Corporate lawyer Ricardo Tepedino dies – 05/02/2024 – Panel SA

Lawyer Ricardo Tepedino passed away at the age of 61, this Sunday (4), victim of cancer discovered at the end of December. The news was confirmed by her husband, José Antônio Arone.

One of the most important names in business law, Tepedino acted in the biggest corporate disputes in the country and in the main purchase and sale operations of companies.

He began his career in Rio de Janeiro in 1985, shortly after graduating from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ).

He quickly stood out in Sergio Bermudes’ office. In 1996, he moved to São Paulo and, five years later, set up the office Tepedino, Berezowski e Poppa Advogados.

He taught Administrative Law at Universidade Candido Mendes and was a member of the Higher Education and Research Council and the University Council of UERJ.

Between 2010 and 2011, he was part of the OAB-SP Ethics Court. Between 2012 and 2015 he was an effective member of the order’s Sectional Council. He was co-author of “Business Recovery and Bankruptcy Law and Corporate Law”, “The new Bankruptcy and Business Recovery Law”, “Company Law” and “Corporate Law in its 40 Years”.

He served as a member of the examining board for one of São Paulo’s judicial entrance exams and was selected several times in editions of Chambers and Partners, one of the most relevant publications that ranks law firms in the world.

Vain, he would like to say that he got mentions in Band 1 of “dispute resolution and litigation” (corporate disputes, in a free translation).

Known for the eloquence and acid tone of his criticisms, his performance as a lawyer often led him to take part in disputes between companies and businesspeople.

Represented the Klein family in the fight with Abilio Diniz to recover Casas Bahia. Subsequently, he was an advisor to the Casino at Pão de Açúcar during the dispute between Abilio and the Frenchman Jean-Charles Nouri. He defended Benjamin Steinbruch, from CSN, in the fight with his cousins. He was currently a member of the board of directors of Banco Safra.

It was a walking encyclopedia of the history of big companies. All it took was one question and it brought from memory the most surprising behind-the-scenes stories of major mergers and acquisitions and disagreements between businesspeople — most of which were unpublishable.

Tepedino was an art lover. His house, in an upscale neighborhood in the West Zone of São Paulo, houses paintings and sculptures by famous artists.

In the dining room, amidst huge paintings, he placed a small oil painting by Pancetti, which he especially appreciated. He said that the reproduction of the blue sea was calming.

He loved opera and had a Yamaha grand piano that he enjoyed strumming, but said he didn’t have time to study.

Romantic and a little dramatic, he liked Chopin, especially the first Ballad and the Heroic Polesie. Of Beethoven, he had a special preference for the Pathetic Sonata, and of Rachmaninoff, for the second concerto for piano and orchestra.

Tepedino leaves behind her husband José Antônio Arone, her son Pedro Bessone Tepedino, from her first marriage, and her dog Carmen de Bizet, another love of her life.

The wake will be this Monday (5) at the Funeral Home, at São Carlos do Pinhal, 376, Bela Vista, in São Paulo, from 10am to 8pm.

With Diego Felix

LINK PRESENT: Did you like this text? Subscribers can access five free accesses from any link per day. Just click the blue F below.