The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, PLMJ Law Firm is a second tier firm,

A key player in the market, PLMJ Law Firm acts for an impressive roster of banks and multinational and national companies, including DWS Investments, Barclays and REN. Its superb restructuring capabilities are also highly valued by clients. Well-respected practitioner Jorge de Brito Pereira advised Banco BIC Português on its acquisition of the shares of Banco Português de Negócios following the reprivatisation of the bank. Recently promoted partner Hugo Rosa Ferreira and Nuno Líbano Monteiro advised Barclays on the €120m restructuring of the financing for a luxury resort in the Algarve region. Senior associate Inês Pinto da Costa is also recommended.

Within Capital markets, PLMJ Law Firm is a first tier firm,

PLMJ Law Firm has a solid record for both debt and equity work. Praised for his ‘excellent availability, clever strategy and results’, Jorge de Brito Pereira advised ZON Multimédia on its €200m public offering of notes in June 2012; and also assisted REN on matters related to its €5bn EMTN programme. Recently promoted partners Magda Viçoso and Hugo Rosa Ferreira are singled out for their knowledge and experience, and Viçoso recently advised Cimpor on a takeover bid launched by InterCement Austria. Senior associates Raquel Azevedo, André Figueiredo and Duarte Schmidt Lino are also recommended.

Within Corporate and M&A, PLMJ Law Firm is a first tier firm,

PLMJ Law Firm’s ‘large and highly experienced team’ provides ‘a very good service’ to major Portuguese corporates including Cimpor and ZON, and has experience in the pharmaceuticals, energy, construction and telecoms sectors. Manuel Santos Vitor and Luís Sáragga Leal advised the Foreign National Oil Company on the acquisition of participations in its branch in Brazil. The ‘client-oriented’ Victor Réfega Fernandes is also recommended, alongside Vasco de Ataíde Marques, Luís Miguel Urbano and Luís Miguel Pais Antunes. In Oporto, Tomás Pessanha is advising Praia do Forte (an Américo Amorim group) on the demerger of its Brazilian subsidiary company Siravol do Brasil, and assisting WireCo WorldGroup in its restructuring and related mergers and demergers. Senior associates Ana Oliveira Rocha and Nuno Luís Sapateiro are singled out.

Within Dispute resolution, PLMJ Law Firm is a first tier firm,

PLMJ Law Firm provides ‘a very good client service’ and ‘quick response times’. Experienced practitioner José-Miguel Júdice and Pedro Metello de Nápoles are noted for their arbitration work. At the helm of the litigation team, Nuno Líbano Monteiro acts for Cimpor in all contentious matters. João Medeiros leads the criminal law practice, and in his group, Paulo Farinha Alves is noted as providing ‘excellent support onanti-bribery and corruption matters’. Pedro Faria ‘understands clients’ businesses and requirements well’, and is currently representing Mercedes-Benz in injunction proceedings relating to alleged breaches of contract and in criminal proceedings. Nuno Morais Sarmento and Oporto-based Manuel Cavaleiro Brandão are also recommended, alongside senior associate Filipa Cotta.

Within EU and competition, PLMJ Law Firm is a second tier firm,

‘One of the best in town’, PLMJ Law Firm’s practice is now led by the ‘efficient and pragmatic’ Ricardo Oliveira, following José Luís da Cruz Vilaça’s departure to the ECJ. Oliveira recently advised Lactogal on competition issues related to its re-acquisition of Renoldy. The ‘reliable and well-rounded’ team advises on antitrust investigations, competition compliance, and merger control. It acted for over 80 tomato-processing companies in a pan-European damages action against the European Commission for extra-contractual liability.

Within Employment, PLMJ Law Firm is a first tier firm,

PLMJ Law Firm advises on collective bargaining, litigation, social security, disciplinary and dismissal procedures, and employment benefits. ‘One of the most reputable lawyers in Portugal’, Abel Mesquita heads the team. Tiago Cortes demonstrates ‘accuracy, competence and care’, is ‘attentive to details’, and is currently advising Estoril Sol on collective redundancies and on a collective dismissal procedure of a Portuguese casino. Nuno Guedes Vaz advises on collective employment agreements. Luís Sobral acts for EDP. Senior associate Cláudia Varela ‘deeply understands all the issues’.

Within Energy and environment, PLMJ Law Firm is a second tier firm,

PLMJ Law Firm acted for REN in its second phase of reprivatisation in 2012. Manuel Santos Vitor advised a client on a tender offer for the acquisition of onshore and offshore natural gas blocks in Mozambique. Senior associates Ana Oliveira Rocha and Manuel da Silva Gomes are recommended for energy and environment matters, respectively.

