The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Abreu Advogados is a third tier firm,

Abreu Advogados is particularly well regarded for its ‘timely responses’. Miguel Castro Pereira and Sofia Santos Machado co-head the group, which advised Banco Espírito Santo Angola on the structuring of $500m mortgage-backed loans in Angola. The team also advised JJW on a security relating to a loan on investments in Portuguese hotels. Machado and senior associate António Pina advise Banco Espírito Santo on derivatives. Other clients include Barclays and Madeira Regency Group.

Within Capital markets, Abreu Advogados is a third tier firm,

Abreu Advogados recently set up the Portuguese Association for Derivatives (APIFD) and advises a number of banks on derivatives. Sofia Santos Machado and Miguel Castro Pereira are recommended, with the former advising Fidelity on short selling and private placement issues, and a French bank on structured notes documentation. Recent mandates for senior associate António Pina include derivatives work for Banco Espírito Santo.

Within Corporate and M&A, Abreu Advogados is a third tier firm,

Abreu Advogados provides ‘quick and good-quality advice’, and Miguel de Avillez Pereira and Miguel Teixeira de Abreu both ‘adjust very well to clients’ requirements’. The team advised Schneider Electric on its merger with American Power Conversion Corporation, and also Marriott International on a joint venture with AC Hotels Group. Fernando Veiga Gomes assisted Brazilian sports and media group Traffic Sports with its acquisition of football club Estoril SAD.

Within Dispute resolution, Abreu Advogados is a third tier firm,

Abreu Advogados provides ‘very good service’. Instructions included advising LDK Solar in a $800m multijurisdictional international arbitration against Itarion Solar, and representing FCR Banco Efisa in arbitrations relating to breaches of shareholder agreements. Miguel Castro Pereira and Natália Garcia Alves head the team. Guilherme Santos Silva and recently promoted partner Francisco Patrício are ‘efficient and reliable’.

Within EU and competition, Abreu Advogados is a third tier firm,

The ‘very professional and accurate’ Armando Martins Ferreira leads Abreu Advogados’ team, following Miguel Mendes Pereira’s move to Vieira de Almeida & Associados in 2011. The team provides clients with ‘strategic vision’ and ‘fast answers’. It is advising Dayton Progress on competition issues, and assisting Staples in a lawsuit brought by a Toshiba distributor in an alleged abuse of economic dependence case. The group is ‘expert in the funerary sector’, where its clients include Servilusa and the Associação Portuguesa dos Profissionais do Sector Funerário.

Within Employment, Abreu Advogados is a third tier firm,

Abreu Advogados’ ‘very professional’ team provides ‘immediate responses’ with ‘excellent legal analysis’, and demonstrates ‘very good knowledge’. Carmo Sousa Machado heads the team, which advises on lay offs, collective dismissals and employment due diligence. Clients include Italian Motor Village, Nithia Capital and Medicam. Marta de Oliveira Pinto Trindade has ‘real practical experience’ and provides ‘excellent support’. Senior associate Patricia Perestrelo is also recommended.

Within Energy and environment, Abreu Advogados is a second tier firm,

Manuel de Andrade Neves and José Eduardo Martins head the energy and environment practice at Abreu Advogados. It is active in waste renewables work and environmental matters. It continues to advise Iberdrola on its €1bn plan for four hydropower plants. Other highlights included advising TGE Gas Engineering in a public tender to expand a LNG terminal in Sines, and acting for the Associação Portuguesa de Empresas de Distribuição.

Within Insolvency and restructuring, tier 4

Abreu Advogados fields an experienced team, led by Miguel de Avillez Pereira. Miguel Castro Pereira leads insolvency matters, with Miguel Teixeira de Abreu and Ana Sofia Baptista handling corporate restructurings. The group is advising Caixa de Crédito Agrícola Mútuo de Alcobaça on the €1.3m restructuring and insolvency of several civil construction companies.

Within Intellectual property, Abreu Advogados is a third tier firm,

Abreu Advogados’ ‘outstanding’ corporate partner Miguel Castro Pereira, together with associate João Gonçalves de Assunção, recently assisted Planeta Azul in trade mark protection work, patents and licensing issues in Portugal and Brazil. Armando Martins Ferreira is also advising Staples on trade mark, copyright and protection matters. Leonor Chastre’s move to Gómez-Acebo & Pombo in 2011 was a blow.

Within Oporto: Leading commercial firms, Abreu Advogados is a second tier firm,

Abreu Advogados has excellent capabilities, with a strong focus on corporate, litigation, real estate, tax and sports law. Paulo de Tarso Domingues, Nuno Barbosa, Maria Dulce Soares and Rui Peixoto Duarte are leading practitioners. Duarte is advising Portuguese chocolate producer Imperial on several commercial contracts. In contentious matters, the team counts Manufactura Mecânicas Flexus and Semapa Group as clients. Barbosa and Soares advise Porto Vivo on taxes relating to real estate.

Within Project finance, tier 4

Abreu Advogados provides ‘magnificent insight into power generation projects’, and the team has ‘exceptional knowledge of Portuguese law and institutional issues’. It is advising the government of Madeira, the Municipality of Oporto and BES Group. Miguel Castro Pereira, Sofia Santos Machado and Manuel de Andrade Neves all adopt a ‘proactive, practical and reliable approach’. Clients praise the firm’s ‘noteworthy ability to bring together multidisciplinary teams with their specialist know-how’.

Within Public law, tier 4

Abreu Advogados has experience in PPPs, concessions, and public tenders, and is characterised by its ‘excellent knowledge and responses’ and ‘very clear analysis of the facts’. The team advises PT Comunicações in all public procurement matters. The ‘friendly and available’ Manuel de Andrade Neves gives ‘profound advice’, and counts Air Liquide as a client. José Eduardo Martins is also recommended, as is associate Mafalda Teixeira de Abreu, who has ‘strong common sense’ and is ‘experienced in public law matters’.

Within Real estate, Abreu Advogados is a third tier firm,

Oporto-based Rui Peixoto Duarte and Lisbon-based Duarte de Athayde lead the team at Abreu Advogados, for which highlights included advising Staples on real estate development and licensing, representing Angolan company BESAACTIF on mortgage-backed loans as part of real estate projects, and advising BPN Imofundos on its real estate investment funds. José Eduardo Martins and Armando Martins Ferreira are ‘very good’.

Within Shipping and transport, Abreu Advogados is a second tier firm,

Guilherme Santos Silva leads the practice at Abreu Advogados, which advises shipping and aviation clients on a range of matters, particularly on the contentious side. In 2010, the team advised a Portuguese shipyard in a shipbuilding contract dispute.

Within TMT, tier 5

Abreu Advogados lost Leonor Chastre to Gómez-Acebo & Pombo in 2011. Consultant João Veiga Gomes now leads the team, and is advising iTouch Movilisto Portugal on partnership agreements concerning mobile telecoms services.

Within Tax, Abreu Advogados is a first tier firm,

Abreu Advogados’ 20-strong tax team is ‘proactive and timely’, and highly rated for its ‘technical expertise’. Tax arbitrators Miguel Teixeira de Abreu and Pedro Pais de Almeida head the group, which is advising a European bank in a claim made against the Portuguese tax authorities for a tax law violation, and also assisting Eureko BV and Achmea Holding NV in withholding tax claims. La Sede Barcelona, Banco Espírito Santo, Marriott and Sony Europe remain key clients. Maria Dulce Soares is also recommended.