New partner joins Mattos Filho’s Restructuring & Insolvency practice

Mattos Filho announces Victoria Villela Boacnin has joined the firm as a partner in its Restructuring & Insolvency practice. An insolvency specialist experienced in complex debt restructuring and corporate reorganizations, Victoria is set to add her expertise to the firm’s well-established track record in the sector at a time when Brazilian and transnational restructuring cases are on the rise.

With Boacnin’s arrival, Mattos Filho now has 142 partners providing services across more than 45 areas of law, closely following important market developments and business trends.

Internationally recognized for its performance in significant cases, Mattos Filho’s Restructuring & Insolvency area advises investors, financial institutions, investment funds, and large companies on matters including DIP financing, investments in distressed assets and debt, as well as representing creditors and providing strategic assistance to debtors.

“Attracting lateral partners to key positions at the firm is part of our strategy and has proven to be a winning formula in recent years,” said Pedro Whitaker de Souza Dias, managing partner at Mattos Filho.

Judicial reorganizations on the rise

Brazil’s economic landscape has presented significant challenges for companies in recent years. High interest rates, credit constraints, and volatile markets have led many companies to seek alternative solutions for reorganizing their debts and ensuring continued operation.

According to data from Serasa Experian, Brazil saw a total of 2,273 registered judicial reorganization requests in 2024 – a 61% increase on the previous year and the highest level since records began in 2006. Based on the institution’s most recent data, 638 requests for judicial reorganization were filed between January and April 2025, with projections suggesting the year will close on a new high.

Internationally recognized expertise

Recognized as 2024 Rising Star of the Year by British institution The Legal 500, Victoria Villela Boacnin assists foreign and Brazilian creditors, investors and debtors both in the litigation and advisory spheres. In addition to judicial reorganization cases, she has extensive experience in corporate reorganizations, debt restructuring, securities restructuring, distressed M&A transactions, and transactions involving highly indebted companies.

A graduate of São Paulo’s Pontifical Catholic University, Boacnin holds a postgraduate degree in Business Law and is a member of the Brazilian Council of Justice’s (CNJ) National Forum for Business Reorganization and Bankruptcy.

“Mattos Filho is among the leading full-service law firms in Brazil, and my arrival at the firm is in line with its strategy,” commented Boacnin. “We share the same vision that the restructuring sector needs a highly qualified team prepared to handle its numerous intricacies and challenges.”