In conversation with Karina Goldberg at FCDG Advogados
“I thought that mostly junior associates would use but ourselves, senior partners are using it a lot, especially because it helps us to build arguments that we want to include in our written statements, or also to work with our associates on preparing the arguments.”
Karina Goldberg,
Partner, FCDG Advogados
Results at a Glance
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Research across institutions | One search replaces separate searches across different sources |
| Client response time | Faster delivery of memoranda without longer deadlines |
| Document production | Document production work previously co-counselled with US and European firms; now handled independently |
| Access to Brazilian state awards | Public awards in Portuguese available directly in the database |
| Senior partner usage | Senior partners actively using Jus AI to build arguments and prepare written submissions |
About FCDG Advogados
FCDG Advogados is a boutique disputes-only firm based in Brazil, with a team of more than 100 lawyers exclusively focused on litigation and arbitration. The firm is recognised as one of Brazil’s leading practices in both domestic and international arbitration, regularly called upon in the country’s most significant and complex disputes.
The firm’s founding partners include Marcelo Ferro, leading reference in international arbitration, and Jose Roberto de Castro Neves, whose involvement notably extends to the legislative drafting of the amendment to the Brazilian Arbitration Act.
The firm serves clients in China and Europe with cross-border matters involving Brazil, and is an active participant in international arbitration institutions. Karina Goldberg, a partner at the firm, was a member of the IBA subcommittee on case law, through which the firm first developed its relationship with Jus Mundi.
The Opportunity
Operational Challenge
Before adopting Jus AI, researching procedural and substantive standards across international arbitration institutions required navigating multiple separate databases and websites. To locate decisions from institutions such as SIAC, ICC, or the Brazilian CAM-CCBC on a given issue, practitioners had to search source by source, with no single platform consolidating that intelligence. For a firm operating at the intersection of Brazilian and international arbitration, this was a significant limitation, particularly when time pressure was acute.
Strategic Challenge
FCDG Advogados recognised that AI was rapidly being adopted by leading firms internationally and was determined not to fall behind. As a boutique firm competing against global practices with greater resources, the pressure was twofold: maintaining the quality of technical work that defines the firm’s reputation, while expanding the range of services that could be delivered independently without relying on co-counsel arrangements with larger US or European firms for work such as document production.
The Solution
FCDG Advogados’ relationship with Jus Mundi began through institutional collaboration. Karina Goldberg, as a member of the IBA subcommittee on case law, worked alongside Jus Mundi in its initiative to collect decisions and awards from around the world as part of the IBA x Jus Mundi partnership. That direct experience with the depth and specificity of the database built confidence in the platform and, subsequently, in Jus AI.
The firm adopted Jus AI for its ability to consolidate arbitration intelligence from institutions worldwide into a single, searchable resource. Rather than navigating multiple platforms and institution websites to locate relevant decisions, practitioners could now access awards, procedural orders, primary and secondary sources, and authorities through one interface. The platform’s collaboration with leading institutions and libraries extended that reach further, giving the firm confidence that the research they were building arguments on was both comprehensive and traceable back to the original source.
The Impact
Research Support When It Matters Most
One of the clearest demonstrations of Jus AI’s value came during preparation for a major hearing before the CAM-CCBC. On the eve of the hearing, a significant privilege issue arose: the tribunal wished to see emails involving in-house counsel, and there was a dispute over whether those documents were protected. The team needed to research and prepare arguments overnight ahead of a discussion before the tribunal the following morning.
Jus AI, which is fueled by Jus Mundi’s database, specifically focused on international arbitration, gave the team timely access to the decisions and awards needed to build their position. The research that would previously have required navigating multiple platforms was consolidated into a single tool.
A Tool for Senior Partners, Not Just Associates
There was an initial assumption at the firm that AI adoption would be driven primarily by junior associates. In practice, senior partners at FCDG Advogados have become active and regular users of Jus AI.
More Responsive Client Service
The ability to research across institutional databases and access translated decisions has improved the firm’s responsiveness to clients. Matters that previously required extended timelines can now be turned around more quickly without compromising technical quality.
“Clients like the fact that, especially because you provide translation of the decisions, you also give them quicker answers when they need, like a superfast memorandum.”
Deeper Coverage of the Brazilian Market
For arbitrations involving the Brazilian state or public administration, a significant part of the Brazilian arbitration market, the relevant awards are public. Jus AI has integrated this body of decisions, in Portuguese, directly into its database.
“This is something that only the AI and Jus Mundi could bring to us. The fact that Jus Mundi had thought about Brazil as a market, and the fact that we do have access to the decisions in Portuguese, to the original version of the decisions.”
This means the firm can research jurisdiction, merits issues, and procedural standards in Brazilian state-related arbitrations with the depth and precision the original sources demand.
Document Production: Now Delivered In-House
Jus AI has also enabled the firm to handle a wider range of services without engaging outside firms. Work that previously required bringing in American or European firms for document production can now be managed in-house.
“It also helped us to start doing some services that we used to do only when we were co-counsel with the big firms in the US or in Europe. When we went into the document production, for example, in the past, we used to say to our client, look, we have to do that with an American firm that is more used to document production, and now we can do that with Jus AI. So it gave us a competitive advantage as well.”
Closing Value
FCDG Advogados’ adoption of Jus AI reflects a deliberate strategic commitment: to ensure that a boutique, disputes-focused firm in Brazil can offer the same quality, speed, and breadth of service as the world’s leading international arbitration practices. By centralising access to arbitration intelligence across institutions, languages, and jurisdictions, Jus AI has given the firm’s senior partners more time to think, stronger arguments to present, and the confidence to deliver independently — without needing to reach beyond their walls
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