PORT COMPANIES LAW PRACTICE is the expression we found best to define our specialty and operating area. For over forty-seven years, in the city of Santos, Ruy de Mello Miller Law Office has the expertise to assist all parties concerned in shipping and port activities, as well as in foreign trade.
Specializing of their professionals started taking shape even before the office was established. Ruy de Mello MillerAntonio Barja Filho.
In the beginning of their practice, they rendered services to some shipping agencies and soon became active in defending working rights of the “bagrinhos” (non-Union stevedores usually passed over when stevedoring gangs were made up), which was the starting point of their trajectories and lent prestige to their name nationwide.
Sea Carriers and their agents were defended by this office in their disputes with the Government in matters relating to payment of import duties whenever shortage of or damage to cargo occurred. Their legal argument was officially recognized upon publication of Decision Abridgement n° 192 of Federal Appeals Court: “the shipping agent, when acting solely within its own attributions, shall neither be held liable for tax payment nor can he be deemed to be equal to carrier for the purpose of Executive Act 37, dated 1966”. .
Upon this postulate becoming successful, they could count among their clients, regular shipping lines such as Delta Steamship Line, Netumar, SEAS, Hamburg-Sud, Evergreen, Oldfjell, United Arab Shipping and P&I Clubs established in this port. A solid partnership with Rio de Janeiro law office of Pedro Calmon Filho was reached, thus solidifying their specialization in the Maritime Law area.
In the mid-80s, with the implementation of Bonded Off-port Terminals (“TRA”), present dry ports and CLIAS, the law office rendered assistance to those terminals, as well as to the main trucking companies serving the Port of Santos.
When Port Modernization Law came into effect, the office led the implementation process of said law in the Port of Santos, fully participating in his privatization, either by representing the State of São Paulo Port Operators Association (“SOSESP”), as well as the Port Labour Management Agency (“OGMO”), or by counseling companies in bidding in the port area. By virtue of this well established specialization, the office was invited to defend the Port Authority Council (“CAP-Santos”). The same took place in the port of São Sebastião, when our law rendered assistance to the local OGMO.
Right at this time, the professional trajectory of the second generation of lawyers at the Ruy de Mello Miller Law Office started, and they are now in charge of the law office administration and management.
At present, our law office caters to port terminals, both public and private, and port operators, in addition to performing the usual work involved with trucking companies, P&I Clubs, off-port terminals, shipping and cargo agents, trading companies, importers and exporters and all others involved with shipping, port activities and foreign trade.
Quite recently, we have been actively participating in investment funds projects at the Port of Santos, counseling and analysing merging procedures and company and port areas purchases, joint ventures and bidding, backed by an ample network of contacts and consultants of various specialties.
