In regions where legal disputes intersect with emotional pressure, criminal influence, and institutional complexity, conventional conflict-resolution methods often prove insufficient. Across Latin America, a growing number of high-stakes cases now require a different approach – one that blends strategy, intelligence, and psychological insight. At the center of this emerging field is José Lemes Soares, widely known as JL Soares.
As reported in an article on OKMagazine, Soares is the founder and chief strategist of Perseu Counterintelligence, a firm advising high-net-worth families, multinational companies, and legal teams across Brazil, the United States, and Europe.
From Personal Crisis to Professional Doctrine
Soares’s path into civil counterintelligence did not follow a traditional legal or academic trajectory. Before founding Perseu, he was managing his family’s transportation business. That changed abruptly when an organized criminal group targeted a vulnerable member of his family.
Faced with legal processes that were too slow to address an immediate threat, Soares took an unconventional route. He coordinated a multi-agency response to protect his mother, dismantle the criminal operation, and secure the family’s assets. What began as a personal necessity became a defining professional turning point.
This operation – later referred to as “Case Zero” – laid the groundwork for what Soares would formalize as civil counterintelligence: a discipline designed to address asymmetric conflicts where traditional legal tools alone are insufficient.
Engineering Outcomes, Not Arguments
Unlike conventional consultants or legal advisors, Soares approaches disputes as complex systems rather than isolated events. His work focuses on identifying hidden power dynamics, behavioral triggers, and informal networks that influence outcomes behind the scenes.
At Perseu, this methodology is formalized as the Strategic Doctrine – a framework combining intelligence gathering, behavioral profiling, and operational planning. Soares often describes his role as that of an “operational architect,” personally overseeing the diagnostic phase of each case before assembling multidisciplinary teams that may include legal experts, behavioral analysts, and digital forensics specialists.
The objective is not escalation, but resolution. By addressing the root causes of conflict – rather than only its legal symptoms – Soares aims to shift seemingly immovable situations toward closure.
Select Cases That Defined a Reputation
While many of Perseu’s operations remain confidential due to strict non-disclosure agreements, several public cases have contributed to Soares’s reputation.
In one widely discussed incident, his team uncovered the hidden ownership structure of a luxury car dealership linked to organized crime within hours, neutralizing the operation before formal investigations progressed. In another case, Soares intervened in a stalled restructuring deal involving a major Brazilian educational institution, identifying a psychological bottleneck that had prevented consensus and enabling the transaction to close.
Perseu has also been involved in cross-border advisory work, including corporate investigations in Europe and strategic counsel for U.S.-based stakeholders, reflecting the international scope of Soares’s practice.
The Philosophy Behind Perseu
Soares’s professional framework is guided by what he calls the “Doctrine of Just Engagement.” Perseu accepts only cases where there is a demonstrable imbalance or injustice that can be corrected. The firm avoids engagements driven by personal vendettas or reputational vanity.
Educated in part at Gordonstoun School in Scotland, Soares credits his early training with teaching him composure under pressure. However, he emphasizes that his most formative lessons came during real-world crises, where theory gave way to immediate decision-making.
A New Discipline Takes Shape
Today, JL Soares is recognized as one of Latin America’s leading figures in civil counterintelligence – a field still evolving but increasingly relevant in complex legal and corporate environments. By blending strategy, intelligence, and ethics, Soares has positioned Perseu as a quiet but influential force in resolving conflicts others consider unsolvable.
