The Legal 500

Sérvulo & Associados is the ‘undisputed public law leader’ in Portugal, fielding a team of ‘simply outstanding lawyers’. The firm has strength in every aspect of public law, with notable expertise advising on public procurement and regulatory law, and advises clients from all major industry sectors. A ‘master in himself’, José Manuel Sérvulo Correia is a prominent figure within a team that regularly acts on major instructions from the government and other public institutions. João Amaral e Almeida is currently representing the firefighting public body Empresa de Meios Aéreos against HeliPortugal in a €44m arbitration relating to helicopter supply. Lino Torgal, who is ‘very well prepared, and has technical knowledge and strength in negotiations’, advised the Altavia consortium on its public tender for the Lisbon-Poceirão stretch of the now suspended high-speed rail network. Ricardo Guimarães, Rui Medeiros and Mark Kirkby are also recommended.

The ‘excellent’ Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados has a substantial presence in the public law arena, and its spread of work across public and private sectors continued to attract a steady flow of instructions throughout 2010. Highlights included advising the Lisbon airport company, NAER, and the government on the transaction model for the construction of the city’s new airport (albeit now suspended), and advising Parque Escolar on implementing a €90m model to modernise state schools. The team acts for clients in major industries including the pharmaceuticals, telecoms and energy sectors, among them Pfizer, Sonaecom and EDP. Practice head Fernanda Matoso is recommended, along with the ‘highly qualified and very skilled’ Pedro Gonçalves and Magarida Olazabal Cabral, who represents the government and other public bodies. Miguel Nogueira de Brito and Nuno Peres Alves are also recommended.

‘One of the best law firms in Portugal in any legal aspect,’ Vieira de Almeida & Associados is developing an excellent public law practice. Mário Esteves de Oliveira is a ‘recognised legal authority’ who excels on issues of ‘extreme legal complexity’, and acts for clients including Bank of Portugal, Santander Bank, Estradas de Portugal and Parpública. The team is assisting Transdev in a public procurement dispute relating to the Metro do Porto. It also continues to advise the airport public service body, ANA, on public procurement and contentious matters. Other clients include the Portuguese government, the Ministry of Education, REN, Brisa and the postal service, Correios de Portugal. Paulo Pinheiro is a ‘very competent professional’ who advises several health sector clients. Rodrigo Esteves de Oliveira is also recommended.

Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira’s public law team can call on ‘one of the best litigation teams in Portugal’. The group also has experience advising consortia on tenders for the high-speed railway and also for new concession contracts to transform shadow tolls into real tolls on several motorways. Key clients include Somague Engenharia, Onitelecom, Dragados and Metro do Porto. Diogo Perestrelo and the ‘excellent’ Duarte Abecasis are recommended.

PLMJ Law Firm’s ‘very, very good’ public law team is ‘strongly recommended’. Rui Chancerelle de Machete heads the team, which continues to advise two consortia led by Mota-Engil on major projects such as the high-speed railway and two motorway public tenders. Tiago Duarte is advising Ascendi on programmes to convert shadow tolls to real tolls. The group has experience handling contentious public law cases, and is advising Centro Colombo against the Municipality of Lisbon. Pedro Melo is also recommended.

Rui Pena, Arnaut & Associados, Sociedade de Advogados, RL’s public law practice offers ‘appropriate advice and excellent, ready responses’, and features several ‘experts across different fields’. The group advises on regulatory and procurement law, including litigation, and particularly draws clients from the energy sector, where the firm thrives on its strong reputation. The firm advised new client Ren-Rede Eléctrica Nacional on all public tenders for infrastructure relating to the electricity grid. Galp Gás Natural is another key client. Rui Pena is ‘a highly experienced lawyer who provides excellent client service’. Gonçalo Guerra Tavares does an ‘excellent job’.

Uría Menéndez – Proença de Carvalho’s ‘fantastic’ public law team advises private and public sector clients on litigation, regulation, projects and administrative contracts. Its private clients include major domestic banks, while its public institutional clients include the Autonomous Region of Madeira. Praised for its ‘exemplary professionalism’, the group was involved in financing the high-speed railway and the Águas da Boavista water distribution project in Cape Verde, where it is advising Banco BPI and Caixa Económica de Cabo Verde. Bernardo Diniz de Ayala is ‘one of the best public law practitioners’.

‘Good value for money,’ Abreu Advogados operates a combined public law and environmental practice led by Manuel Andrade Neves and José Eduardo Martins. The team advises Electricidade da Madeira, Vortal and PT Comunicações on all public procurement issues. On the contentious side, it is representing ENCV in a €55m dispute relating to the state provider of maritime transport in the Azores.

