Elliott Hodgkin 37m59
16 May 2025
Brazilian lawyer Ordélio Azevedo Sette, who founded Azevedo Sette Advogados and played a prominent role in several historic privatisations throughout his career, has died at the age of 84.
Azevedo Sette ed away on 12 May.
Among his most notable achievements is the founding of his own firm, which first opened its doors in Belo Horizonte in 1967. Through decades of dedication and vision, he transformed the firm from a mining boutique into a Highly Recommended full-service outfit in the Brazilian legal market. Today, the firm counts over 500 professionals and offices in São Paulo, Brasília, Recife, Rio de Janeiro and its original home in Belo Horizonte.
Azevedo Sette played a pivotal role in some of Brazil’s most significant economic transformations, including the privatisation of steelmaker Usiminas in 1991. The transaction was the first of its kind in Brazil and marked the beginning of an era of large-scale privatisations. Six years later, the lawyer participated in the privatisation of mining giant Vale, a move that has profoundly shaped the country’s modern industrial landscape.
From the early 2000s onward, Azevedo Sette served as legal adviser to Andrade Gutierrez for all its major strategic operations, whose projects span energy, transportation and industrial sectors both domestically and internationally.
The lawyers influence extended far beyond pure legal practice, however. Azevedo Sette helped co-found the Center for Studies of Law Firms (CESA), a critical non-profit association in the Brazilian legal sector, and served as an external consultant to the United Nations. His leadership roles included acting as president of the International Chamber of Commerce of Brazil and as an advisory board member of the Council of the Americas in Washington, DC.
Azevedo Sette was also ionate about promoting legal justice beyond Brazil, which he demonstrated through his participation in numerous missions organised by the Gates Foundation’s World Justice Project.
In recognition of his numerous achievements that span more than 50 years, Azevedo Sette received Latin Lawyer’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. Speaking to Latin Lawyer at the time, Azevedo Sette said that building one of the most relevant law firms in Brazil was “beyond what I could have dreamed of.”
Tributes in recognition of Azevedo Sette have poured in, noting his contributions to the legal sector, leadership and humanity.
Ronaldo Camargo Veirano, founding partner of Veirano Advogados, described him as “a great friend, an excellent lawyer and a beloved human being celebrated by all who had the privilege of knowing him.”
Tito Andrade, managing partner at Machado Meyer Advogados, expressed his condolences to the family and colleagues, calling Ordélio “a great reference in the law practice in Minas Gerais and the country.”
Simon Masters, partner at Eversheds Sutherland, shared that it was “a pleasure to have known and worked” with Azevedo Sette, offering his condolences.
Colleague and friend Renato Faria, CEO and board member at Andrade Gutierrez, reflected on their decades-long partnership, saying: “He built a leading legal firm, and this legacy will honour him for decades, because it is excellent.”
Within the firm itself, partner Isabel Franco re Azevedo Sette’s “remarkable soul, spirit and charm” and “inspiring skills,” while partner Luiz Eduardo Salles called him “the giant with the calm voice, who walked ahead of his time and beyond his mountains”.
Azevedo Sette is survived by his wife and four sons, all of whom are lawyers at their father’s firm, as well as eight grandchildren.