Fernando Martins

Expertise Fernando Advises Experience Highlights Career History

Partner

Dispute Resolution

+44 (0) 7521 082 801

Expertise

Fernando is a dual-qualified disputes lawyer, admitted in England and Wales and Brazil, with over 15 years’ experience in international arbitration, commercial litigation and cross-border dispute strategy.

He has built his career in leading international disputes practices in Brazil, New York and London, acting on high-value, business-critical disputes across multiple jurisdictions and legal systems, including matters involving multi-billion-dollar claims and exposures.

Fernando advises clients on complex international disputes where legal merits are only part of the equation. His work focuses on the wider commercial picture: leverage, enforcement risk, settlement dynamics, reputation and the practical route to resolution. He treats litigation, arbitration, mediation and negotiation as tools to solve a client’s problem, not ends in themselves, helping clients choose the right forum, strategy and timing to protect value and manage risk.

His work spans disputes arising from cross-border transactions, joint ventures and shareholder disputes, infrastructure and energy projects, (re)insurance claims, and commodities, agribusiness and fintech matters, increasingly with an ESG dimension, with clients across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the United States.

Within that international practice, Brazil, Latin America and the wider Portuguese-speaking world are where Fernando has his sharpest edge: English-law disputes strategy paired with Brazilian legal and cultural fluency, Portuguese language capability, and practical coordination across common law and civil law systems. He has advised on some of the highest-profile cross-border disputes with ties to Brazil to date.

Clients and referrers often involve Fernando where they need that combination: English-law capability and Lusophone market fluency in the same person, particularly on matters involving Brazil, Latin America, Portugal and Lusophone Africa. He works as the client’s direct point of contact throughout, with matters resourced flexibly around what each case actually needs.

Fernando is the founder and president of ALLAC, the Association of Lusophone Lawyers, Advisers and Consultants, an independent professional community connecting lawyers, advisers and consultants with an interest in the Portuguese-speaking world.

He holds an LLM from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and a Certificate in Business Administration from Kellogg School of Management. He speaks Portuguese and English fluently and has working knowledge of French and Spanish.

Fernando Advises

  • Multinationals and international businesses on cross-border disputes
  • Brazilian, Latin American and Portuguese-speaking companies doing business internationally
  • International clients operating in, investing in or exposed to Brazil, Latin America and Lusophone markets
  • Energy, oil and gas, infrastructure, commodities, agribusiness and natural resources businesses
  • Insurers, reinsurers, brokers and selected policyholders
  • Investors, funds, fintechs, family offices, HNW individuals, founders and family-owned businesses
  • Law firms and advisers requiring trusted London disputes support

Experience Highlights

  • Acted for an African state-owned entity in a USD 2bn UNCITRAL arbitration arising from a major mining investment dispute, involving proceedings and workstreams across Zambia, South Africa and the UK.
  • Advised the international (re)insurance market in English and Brazilian proceedings and related LCIA arbitrations concerning a USD 1bn+ dispute arising from the construction of a hydroelectric power plant in the Brazilian Amazon.
  • Advised the international (re)insurance market in disputes arising from major Brazilian losses, including the Samarco and Brumadinho tailings dam failures, with claims and exposures of USD 1bn+ in aggregate.
  • Acted for insurers and reinsurers on D&O claims arising from major corruption investigations and related civil, regulatory and criminal proceedings across multiple jurisdictions, with claims and exposures of USD 1bn+ in aggregate.
  • Represented (re)insurers in mediations with plaintiffs in nine-figure US securities class actions arising from major corruption allegations, advising on D&O coverage and settlement strategy.
  • Advised a leading Brazilian steel manufacturer in ICC arbitration proceedings involving USD 150m+ claims and USD 35m counterclaims arising from the construction of a long-steel production plant.
  • Advised a global investment fund on dispute, settlement and enforcement risk arising from the termination of a concession, with approximately USD 160m at stake.
  • Advised investors on cross-border claims strategy, forum sequencing and funding options in connection with a USD 600m multi-jurisdictional crypto fraud recovery matter.
  • Acted for Brazilian sellers in English Commercial Court proceedings arising from a cross-border M&A transaction in the financial services sector.
  • Advised a rental business in a multi-million-dollar contractual dispute with a global fintech and online platform.
  • Advised a West African commodities exporter in a cross-border payment dispute with Indian counterparties under contracts providing for Singapore arbitration.
  • Negotiated and settled a cross-border dispute arising from claims under performance bonds issued for the construction of naval vessels.

