Leo Neves
Leo is the founder of Solid Intelligence Legal, an independent advisory firm established in 2012 in London, UK. He is a solicitor qualified to practice law in England & Wales, Brazil and Portugal.
The firm provides skilled, clear and practical corporate and commercial advice, focusing on corporate, corporate finance (equity and debt), project finance, complex commercial contracts and ESG (environmental, social and governance) matters.
Solid Credentials
Leo Neves graduated in Law from the University of Brasilia (UnB) and holds a master’s degree in Corporate and Securities Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), in the United Kingdom. He has close to 20 years of experience in international transactions, commercial contracts, M&A, regulatory issues, natural resources & energy policy, and environmental and community issues related to infrastructure projects.
Leo qualified as a lawyer in 2002 at Pinheiro Neto Advogados, one of the most prominent Brazilian law firms with a strong natural resources & energy practice. At Pinheiro Neto, Leo advised companies such as Rio Tinto, Vale and De Beers, amongst many others including junior exploration and hydro-power generation companies. In 2005, he was seconded to McMillan LLP, a top-ranked Canadian law firm in Toronto. At McMillan LLP, Leo acquired significant experience with M&A, public listings (IPOs, RTOs) and private placements on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX and TSX-V).
Leo has also worked as an associate for law firm Fasken Martineau LLP in London, UK, between 2007 and 2008. Fasken Martineau has a strong natural resources & energy practice and has been named Global Mining Law Firm of the Year 12 times by Who’s Who Legal - more times than any other law firm in the world.
For more than 10 years, Leo served as in-house counsel for an investment vehicle and mining companies with primary focus in Africa and Latin America. He was Head of Legal and Company Secretary of Ferrous Resources Limited for 9 years and most recently General Counsel of Brazil Iron Limited. Owing to his extensive hands-on experience in challenging jurisdictions, Leo is adept at providing practical and effective advice in the areas of compliance and anti-corruption.
As a seasoned practitioner, Leo Neves has provided effective support to the overall trading activity of companies by designing and negotiating short and long-term sales agreements, including offtake and hedging agreements in line with ISDA standard documentation, as well as documentation for trade financing from commodities traders. He has created and implemented various corporate governance policies for companies, such as share dealings code, conflicts, treasury and anti-bribery policy, and codes of ethics.
Leo Neves is fluent in Portuguese and has experience negotiating in Spanish.