Career

Rodrigo Mello is a founding partner of IW Melcheds Advogados and has over 20 years of experience in Corporate Law and M&A, with more than 350 transactions to his credit. 

His practice combines deep legal expertise in complex transactions with first-hand experience as a founder of businesses across multiple industries, a perspective that gives him a close understanding of the decision-making realities faced by founders, controlling shareholders, and boards of directors. His long-standing clients include some of the most successful entrepreneurs of his generation, whom he advises across the full corporate life cycle, from corporate structuring and funding rounds to M&A, reorganizations, and liquidity events. 

He has a well-established cross-border practice, advising multinational corporations, investment funds, and private investors, both Brazilian and foreign, in transactions involving multiple jurisdictions and complex corporate structures. He works seamlessly alongside international counsel on transactions governed by foreign law or structured through hybrid contractual architectures, an experience further deepened by his time as a foreign associate at Fox, Horan & Camerini LLP, in New York. 

He holds an LL.M. in Corporate Law from Insper and a Specialist degree in M&A from FGV-SP. He served as a Visiting Scholar in the LL.M. Program at Fordham Law School, in New York, in the areas of Banking, Corporate, Financial, and Securities Law. 

Credentials

The Legal 500 2024 – Corporate and M&A

“Rodrigo Mello is very proactive, highly business-oriented, unlike other firms.” 

“I worked with the lead partner Rodrigo Mello. He is a highly skilled lawyer with a solid understanding of the energy sector in Brazil and local regulations. He also has a deep understanding of complex legal structures.” 

The Legal 500 2024 – Energy and Natural Resources

“They have extensive knowledge of solar energy contracts in Brazil and are aware of regional peculiarities. Partner Rodrigo Mello shows profound expertise and availability.”