The Legal 500

‘One of the best firms in Oporto’, Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados maintains its significant position in the market, and is a recognised leader across a number of key areas. Highlights for Carlos Osório de Castro included advising a Portuguese bank on regulatory issues following the international bailout assistance given to the country in 2011, and advising Sonae Capital on the €37m sale of its stake in TP – Sociedade Térmica Portuguesa to Enel Green Power España. Elsewhere, consultant Paula Ponces Camanho handles employment matters; and, on the corporate side, Eduardo Verde Pinho is recommended along with the ‘totally committed’ Jorge Simões Cortez, who has ‘deep technical knowledge’. António Lobo Xavier leads on the tax side, and counts Turbogás and media group Cofina as key clients. For EU and competition matters, Joaquim Vieira Peres is singled out and acts for clients including ZON TV Cabo Portugal.

PLMJ Law Firm’s Oporto practice ‘exceeds expectations’ and is highly rated for its ‘excellent quality of legal services’. Tomás Pessanha and his team are recommended for their ‘clear ideas and advice’, and the group is noted for its recent activity across M&A, employment, arbitration, and insolvency matters. Pessanha continues to advise Paine & Partners, WireCo WorldGroup, and Américo Amorim Group. The ‘very strong’ Manuel Cavaleiro Brandão and José Ricardo Gonçalves advised Wipro on the collective dismissal of 200 employees, and Frederico Perry Vidal and Diogo Duarte de Campos are currently acting in a notable arbitration case. José Ricardo Gonçalves is also recommended.

Noted for its ‘quick and diligent responses’, ‘excellent industry knowledge and legal network’ and ‘high-quality advice’, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira is recommended for its work across corporate, tax, public law, litigation and insolvency. The highly recommended José de Freitas is advising construction group FDO in insolvency proceedings worth €260m relating to five of its companies, and is also representing Gestamp Portugal in a €20m tax case. ‘Leading lawyer’ Paulo Castro Rangel is ‘particularly brilliant in public law’, and has ‘wide knowledge of Portugal’s socio-economic reality’. Rangel advised EDP on the licensing, construction and implementation of several hydroelectric installations, and continues to act for Metro do Porto and Centro Hospitalar do Porto. Senior associate Filipe Avides Moreira is ‘equally excellent in providing legal advice and in advocacy’, and associate Pedro Sousa Machado has ‘extensive knowledge of tax litigation before public fiscal entities and courts’.

Telles de Abreu e Associados – Sociedade de Advogados RL advises on a range of matters in areas including public law and litigation. Key individual Luís Telles de Abreu is highly recommended, and José António Martinez is singled out for his substantial knowledge. Carlos Lucena is ‘remarkable in corporate and M&A matters’.

Demonstrating ‘top-level technical skills’, Uría Menéndez – Proença de Carvalho’s Oporto office handles corporate, tax, employment, real estate, public law and litigation matters, among other areas. Highly recommended for his experience, João Anacoreta Correia is currently advising Grupo Trofa Saúde on its acquisition of Hospitais Privados de Portugal. Managing associate José Amorim Magalhães advised Unilabs on its restructuring, and is currently representing RTP (Rádio e Televisão de Portugal) in over 50 judicial claims related to employment issues. Senior associate Miguel Durham Agrellos has notable tax expertise, and managing associate Pedro Teixeira de Sousa is recommended for public law and real estate.

Abreu Advogados’ Oporto offering remains strong in all major areas, and particularly tax, litigation, real estate and corporate law. Highlights included advising Portucel Soporcel and Secil (both Semapa Group companies) on tax assessments and related matters; and advising Porto Vivo SRU on real estate agreements and public contracts, led by Maria Dulce Soares. Nuno Barbosa is assisting Internationales Bankhaus Bodensee on financing issues. The experienced Paulo de Tarso Domingues and Rui Peixoto Duarte are also recommended.

The ‘very trustworthy’ Amorim Advogados has a notable record in public law and construction cases. The ‘brilliant’ and ‘well-balanced’ Tiago Amorim ‘instils confidence in negotiations’ and provides ‘precious advice’. Since forming the firm in 2009, Amorim ‘has done an impressive job’ in establishing a strong presence in the market. Highlights included advising BERD (Bridge Engineering Research and Design) on purchases and sales of equipment for building bridges in Brazil, worth €16m, and representing Ferreira Construção e Agrupadas in an arbitration against Parque Escolar. Joana Martins Mendes advised IBMC (Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular) on a co-operation agreement with Ablynx.

Garrigues has a longstanding reputation for its tax expertise, largely due to the reputation of Miguel Reis, who is a very well-known individual in the arena. The Oporto office also advises on corporate, employment and litigation matters. Reis, together with associate Joana Tavares de Oliveira, is advising Iberdrola on tax matters related to the construction of four hydroelectric dams in northern Portugal. Elsewhere, associates Rui Valente and Miguel Koch Rua are assisting Oxylane Group (Decathlon) on corporate and employment matters in Portugal.

At JPAB – José Pedro Aguiar-Branco & Associados, RL, the trio of José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, Ivone Rocha and Maria Augusta Fernando maintain a busy practice. Pedro Botelho Gomes leads in labour law, and the team has wide-ranging experience in both contentious and non-contentious employment matters.

Taveira da Fonseca & Associados’ Joaquim Taveira da Fonseca is a ‘top-notch’ lawyer. He is particularly recommended for litigation and arbitration cases, and also assists in corporate and M&A matters.

Vieira de Almeida & Associados has a solid offering in Oporto under the leadership of Isabel Gião de Andrade, and is noted for its experience in the IT, health and industrial sectors. It provides corporate, public law and restructuring advice, and is particularly experienced in cross-border matters involving other Lusophone countries. Andrade advised DST Group on setting up a subsidiary in Mozambique, and is currently advising gas cylinder manufacturer Amtrol-Alfa on supply and distribution issues, and on the restructuring of the business operations of subsidiaries located in Poland and Brazil. Other clients include Nanium and Escala Braga. Managing associate Joana Domingues is also recommended.

FCB&A – F Castelo Branco & Associados’ Oporto and Lisbon teams work together to service clients including Casais, Banif and Silos de Leixões. Senior associate Susana Proença is advising an Irish investment group regarding its simultaneous €110m acquisition of three commercial and residential buildings in Oporto.

Nuno Cerejeira Namora, Pedro Marinho Falcão & Associados fields a 20-strong team in Oporto, and is noted for its strength in tax and litigation. Pedro Marinho Falcão is the key contact.

Local firm Rui Delgado e Associados – Sociedade de Advogados, RL has a full-service offering in Oporto. The team of ‘senators of local law’ is highly recommended by peers.