What we say about the firm's legal practice in Portugal
Banking and finance
Within Banking and finance, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut is a second tier firm,
António Payan Martins leads CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut’s capable team, which frequently acts for major energy clients and on matters in Lusophone Africa. Clients include Galp, Morgan Stanley and Barclays Capital. João Caldeira and Francisco Xavier de Almeida are recommended.
Capital markets
Within Capital markets, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut is a second tier firm,
Francisco Xavier de Almeida leads CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut’s team, which advises numerous banks on debt capital markets. It advised a syndicate of banks as managers of Galp Energia’s €700m issue of floating rate notes, and advised CaixaBI, Citi, HSBC and Santander as managers of Parpública’s €800m senior notes issue under its EMTN programme. On the issuer side, António Payan Martins advised Galp Energia on issuing €300m floating rate notes. João Caldeira is also recommended.
Corporate and M&A
Within Corporate and M&A, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut is a third tier firm,
CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut has ‘a broad spectrum of expertise’, and is known for its energy sector experience. João Caldeira is ‘quick to understand specific client needs, and to translate them into corporate and legal language’. Caldeira advised Dali Invest Outdoor on the €60m merger of three operating companies into a special purpose vehicle. The ‘extremely proficient’ Francisco Xavier de Almeida ‘fulfils all deadlines’; he is advising Euromedic International on the €150m sale of its dialysis business in Portugal. Also recommended are António Payan Martins, and associates Laura Abreu Cravo and Margarida Vila Franca.
Dispute resolution
Within Dispute resolution, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut is a second tier firm,
CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut provides ‘timely, professional and exceptional advice’ in civil, commercial and criminal disputes, and has experience in credit recovery, IP and professional negligence cases. The team is advising Generis Farmacêutica in an ICC arbitration against Laboratorios Lesvi, and assisting Lisboagás in civil proceedings against Digal-Distribução e Comércio. Petrogal, Ventinveste and Prisa are also clients. Nuno Pena is recommended, as is ‘very intuitive and communicative’ arbitrator Joaquim Shearman de Macedo. Lopo Cancella de Abreu leads in criminal cases.
Employment
Within Employment, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut is a second tier firm,
CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut’ team continues to grow under Susana Afonso Costa, who is ‘proactive in anticipating possible problem situations’, and applies ‘theoretical and practical expertise’ and ‘excellent communication skills’. This ‘results-oriented’ team, which provides ‘responses of a high technical quality’, advised General Optica and Nutricafés on collective dismissals. It also advises several retailers, including Promod and Tie Rack. Associates Sofia Mateus and Madeira-based João Paulo Gomes are also recommended.
Energy and environment
Within Energy and environment, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut is a first tier firm,
Boasting ‘a long history in the energy arena’, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut has expertise in energy regulation and renewables, and ‘reacts rapidly to demands in a very serious and creative way’. The ‘very experienced and pragmatic’ Mónica Carneiro Pacheco is ‘intitutive and realistic’, and advises Acciona Eólica Portugal on regulatory and administrative procedures. Rui Pena has ‘a high level of experience and knowledge’, and responds rapidly. Pena is advising REN Group on contracts regarding natural gas transportation infrastructure. Galp and Ventinveste are also clients.
Insolvency and restructuring
Within Insolvency and restructuring, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut is a third tier firm,
CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut’s Joaquim Shearman de Macedo is well placed to handle insolvency litigation, and is assisting a charity organisation regarding its €5m contract with NOVOPCA. Nuno Pena defended Solplay in an insolvency application brought by a creditor. The team continues to assist creditors following the insolvency and liquidation of BPP in Portugal and the Cayman Islands.
Intellectual property
Within Intellectual property, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut is a first tier firm,
The ‘extremely good’ CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut provides ‘detailed and constructive answers’ to clients in the pharmaceuticals, telecoms, energy and real estate industries. José Luís Arnaut is ‘a pillar of the firm’: he is ‘a rainmaker’ in IP, providing ‘rapid and effective solutions’, and is ‘technically superb’ for patent work, with ‘profound trade mark expertise’. The team manages the IP portfolios of PT, Dan Cake and Unicer Group, and also acts for Portucel, Chamartín Imobiliária and Galp in IP cases. Senior associates Cristina Gouveia de Carvalho and João Paulo Mioludo are ‘excellent professionals’.
Public law
Within Public law, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut is a third tier firm,
CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut’s ‘very good’ team has experience spanning public procurement, regulatory issues, and disputes. Gonçalo Guerra Tavares is advising REN on public procurement, and acting for ANA in a case concerning public works. Rui Pena and Mónica Carneiro Pacheco are recommended.
Real estate
Within Real estate, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut is a third tier firm,
CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut’s
TMT
Within TMT, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut is a third tier firm,
José Luís Arnaut heads CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut’s integrated TMT and IP group, which advises PT Telecom and PT Comunicações on all domain name issues, and represents Telecomunicações Móveis Nacionais in contentious matters. The group is also advising Infor Global Solutions on software licence agreements.
Tax
Within Tax, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut is a second tier firm,
At CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut, Nuno Pena and Patrick Dewerbe lead on the contentious and tax planning sides respectively. Senior associate Helena Costa Cabral, who joined the team from Ernst & Young in 2011, ‘impressively solves complex tax matters’.