Melanie von Staa Toledo is an associate in the Houston office of Latham & Watkins. Melanie focuses her practice on cross-border mergers and acquisitions in the energy and infrastructure space. Melanie advises a variety of clients, including private equity funds and public and private companies in a range of strategic corporate transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestments, equity issuances, and restructurings, with a particular focus on transactions in Latin America generally, and Brazil in particular.

Originally from Brazil, Melanie is fluent in Portuguese and German.

Prior to joining Latham, Melanie was an associate at a global law firm in São Paulo for six years, where she advised corporate and sovereign clients on a variety of cross-border corporate and M&A transactions, including public and private mergers and acquisitions, issuances of debt securities, and corporate restructurings.

Melanie maintains an active pro bono practice, most recently representing individuals seeking asylum and persons in need of estate planning and legal research.

Melanie's experience includes advising:

  • Global Infrastructure Partners on the sale of assets of Atlas Renewable Energy in the largest M&A transaction in the Brazilian power industry and Latin America’s largest renewable energy deal in 2023
  • Natura Coseméticos, the largest Brazilian cosmetics company by revenue, on its crossboarder merger with Avon*
  • Jiansu CCETC on its acquisition of thermoelectric plants in the State of Bahia, Brazil*
  • Casa dos Ventos on its long term PPA with Vale and negotiation of Vale’s option to purchase related wind power assets*
  • Mitsubushi in its joint venture in Brazil with Shell and Patria for the development of gas-based thermal power plant in the State of Rio de Janeiro*
  • OpenCo, a Brazilian-based online lending platform for individuals, on the merger with BizCapital
  • Wren House Infrastructure Management Limited on the acquisition of an equity stake in SeaCube Container Leasing Ltd., a leading container leasing company, from Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board
  • Heramba Electric in its business combination with Project Energy Reimagined Acquisition Corp.
  • Innoviz in its registered follow-on equity offering

*Matter handled prior to joining Latham 

Bar Qualification

  • Brazil (Advogada)
  • Texas

Education

  • LLM, University of Pennsylvania Law School, 2022
  • LL.B, Sao Paulo Law School at Fundaao Getulio Vargas, 2015

Languages Spoken

  • English
  • Portuguese
  • German