José Luís Esquível is the standout practitioner at Esquivel Advogados, where recent work includes advising a consortium featuring Somague Ediçor and Mota-Engil on a public works contract for the extension of the João Paulo II airport in the Azores, and assisting regulator ANACOM with a number of matters. The group has experience in the energy, transportation, water and waste sectors, and regularly advises on contentious issues.

Garrigues Portugal’s public law team is expanding its capabilities under the leadership of the widely recommended expert João Rosado Correia. The team is representing the Municipality of Lisbon in court proceedings regarding the construction of the Marquês de Pombal Tunnel and also in a claim case following its acquisition of Parque Mayer.

Linklaters LLP’s public law capabilities draw on the strengths of the firm’s work in PPPs, construction and project finance. The group, led by the highly regarded Pedro Siza Vieira, is expert at advising on regulatory law issues and public procurement and successfully advised a consortium on the €204m subconcession tender for the maintenance of Oporto’s light rail system, Metro do Porto.

The ‘very good public lawyer’ José Luís Moreira da Silva leads the practice at SRS Advogados, which has a prominent presence in the arena. Highlights for 2010 included winning the high-profile tender to advise Estradas de Portugal on its €4bn PPP/PFI motorway programme. The team continues to advise the Lisbon Regional Health Administration on PPPs for several hospitals, including the Amadora-Sintra District Hospital. Other clients include ZON Group, Galp and the Ministry of Health.

FCB&A – F Castelo Branco & Associados has a strong reputation in advising on contentious public law cases, and is representing HP Portugal in a €6m compensation dispute against the government relating to personal computer supplies to schools. Practice co-heads Paula Teixeira da Cruz and the ‘knowledgeable’ Miguel Lorena Brito are recommended for their administrative expertise, and regularly act for food and facilities management provider Sodexo Portugal, as well as the Central Administration for the Health System and Atlas Maritime Security.

Offering ‘excellent service, proper advice and balanced rates’, Franco Caiado Guerreiro & Associados’ team advises clients including FundBox, Orion Corporation and Danipor on public law issues. It is advising a consortium comprising EDP, Sonangol, BPA and Finicapital on the €300m concession for the construction of a power plant in Angola. João Caiado Guerreiro is the key contact.

Mário da Rosa Amaral and Tiago Dias José lead the practice at Mouteira Guerreiro, Rosa Amaral & Associados – Sociedade de Advogados R.L., which advises clients on licensing matters and is also defending OTLIS and the public transport entity ACE against various claims.

AAA is ‘very good’ for public contracts work and is representing INDAQUA – Gestão de Águas on numerous tenders and concession contracts. Maria José Verde leads the team, and associate Rita Gama Abreu is praised for her ‘response times and accuracy’.

Benjamim Mendes and Luís Filipe Carvalho head the team at ABBC – Azevedo Neves, Benjamim Mendes, Carvalho & Associados – Sociedade de Advogados, in which Hugo Correia is also recommended. The group was involved in developing the contractual model for the Municipality of Portimão’s PPP, and also acts for several other Portuguese municipalities.

Albuquerque & Associados has experience advising on PPPs and public procurement, and has several clients in the shipping and port sectors. It was involved in the public procedure for supplying a passenger ship to the Azores government. Alexandre de Albuquerque is the key contact.

Providing a ‘high level of service’, Carlos Aguiar, Ferreira de Lima & Associados – Sociedade de Avogados, R.L. advises on PPPs and public tenders. The group offers ‘most valuable legal advice’, and Tiago Ferreira de Lima in particular has ‘excellent skills’.

Albano Sarmento’s arrival from Barrocas Advogados enhances Gómez-Acebo & Pombo’s new public law offering in Portugal, which acts for several construction and engineering companies.

Susana Vieira leads the practice at Macedo Vitorino & Associados, which advises on public procurement and acted for Grupo Rodoviário in negotiating several of the agreements for motorway concessions launched by Estradas de Portugal.

Raposo Bernardo advised green energy group Fomentinvest on its tender for a thermal biomass power plant. It also continues to assist Geota Engineering with several public tenders through the firm’s Angola office.

At Serra Lopes, Cortes Martins & Associados, Miguel Pena Machete advises developer Chamartín Imobiliária on planning issues and contentious claims involving state municipalities. Cláudio Monteiro is also recommended.