The Legal 500

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

Jorge de Brito Pereira heads PLMJ Law Firm’s team, which regularly advises Barclays and recently assisted the bank on restructuring credit facilities and on its tender bid to acquire the distressed Portuguese bank BPN. Senior associate Hugo Rosa Ferreira advised Finibanco as arranger in restructuring two large securitisations. Arrow Global and Thai Union Frozen Products are also clients.

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

PLMJ Law Firm’s ‘very professional’ team handles debt and equity offerings, and assists listed companies. Senior associate Hugo Rosa Ferreira advised REN as issuer on its €5bn EMTN programme. Other clients include Cimpor and Finibanco. Jorge de Brito Pereira is ‘always available’ and ‘extremely knowledgeable and creative’, and Sónia Teixeira da Mota and senior associate Magda Viçoso are also recommended.

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

PLMJ Law Firm’s ‘very knowledgeable and responsive’ team ‘works diligently to complete acquisitions in very short time frames’. Victor Réfega Fernandes and Manuel Santos Vitor lead the group, which advised Ascendi on its successful award of the €900m Pinhal Interior PPP, and was involved in the sale of Wad Consult’s controlling stake in GB Minerals. The team represented Eurest Services during its acquisition of Relimpa, and acted for Sincronia do Tempo and Citytime in setting up an Israeli joint venture. Vasco de Ataíde Marques advises German clients seeking to invest in Portugal. Luís Sáragga Leal and Luís Pais Antunes are also recommended.

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

‘One of the best and most professional firms in Portugal’ and ‘the reference to go to for big arbitrations’, PLMJ Law Firm’s team of ‘top practitioners’ has ‘excellent knowledge’, and assists in civil, commercial and criminal litigation. Expert arbitrator José-Miguel Júdice successfully represented Gant in a €55m dispute over a terminated commercial agreement. Nuno Líbano Monteiro is advising Arrow Global Portugal in a €7m dispute relating to the breach of a credit agreement. João Medeiros excels in white-collar criminal cases, and advised Portucale in a case pertaining to traffic of influence and abuse of powers. Pedro Faria, Nuno Morais Sarmento and Oporto-based Manuel Cavaleiro Brandão are also recommended.

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

PLMJ Law Firm has an excellent reputation, and José Luís da Cruz Vilaça is currently advising several EU associations and companies in the processed fruit and vegetable sector in an action to annul an EU Commission article and regulation. In December 2010, the team concluded a case advising the Czech Republic in a €66m ICC arbitration over state aid laws applied to a bank bailout. Ricardo Oliveira has ‘good business sense’ and ‘excellent reactivity’, and is ‘very able to respond to the needs of in-house counsel’. Oliveira is advising Glintt and Eurest in separate appeals against infringement decisions by the PCA.

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

PLMJ Law Firm is ‘a top firm for services in the employment arena’. The ‘very insightful and sharp’ Abel Mesquita provides valuable strategic advice, and Tiago Cortes provides ‘very good support in court’. Nuno Guedes Vaz has experience in collective agreements, and advised both Correios e Telecomunicações de Portugal (CTT) and Apifarma in this regard. Oporto-based Manuel Cavaleiro Brandão is recommended for collective dismissal work. The team is praised for its ‘professionalism and accurate responses’.

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

PLMJ Law Firm’s energy and natural resources team is led by Manuel Santos Vitor, who is recommended along with senior associate Ana Oliveira Rocha. The group is advising Elecgas on a combined cycle gas turbine power plant in Portugal; representing clients with oil and gas interests in Angola; and advising Shell, Ocean Rig and Nyrstar in various projects in Cape Verde, Angola and Portugal, respectively.

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

PLMJ Law Firm’s ‘very strong’ insolvency team recently assisted Banco Finantia in successfully opposing a claw-back action relating to the Oleocom insolvency. The group is representing Mercedes-Benz as creditor in claiming credits against default debtors. Other clients include Alliance Healthcare, BPP and Alicoop. Practice head Nuno Líbano Monteiro is recommended for his longstanding expertise, and associate Filipa Cotta has an excellent reputation.

