Academic background

Graduated in Law at the School of Law of the University of São Paulo – USP (1988), holding a Master’s Degree in Environmental Law obtained at the Vermont Law School (1995), summa cum laude, in the U.S., where he concentrated his studies in the legal aspects of Environmental Auditing; Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree obtained at the Faculty of Law of the University of New South Wales - UNSW, Sydney, Australia (2017), where he focused on the possible applying of international Emission Trading Schemes of reductions of greenhouse effect emissions in Brazil. 

Professional experience

Partner of Sales e Kesselring Advogados, a law firm founded in October 2012 with focus on ESG matters, following return to Brazil after a four-year period in Australia, where he studied Climate Change and developed specialized practice in sustainable businesses. Prior to that, he was engaged as an Associate Attorney and later Principal of a major international law firm (1996-2010), where he coordinated the implementation of the environmental and climate change practices in Brazil. Specialist in sustainability matters, Rodrigo has an integrated vision of the environmental, climate change and environmental markets fields, and the interface thereof with compliance management systems, corporate governance and social responsibility of organizations. His engagement covers both the activities of compliance with the regulations (preventive, operational and correction steps), transaction activities and public and private investment. In the environmental law field, Rodrigo has vast professional experience in legal risk management, in the prevention area (e.g., compliance programs and legal environmental audit, risk assessments) as well as individual dispute and class action resolution, and also in commercial transactions.

His engagement in the ESG matters across different industries and economic sectors includes assessment of environmental contingencies in acquisition operations, support and analysis of licensing proceedings, assessment, dispute resolution and crisis management of logistics operations (maritime and land), research and market analysis of global legal requirements to mitigate greenhouse gas effects, and support of sustainable supply chains in the bioeconomy sectors.

In the management of legal risks and compliance areas, Rodrigo’s experience includes the development of self-disclosure of environmental issues strategies, legal management of environmental recovery and remediation programs, development and deployment of legal environmental auditing and social responsibility programs, negotiation of consent agreements, definition, adoption and conduct of litigation (administrative and judicial) strategies to settle disputes,  solid wastes management and reverse logistics programs, integration of compliance management and sustainability systems, and management of social-environmental crisis.

In the business operations area, Rodrigo’s engagement in the past 25 years includes participation in mergers & acquisitions, privatization, project finance, structuring of investment funds and strategic planning of investment in Brazil and of Brazilian companies abroad, concentrated on the identification, contingency and incorporation of sustainability and corporate governance aspects in commercial operations in various market segments.

Rodrigo’s professional experience also includes the implantation and consolidation of the Environmental, Climate Change, Consumer Protection and Social Responsibility Practice Group at a major international law firm, and the implantation of legal practice in Australia focused on the fostering of sustained business operations between Brazil and Oceania, Japan, China and Southeast Asia. His engagement in climate change projects includes legal assistance in business operations, including CDM, VERs and REDD carbon projects in Brazil and abroad, assistance to investment funds, drafting and negotiation of finance agreements, international transactions of companies and carbon project portfolios, and consultancy services to banks and companies concerning low carbon emission strategies and sustained investments in renewable energy areas, agribusiness, forest assets management, among others.

Rodrigo has also participated in the analysis of pioneer regulation systems related to the payment of environmental services (PSA) and integration of environmental assets in public and private accounting systems. He was also instrumental in the analysis of climate change regulations in the first platform of carbon credit negotiation in Latin America and in legal opinions on the rights of the Brazilian Suruí Indigenous peoples, in connection with their demarked land in the Brazilian Amazon region, in addition to having figured as an ad hoc consultant of a multilateral bank in the legal qualification of national authorities designated by Latin American countries under the Kyoto Protocol and of the Brazilian government in the negotiation of compliance aspects under the Kyoto Protocol. His engagement in the consumer protection field includes the planning and implantation of commercial strategies, product recall, implantation of direct credit to the consumer programs (CDC), marketing campaigns and legal management of consumer relations programs focused on the prevention or mitigation of disputes.

Rodrigo is also engaged in mapping and legal representation of business activities involving the multiple use of Brazilian biodiversity, particularly under the Biodiversity Convention and other instruments of valuing forest assets. Our engagement includes legal support to Access to genetic resources and the Associated  Traditional Knowledge (P&D); application of the associated traditional knowledge to the development of new products or to products already commercialized, submission and/or remittance of biodiversity samples abroad, drafting and negotiation of shared benefits agreements, mandatory registration in the SisGen system and contingencies commitments under the Braziliian Biodiversity Law. He also represents suppliers of in natura products (e.g. vegetal raw materials for pharmaceutical, nutritional and phyto-therapy use, among others) at the domestic and international levels, integrating sustainable management, supply and monetization of environmental assets in support of strengthening the Brazilian bioeconomy.

 

Rodrigo’s professional experience in the ESG matters is built on solid legal knowledge, coupled with intra-discipline knowledge of technical, economic and market aspects of the fields in which he is engaged and his interaction with high-caliber professionals in various areas. His professional experience in Brazil and abroad also includes participation as a speaker in international environmental and climate change events in Latin America, Australia, the U.S., Europe and Japan, favouring a multicultural approach in assisting his clientele in different social-economic and cultural scenarios.

Awards

Public recognition of the work activities of Rodrigo Sales includes awards and citation of specialized publications, such as Chambers, PLC , Latin American Corporate Counsel Association (LACCA ,‘Análise Advocacia’ (Lawyers’ Review), Which Lawyer, Who is Who Legal, among others, indicating Rodrigo as one of the most admired lawyers of Brazil in the fields of environmental, climate change and consumer protection law in the last  fifteen  years.

Languages

Portuguese (native), English (fluent) and Spanish (conversation level).