 

Arbitrator Experience

  • Sat as co-arbitrator in a complex contractual dispute arising from a USD 25m M&A transaction.

 

Fernando also regularly advises on pre-dispute strategy, second opinions, settlement strategy and discrete dispute mandates.

Career History

Previous roles

  • Clyde & Co LLP, London
    Cross-border disputes and international arbitration
  • Covington & Burling LLP, New York
    International arbitration
  • Hapner Kroetz Advogados, Curitiba
    International arbitration and corporate law
  • Court of Appeals of the State of Paraná, Curitiba
    Civil appeals chamber

 

Memberships and recognition

  • Founder and President, ALLAC — Association of Lusophone Lawyers, Advisers and Consultants
  • Member, Clube dos Arbitralistas Lusófonos
  • Fellow, Academy of American and International Law of The Center for American and International Law
  • Member, The St James’s Continental Company
  • Scholar, Instituto Ling / Gouvêa Vieira
  • Recognition for contributions to UNICURITIBA’s International Arbitration Programme
  • Frequent speaker at academic and industry forums, including Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Queen Mary University of London, the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain, the Instituto dos Advogados de São Paulo, ICC-YAAF, UNICURITIBA and Universidade Positivo

 

Education

  • Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Chicago
    Master of Laws
  • Kellogg School of Management, Chicago
    Certificate in Business Administration
  • The Southwestern Institute for International and Comparative Law, Dallas
    Academy of American and International Law
  • Faculdade de Direito de Curitiba / UNICURITIBA, Curitiba
    Bachelor of Laws

Expertise

Back to top

Fernando is a dual-qualified disputes lawyer, admitted in England and Wales and Brazil, with over 15 years’ experience in international arbitration, commercial litigation and cross-border dispute strategy.

He has built his career in leading international disputes practices in Brazil, New York and London, acting on high-value, business-critical disputes across multiple jurisdictions and legal systems, including matters involving multi-billion-dollar claims and exposures.

Fernando advises clients on complex international disputes where legal merits are only part of the equation. His work focuses on the wider commercial picture: leverage, enforcement risk, settlement dynamics, reputation and the practical route to resolution. He treats litigation, arbitration, mediation and negotiation as tools to solve a client’s problem, not ends in themselves, helping clients choose the right forum, strategy and timing to protect value and manage risk.

His work spans disputes arising from cross-border transactions, joint ventures and shareholder disputes, infrastructure and energy projects, (re)insurance claims, and commodities, agribusiness and fintech matters, increasingly with an ESG dimension, with clients across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the United States.

Within that international practice, Brazil, Latin America and the wider Portuguese-speaking world are where Fernando has his sharpest edge: English-law disputes strategy paired with Brazilian legal and cultural fluency, Portuguese language capability, and practical coordination across common law and civil law systems. He has advised on some of the highest-profile cross-border disputes with ties to Brazil to date.

Clients and referrers often involve Fernando where they need that combination: English-law capability and Lusophone market fluency in the same person, particularly on matters involving Brazil, Latin America, Portugal and Lusophone Africa. He works as the client’s direct point of contact throughout, with matters resourced flexibly around what each case actually needs.

Fernando is the founder and president of ALLAC, the Association of Lusophone Lawyers, Advisers and Consultants, an independent professional community connecting lawyers, advisers and consultants with an interest in the Portuguese-speaking world.

He holds an LLM from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and a Certificate in Business Administration from Kellogg School of Management. He speaks Portuguese and English fluently and has working knowledge of French and Spanish.

