 16, 2019
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Moderator, "The Use of Technology in Internal Investigations," WFaria Advogados' 3rd Compliance and Internal Investigation International Meeting, São Paulo, Brazil, December 4, 2018
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"Internal Investigations: The Top 10 Trip Wires and How Companies can Avoid Them," ACI's 8th Brazil Summit on Anti-Corruption, São Paulo, Brazil, May 23, 2018
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"Financial Institution Compliance," LEC’s 6th International Compliance Congress, São Paulo, Brazil, May 10, 2018
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"Attracting Foreign Investments to Infrastructure Projects in Brazil," NYU School of Law Brazilian Legal Society conference on "What is Next for the Brazilian Infrastructure Sector?," New York, NY, April 16, 2018
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"Large-Scale and Strategic Dispute Management," 2nd Benchmarking Meeting for Leaders in Legal Department Management, Jurídico em Foco - DVW, São Paulo, Brazil, March 27, 2018
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"International Anti-Corruption Compliance Programs," Intelijur's Dilemmas and Perspectives on Compliance Conference, São Paulo, Brazil, March 13, 2018
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"Monitoring After Leniency Agreements - Scope and Challenges," WFaria Advogados' 2nd Compliance and Internal Investigation International Meeting, São Paulo, Brazil, October 5, 2017
News & Publications
Press Releases
Steptoe Launches Financial Services University
October 21, 2020
Media Mentions
Corporate Counsel Quotes Fernando Merino on Building Foreign Legal Departments
September 12, 2018
Press Releases
Steptoe Bolsters Brazil, Latin America Practices by Associating with Fernando Merino
October 31, 2017
Resources
Client Alerts
FCPA/Anti-Corruption Developments: 2020 Year in Review
January 19, 2021
By: Lucinda A. Low, Zoe Osborne, Brigida Benitez, Alexandra Baj, Christopher R. Conte, Alexandra Melia, Ali Burney, Fernando Q. Merino, Wendy Wysong, Rachel B. Peck, Jefferson Klocke, Veronica Ganzitti, Jingchun (Cherry) Huang, Troy Shephard, Lin Yang, Bo Yue, Lucas Caiado (International Regulation & Compliance Intern), Jordan Cannon (Law Clerk), Marcia Pulcherio (International Trainee)
Client Alerts
FCPA/Anti-Corruption Developments: 2019 Year in Review
January 21, 2020
By: Lucinda A. Low, Brigida Benitez, Wendy Wysong, Zoe Osborne, Steven J. Barber, Alexandra Melia, Ali Burney, Fernando Q. Merino, Rachel B. Peck, Alexandra Baj, Jefferson Klocke, Veronica Ganzitti, Troy Shephard, Lin Yang, Bo Yue
Client Alerts
FCPA/Anti-Corruption Developments: 2018 Year in Review
February 28, 2019
By: Lucinda A. Low, Brigida Benitez, William L. Drake, Alexandra Melia, Fernando Q. Merino, Alexandra Baj, Rachel B. Peck, Evan T. Abrams, Katherine M. Dubyak, Lin Yang, Bo Yue, Troy Shephard
Noteworthy
- Legal 500, GC Powerlist: Brazil (2016)
- Análise Editorial, Brazil's 50 "Most Admired" Legal Executives (2014, 2015)
- Fundação Estudar Scholarship - granted a scholarship to fund LL.M. course from the highly respected foundation established by the controlling shareholders of AB InBev and 3G Investment Fund
Professional Affiliations
- Chamber of Commerce Brazil-Canada, IBRADEMP
- Member, Compliance and Integrity Committee
- Member, M&A Disputes Committee