Professor Umberto Celli Jr. has been practicing law for almost 30 years. He has been a partner and legal counsel for the most prestigious law firms in Brazil, including the Pinheiro Neto and L.O.Baptista law firms. He was also legal counsel for Embraer - Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica - one of the world’s largest aircraft companies. Over the years, Umberto has provided legal advise to a large number of Brazilian and multinational corporations mostly in the areas of: International Trade Law; Telecommunications, Media and Information Technology (TMT); Regulatory Law (Antitrust and Telecommunications); Regulated Markets; Arbitration; International Negotiations and Agreements; and Regional Integration Processes (such as MERCOSUR).

 

Professor Celli regularly provides legal opinions. For example he has provided opinions to the Brazilian government on the compatibility of certain governmental plans, actions and Bills with the WTO legal framework, as well as to Brazilian and multinational corporations on China’s WTO accession, and to Brazilian companies on Venezuela’s accession to MERCOSUR.

 

From 2001 until now he has been listed as a leading individual and recommended lawyer in the communications area (Telecommunications and IT) (Chambers Global Guide, Global Communications Industry Report, Global Council 3000/PLR Communications Cross-border Handbook, PLC Which Lawyer, Latin Lawyer Magazine, Who’s Who Legal and World’s Best Lawyers). He was listed in the 2007/2008 editions of the Guide to the World’s Leading International Trade Lawyers, as well as on the Expert Guides website (2007-2008) as a leading Brazilian International Trade Law practitioner.

 

Dr. Umberto Celli is a professor of International Law at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and has published extensively on international trade law, regulatory law and regional integration matters. He has coordinated a number of Research Groups on International Trade Law, dealing in particular with Trade in Services. His expertise on trade in services earned him an invitation to observe the WTO services negotiations in Geneva as an invited delegate of the Brazilian Mission to the WTO. He was one of the Directors of the Brazilian Institute of International Trade Law and Development (IDCID).

 

In addition to advising corporations and governemnts, Umberto has also developed and carried out technical assistance projects for developing countries involving regulatory issues, such as a Telecommunications Framework for Angola in 2005. He has experience with Capacity Building Projects, including in Tanzania, at the invitation of the International Lawyers and Economists against Poverty (ILEAP).

University of São Paulo Law School: LL.B, 1982; LLM in International Law, 1990; PhD in International Law, 1998; and Free Professorship, 2009.

University of Nottingham Law School, England: Master of Philosophy in International Law, 1993.

Brazilian Bar (1983)
Former Director of the Brazilian Institute of International Law and Development (IDCID)
Former Vice-President of the Brazilian Telecommunications and Computer Law Association (ABDI)
Brazilian Journal of Latin American Studies (PROLAM/USP): Member of the Editorial Board
Member of the Commission on Postgraduate Programme on Latin American Integration

 

Languages
Portuguese, English, French, Italian and Spanish.

Citizenship: Brazilian, Italian.
 
Date of Birth: 11 October 1958