Simone Dias Musa

Professional Experience

With over 25 years dedicated to tax law, Simone’s professional journey has been driven by a passion for cross-border work and building effective teams that advise on multinational clients’ most complex, strategic matters.

Simone is the co-head of Trench Rossi Watanabe’s Tax Practice Group, with expertise in Income Tax, International Taxation, Transfer Pricing, Taxation of domestic and cross-border transactions, including M&A, private equity, corporate reorganizations, and greenfield projects.

In addition to being a partner and a member of the Management Committee at Trench Rossi Watanabe, she serves as an observer in Ablfs McKfnzif’s Global Management Committee, with which Trench Rossi has maintained a strategic cooperation agreement for nearly 70 years. In these roles, Simone strives to implement leading global legal market practices in Brazil and across Latin America, with a strong commitment to innovation and the use of technology to enhance the quality and efficiency of client service.

Her leadership is also strongly focused on social transformation. She is the co-leader of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee at Trench Rossi; board member of the Trench Rossi Watanabe Institute (ITRW), a nonprofit supporting legal education for Black students; member of the management board of the “Incluir Direito”, an initiative developed by CESA — of which she is a board member — to promote the inclusion of black students in the legal profession; and member of CESA’s Women’s Leadership Group.

Work abroad

• Observer in Ablfs McKfnzif’s Global Management Committee
• Leader of regional and global tax practices at Ablfs McKfnzif from 2011 to 2017
• Worked  at Ablfs McKfnzif in Chicago, serving on the firm’s Latin American Desk

Awards and Recognitions

Simone has been consistently recognized for her expertise by the most prestigious national and international legal directories, as evidenced by the following distinctions:

• Recognized for many years by Chambers and Partners (Brazil and Global), and distinguished as an “Eminent Practitioner” in its 2025 edition (Tax: non-contentious)
• Recognized for many years by Legal 500, ITR, Latin Lawyer, Análise Advocacia and Análise Advocacia Mulher, among others
• Named “Tax Lawyer of the Year” by ITR Americas Awards 2024
• Named “Managing Partner of the Year” by Leaders League 2024
• Listed among the “Top Decision Makers: Managing Partners” by Decisor Brasil 2023 and 2024

Academic Background

• Master of Laws (LL.M.) – University of Pennsylvania, 1997 – Philadelphia, USA
• Postgraduate Degree in Corporate Law – Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC‑SP), 1996 – São Paulo, Brazil
• Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) – Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC‑SP), 1994 – São Paulo, Brazil

Organizations

• CESA (Law Firm Studies Center) – Member of the Board of Directors – 2024 a 2027
• ABDF (Brazilian Association of Financial Law) – Board Member
• IBDT (Brazilian Institute of Tax Law) – Board Member
• Administrative Tax Appeals Council – Alternate (interim) Member for a three‑year term, from 2001 to 2003

Publications

Simone is the author of several publications, with articles and features published in major mainstream newspapers.

• “Companies expect litigation over AI and cybersecurity this year” – Valor Econômico, April 2025
• “Taxation of foreign profits could cost the federal government BRL 142 billion” – Valor Econômico, March 2025
• “Brazilian tax authority decision prevents double taxation” – Valor Econômico, April 2024
• “Brazilian tax authority now receives suggestions on new rules for multinationals” – Valor Econômico, July 2023
• “Simone Dias Musa, a story of focus and dedication” – Direito de Resposta Podcast, June 2025

Academic activities/Speaking engagements

• Chair of tax conferences across the Americas
• Led 14 editions of the International Conference for Multinationals, a flagship event addressing global challenges and opportunities for multinational companies across the Americas, organized by Trench Rossi Watanabe in partnership with Ablfs McKfnzif in São Paulo
• Speaker at the International Tax Law Congress – IAT, on the International Taxation panel, in April 2025 and March 2026
• Speaker at the 4th CESA Congress of Law Firms, on the “Planning, Restructuring, Innovation and Transformation of Law Firms: Advances in AI and Impacts on Organizational Structure and Legal Teams” panel, in October 2025
• Speaker at the IBA Law Firm Management Latin America Conference, organized by the International Bar Association, on the “Strength in Numbers: The Role of Law Firm Networks” panel, in August 2025

Representative matters

• Tax advisory to a leading Brazilian multinational cosmetics company, including coordination with multiple foreign law firms on various corporate restructuring, debt restructuring, and M&A transactions across the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

• Tax advisory to a U.S.-based industrial technology company in a joint venture in Brazil with a global private equity fund, including structuring aspects related to carve-outs for the exclusion of specific assets and real estate, as well as designing pre-investment cash‑repatriation mechanisms.

• Tax advisory to a Brazilian orange juice producer and its shareholders in the sale of a significant minority stake to a foreign pension fund, including structuring aspects and negotiation support to enable a strategic investment focused on global expansion and the company’s sustainability strategy.

• Tax advisory to a Mexican food producer in multiple acquisitions in Brazil and coordination of post‑acquisition integration projects, with the objective of achieving tax optimization for operations and entities in Brazil and abroad.

• Advisory in tax audits and administrative defense of multinational companies on matters related to income tax and international taxation, including transfer pricing and customs‑related taxes and penalties.

Languages

Portuguese and English