Brazilian Feds target big law firms accused of corruption

One of the most common legal strategies in Brazil is not taught in any law school and left out of the textbooks. It is known in Portuguese as “embargos auriculares,” something that could be translated as “close-to-ear appeal.” The expression is a derogatory way of describing a common practice in courts — when lawyers visit judges’ chambers and sweet-talk them into a favorable ruling. It implies that counselors use more than their words to get their way, offering some sort of under-the-table deal.

This week, Operation Car Wash launched a new set of charges against big law firms, suggesting that the hidden meaning of the expression “close-to-ear appeals” might be less of an urban legend and more of a common strategy.

Investigators launched Operation S $cheme (yes, with a dollar sign), targeting 15 big law firms accused of embezzling funds from the so-called “Sistema S” — a group of non-profit organizations run by the private sector (yet financed with public money), which promote educational and cultural activities across the country. According to prosecutors, law firms have become fronts for money-laundering schemes or for paying kickbacks to judges.

The list of high-profile names targeted by the Feds includes the likes of Cristiano Zanin, Roberto Teixeira — both of whom represent former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva —, Frederick Wassef — a...