Fernando Advises

Back to top
  • Multinationals and international businesses on cross-border disputes
  • Brazilian, Latin American and Portuguese-speaking companies doing business internationally
  • International clients operating in, investing in or exposed to Brazil, Latin America and Lusophone markets
  • Energy, oil and gas, infrastructure, commodities, agribusiness and natural resources businesses
  • Insurers, reinsurers, brokers and selected policyholders
  • Investors, funds, fintechs, family offices, HNW individuals, founders and family-owned businesses
  • Law firms and advisers requiring trusted London disputes support

Experience Highlights

Back to top
  • Acted for an African state-owned entity in a USD 2bn UNCITRAL arbitration arising from a major mining investment dispute, involving proceedings and workstreams across Zambia, South Africa and the UK.
  • Advised the international (re)insurance market in English and Brazilian proceedings and related LCIA arbitrations concerning a USD 1bn+ dispute arising from the construction of a hydroelectric power plant in the Brazilian Amazon.
  • Advised the international (re)insurance market in disputes arising from major Brazilian losses, including the Samarco and Brumadinho tailings dam failures, with claims and exposures of USD 1bn+ in aggregate.
  • Acted for insurers and reinsurers on D&O claims arising from major corruption investigations and related civil, regulatory and criminal proceedings across multiple jurisdictions, with claims and exposures of USD 1bn+ in aggregate.
  • Represented (re)insurers in mediations with plaintiffs in nine-figure US securities class actions arising from major corruption allegations, advising on D&O coverage and settlement strategy.
  • Advised a leading Brazilian steel manufacturer in ICC arbitration proceedings involving USD 150m+ claims and USD 35m counterclaims arising from the construction of a long-steel production plant.
  • Advised a global investment fund on dispute, settlement and enforcement risk arising from the termination of a concession, with approximately USD 160m at stake.
  • Advised investors on cross-border claims strategy, forum sequencing and funding options in connection with a USD 600m multi-jurisdictional crypto fraud recovery matter.
  • Acted for Brazilian sellers in English Commercial Court proceedings arising from a cross-border M&A transaction in the financial services sector.
  • Advised a rental business in a multi-million-dollar contractual dispute with a global fintech and online platform.
  • Advised a West African commodities exporter in a cross-border payment dispute with Indian counterparties under contracts providing for Singapore arbitration.
  • Negotiated and settled a cross-border dispute arising from claims under performance bonds issued for the construction of naval vessels.

 

Arbitrator Experience

  • Sat as co-arbitrator in a complex contractual dispute arising from a USD 25m M&A transaction.

 

Fernando also regularly advises on pre-dispute strategy, second opinions, settlement strategy and discrete dispute mandates.

Career History

Back to top

Previous roles

  • Clyde & Co LLP, London
    Cross-border disputes and international arbitration
  • Covington & Burling LLP, New York
    International arbitration
  • Hapner Kroetz Advogados, Curitiba
    International arbitration and corporate law
  • Court of Appeals of the State of Paraná, Curitiba
    Civil appeals chamber

 

Memberships and recognition

  • Founder and President, ALLAC — Association of Lusophone Lawyers, Advisers and Consultants
  • Member, Clube dos Arbitralistas Lusófonos
  • Fellow, Academy of American and International Law of The Center for American and International Law
  • Member, The St James’s Continental Company
  • Scholar, Instituto Ling / Gouvêa Vieira
  • Recognition for contributions to UNICURITIBA’s International Arbitration Programme
  • Frequent speaker at academic and industry forums, including Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Queen Mary University of London, the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain, the Instituto dos Advogados de São Paulo, ICC-YAAF, UNICURITIBA and Universidade Positivo

 

Education

  • Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Chicago
    Master of Laws
  • Kellogg School of Management, Chicago
    Certificate in Business Administration
  • The Southwestern Institute for International and Comparative Law, Dallas
    Academy of American and International Law
  • Faculdade de Direito de Curitiba / UNICURITIBA, Curitiba
    Bachelor of Laws