Within Insolvency and restructuring, PLMJ Law Firm is a second tier firm,

PLMJ Law Firm’s team is led by the ‘very technically prepared’ Nuno Líbano Monteiro, who is praised for his ‘strategic vision’ and ‘good legal network’. Monteiro and senior associate Filipa Cotta advised Alicoop on its insolvency plan. The team is also advising Alliance Healthcare as creditor in several insolvency procedures of Portuguese pharmacies, and on the restructuring of insolvent pharmacies. Oporto-based Tomás Pessanha is recommended.

Within Intellectual property, PLMJ Law Firm is a first tier firm,

‘One of the best IP lawyers’, Manuel Lopes Rocha leads PLMJ Law Firm’s ‘professional, efficient and dedicated’ team. Obtaining ‘effective results for clients’ and praised for her ‘deep understanding and listening skills’, Ana Teresa Pulido successfully represented Perrier in trade mark litigation. Other recent work for the team includes assisting with injunctions relating to the seizure of unlicensed software. Senior associate Paula Martinho da Silva is also recommended.

Within Oporto: Leading commercial firms, PLMJ Law Firm is a first tier firm,

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.

Within Project finance, PLMJ Law Firm is a second tier firm,

PLMJ Law Firm’s projects and infrastructure practice is led by Pedro Melo, who is advising Yguazú on negotiations related to the supply of equipment to implement a cement plant in Paraguay, together with a Chinese company. Senior associate Inês Pinto da Costa has renewables experience, and counts Cimpor and Nova Cimangola as clients.

Within Public law, PLMJ Law Firm is a third tier firm,

Noted for its ‘excellent knowledge’ and ‘strong understanding of clients’ needs’, PLMJ Law Firm regularly represents the Portuguese state and other public entities, and has experience in litigation and arbitration. It was involved in many of the privatisation procedures underway in 2012. Tiago Duarte acted for NCT Necotrans Group in an arbitration relating to the annulment of an international port concession, causing a breach of both the contract and local legislation in Guinea. Pedro Melo is advising Parpública and the Portuguese state on the privatisation of ANA. Counsel Rui Chancerelle de Machete is also recommended. Paulo de Moura Marques left the firm in 2012.

Within Real estate, PLMJ Law Firm is a first tier firm,

PLMJ Law Firm’s ‘highly professional, proactive and client-focused’ team delivers a service ‘equal to the highest international standards’. Pedro Sáragga Leal advised SILVIP on the sale of an office building; and the ‘very qualified and business-minded’ Tiago Mendonça de Castro is advising IKEA on its expansion project in Portugal, and also acts for Primark. ‘Strong negotiator’ Sofia Gomes da Costa has ‘sound experience and excellent knowledge of the law, and understands clients’ businesses’. Frederico Perry Vidal is also recommended, together with senior associates Francisco Lino Dias, Rita Alarcão Júdice, who has experience in the Angolan market, and Margarida Osório de Amorim.

Within Shipping and transport, PLMJ Law Firm is a second tier firm,

PLMJ Law Firm’s aviation team features Manuel Santos Vitor and the ‘very analytical’ Nuno da Cunha Barnabé, with senior associate Nuno Luís Sapateiro also being recommended. Clients include Macquarie AirFinance, Credit Suisse, and Willis Lease Finance Corporation.

Within TMT, PLMJ Law Firm is a first tier firm,

PLMJ Law Firm’s ‘fully committed’ team of ‘honest, accessible and pragmatic’ lawyers includes Luís Pais Antunes, who successfully advised Vodafone on its bid to purchase radio spectrum use rights for the planned 4G network. Manuel Lopes Rocha is also recommended, along with senior associates Marta Costa and Daniel Reis, who is ‘very responsive’.

Within Tax, PLMJ Law Firm is a second tier firm,

PLMJ Law Firm saw the departure in May 2012 of Rogério Fernandes Ferreira, who left with a team to form RFF & Associados. João Magalhães Ramalho now heads the practice, which remains strong in tax advisory work and provides ‘a high-quality service’. Ramalho advised Eletrobras on its bid for a stake in EDP, and Nuno da Cunha Barnabé advised Elis Group on its pan-European acquisition of the operations of Blycolin outside the Netherlands. In September 2012, Serena Cabrita Neto joined to lead on the tax litigation side.