The Legal 500

Recent highlights for Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares Da Silva & Associados include advising Impresa on its acquisition of several media companies, as well as assisting Sonaecom in a number of high-profile acquisitions, valued at €50m. António Lobo Xavier leads a department that clients praise as ‘very efficient and very good quality’, citing, ‘we can always trust on the work done’.

Vieira de Almeida & Associados has a longstanding reputation in the TMT market. Although best known for representing Portugal Telecom Group, the team also advises Banco Espirito Santo Group, Deloitte and the Portuguese Ministry of Education. This 15 fee-earner department houses ‘leading light’ Margarida Couto, Fernando Resina da Silva and newly appointed partner, Magda Cocco, and is renowned for its ‘technical capabilities’, ‘business-minded approach’, and ‘strong industry knowledge’.

ABBC – Azevedo Neves, Benjamim Mendes, Bessa Monteiro, Carvalho & Associados – Sociedade de Advogados RL has a well-respected team led by IT expert César Bessa Monteiro. The team recently advised Oracle on the acquisition of BEA Systems, as well as the acquisition of Siebel’s Portugul business. Meanwhile Sony BMG instructed the team to advise on the spin-off of its Portuguese distribution business and the merger of its record business with BMG. The practice is equipped to handle all matters relating to advertising, data protection, software, outsourcing, media and telecoms, advising clients such as Toys’T’Us, Mattel, Siemens, Clearnet, Apple and Google.

Noted for its ‘quality of service, availability and versatility’ Macedo Vitorino & Associados boasts a top-quality client roster, including AR Telecom, Cable & Wireless and Sony Pictures. Recent highlights include advising ONI Telecom on the sale of its residential customer portfolio to Sonaecom, as well as assisting CTT on its implementation of a Mobile Virtual Network Operator. Joao de Macedo Vitorino leads a team praised for its ‘accuracy an adaptability to the specific needs of customers’. Clients say the practice ‘has a very entrepreneurial vision as opposed to other, more traditional offices’.

Regulatory work is at the heart of PLMJ – A. M. Pereira, Sáragga Leal, Oliveira Martins, Júdice e Associados Sociedade de Advogados, RL’s TMT practice, though increasingly the team is involving itself in litigation against regulators. The team works extensively with its IP and corporate departments, and acts for clients such as Vodafone.

Sérvulo & Associados’ strong presence in the public law sector attracts a steady influx of TMT instructions from several public entities, such as Portugal Telecom. The team provides ongoing assistance to Rádio Televisão de Portugal in relation to criminal, civil and administrative liability concerning its broadcasting activity. The practice also caters to private sector clients, such as the Portuguese subsidiaries of Philips, advising on all technology-related matters, particularly the drafting of commercial contracts relating to healthcare technologies, consumer electronics and telecommunication equipment. Clients describe Lino Torgal as ‘focused, objective and efficient’.

Simmons & Simmons Rebelo de Sousa’s TMT team is praised by clients for providing‘good regulatory advice and technically excellent support’. Clients note the expertise of Octávio Castelo Paulo who has ‘extremely good knowledge of the market and the stakeholders’ and point to Luís Neto Galvão as someone with ‘excellent experience’. ZON Multimedia is a client to whom the firm provides regular TMT advice spanning the structuring of new services, contracts and disputes work, and assistance with regulatory and competition matters. According to one client, ‘Besides the personal and technical qualities of the lawyer, there is a very good networking at the European level’.

Uría Menéndez acted for MIPS Technologies in its $149m acquisition of ChipIdea Microelectrica, a leading semi-conductor design company. In the media sector, the team advised on the $47m sale of Media Capital Outdoors, as well as advising Unidad Editorial on the sale of Económica to OnGoing Strategy. Duarte Vasconcelos and Francisco Brito e Abreu are regarded as leading individuals.

Key clients of Abreu Advogados include a global mobile telecoms operator. Leonor Chastre heads the IT practice, and former legal advisor to the PCA Miguel Mendes Pereira advises TMT clients in relation to competition matters.

Barrocas Sarmento Neves is acting for Motorola in the establishment of the national emergency network of SIRESP. The team is also general counsel to Orange Portugal, most recently advising on the acquisition of a subsidiary and a name change. Diogo Lacerda Machado leads the department, housing six additional fee-earners.

CCA – Carlos Cruz & Associados is active in the new technologies and media sectors, having recently advised on the development of a match-making website and the new business start-up of mobile marketing service.

Frederico Pereira Coutinho led the team at Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira who advised MobiComp – Computação Móvel on its acquisition by Microsoft Corporation. The practice also assisted with the start up of a paysafecard operation in Portugal.

GARRIGUES PORTUGAL, S.L. – Sucursal advised Inditex, owners of the Zara brand, on the implementation of global data protection measures in Portugal. The team also advised a pharmaceutical company on data protection compliance issues relating to the collection and processing of data involved in clinical trials. The team is a top choice for telecoms clients.

Teixeira de Freitas, Rodrigues e Associados’ TMT practice is led by Carlos Manuel da Silva Gomes, who provides ongoing assistance to a major Portuguese telecoms infrastructure company, most recently advising on a €10m PLC supply agreement with a mobile phone network operator.