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

PLMJ Law Firm’s ‘very responsive’ team fields ‘a variety of specialists’, including Manuel Lopes Rocha, who is ‘one of the best lawyers for authoring rights’. Rocha continues to advise Cimpor on IP issues and patents abroad, and is representing Microsoft in several enforcement cases. The team has experience in copyright infringement cases. Other clients include Warner Bros, Autodesk and Nokia. Senior associate Paula Martinho da Silva is also recommended.

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

PLMJ Law Firm’s ‘very strong and commercially oriented team’ in Oporto adopts ‘an international approach’ and provides ‘a high standard of quality and professionalism’ in handling corporate, real estate, tax, employment and litigation matters. The ‘exceptional’ Tomás Pessanha demonstrates ‘proven know-how, and devotion to all tasks’. He advised Paine & Partners and WireCo WorldGroup on the €66m acquisition of Luis Oliveira Sá. Other clients include Américo Amorim Group, Fujifilm and IKEA. Frederico Perry Vidal handles real estate matters and adopts ‘a commercial approach’. Vidal, together with the ‘very technical’ associate Diogo Duarte de Campos, is advising Ascendi on a free flow toll system. Manuel Cavaleiro Brandão and José Ricardo Gonçalves are also recommended.

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

PLMJ Law Firm has solid experience across all levels of the team. Recent highlights include advising Cimpor on financing agreements pertaining to its acquisition of Mozambican cement company CINAC. Pedro Melo is highly rated, and associate Inês Pinto da Costa is recommended for her ‘excellent availability’ and ‘good knowledge’ of renewables. Costa advised PV Loiral on the €14m financing of a photovoltaic power facility.

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

Rui Chancerelle de Machete’s team at PLMJ Law Firm provides ‘splendid service’ to clients in Portugal and Lusophone Africa. This large team displays ‘impressive insight into industry practices’ and provides ‘most appropriate solutions’. The team, which features Tiago Duarte and Pedro Melo, is advising EDP on the construction of Salamonde Dam, and in 2010 assisted the Associação Nacional das Farmácias in disputes relating to concession agreements with hospital pharmacies. Litigator Paulo de Moura Marques has ‘exceptional knowledge’, and ‘a deep understanding of how private and public entities in the public procurement sector should act’.

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

‘A very highly rated real estate player’, PLMJ Law Firm provides clients with ‘personalised attention’ and ‘quick feedback’. Pedro Sáragga Leal leads the four-partner team, and in 2011 advised SILVIP on several transactions, including the €1.4m sale of an industrial unit, the renegotiation of a lease agreement with Nokia Siemens Networks Portugal, and its public tender bid to manage the Municipality of Lisbon’s closed-end property investment fund. Sofia Gomes da Costa is advising Commerz Real on lease contracts and turnkey agreements. The ‘extremely dedicated’ Tiago Mendonça de Castro acts for IKEA, Primark Portugal and Banco Fomento Angola.

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

Paulo de Moura Marques’ team at PLMJ Law Firm has notable aviation experience. Manuel Santos Vitor advised Macquarie AirFinance on several aircraft leasing negotiations, and is assisting Wayfield Trading Internacional with an aircraft lease. Senior associate Nuno Luís Sapateiro is also recommended.

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

PLMJ Law Firm’s highly rated TMT practice handles telecoms, technology and media matters, which are led by Luís Pais Antunes, Manuel Lopes Rocha and Vasco Marques Correia, respectively. Antunes acts for Samsung, MSTelcom and Vodafone. Other clients of the team include Toshiba, Eurosport and Microsoft. Senior associate Daniel Reis ‘speaks in a clear and simple language’.

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

PLMJ Law Firm has ‘one of the best tax practices in Portugal’, which provides ‘professional and timely responses’, and is highly rated for its contentious expertise. Rogério Fernandes Ferreira is a well-known individual in the arena, and is advising Somague Engenharia, PT and Fidelity Funds in tax litigation. Ferreira is also advising Citigroup Global Markets on reviewing tax issues pertaining to equity transactions, and Bacardi Martini Portugal on excise duties. João Magalhães Ramalho is advising UBS regarding VAT on real estate transactions.