Manuel Magalhães > Sérvulo & Associados > Lisbon, Portugal > Lawyer Profile

Sérvulo & Associados is praised for its ability to ‘combine vast experience in banking and finance, with competent professionals’. Longstanding regulatory tradition is a defining characteristic of this practice group, which attracts regular instructions from an array of credit and financial institutions. The team is jointly steered by Manuel Magalhães  and Paulo Câmara: Magalhães is noted for his wide-ranging expertise in banking and finance matters in Portugal and abroad, most notably Angola and Mozambique, while Câmara is recommended for his regulatory capabilities. Noted for her ‘knowledge, support and availability’, Verónica Fernández regularly provides regulatory guidance on the implications of new business models and activities under EU-wide banking, ESG, crypto and fintech regulations. Inês Palma Ramalho is no longer at the firm.

Well versed in a wide range of capital markets mandates, the ‘very professional, accessible, friendly and diligent’ team at Sérvulo & Associados is increasingly engaged in high-end transactional mandates, especially equity deals. The practice boasts a strong financial services regulatory offering, standing out for its expertise in fintech-related matters. Noted for his ‘high technical knowledge‘, Paulo Câmara is singled out for his proficiency in regulatory matters. He jointly heads up the team with Manuel Magalhães, who boasts wide-ranging experience in banking, insurance, real estate, restructuring and insolvency work. Verónica Fernández is a reference for investment fund managers and financial intermediaries seeking assistance with the structuring of securities issuing programmes and placing of debt instruments.

Sérvulo & Associados handles a diverse range of real estate and corporate property matters for a variety of clients, including private equity and investment funds, developers, retailers, and hotel chains. Leading the team, Manuel Magalhães is regularly seen advising on transactional and development matters in the real estate and tourism sectors. The department’s proficiency extends to construction contracts, forward funding agreements, as well as to sale and leaseback arrangements. Sofia Thibaut Trocado is a name to note for financial entities, borrowers and promotors seeking assistance with real estate finance.

Sérvulo & Associados’s multidisciplinary team, which integrates finance, corporate governance, dispute resolution and corporate and M&A expertise, offers comprehensive advice on complex restructuring, insolvency, and liquidation cases within Portugal and Europe. The team is under the joint leadership of four practitioners: Manuel Magalhães, the managing partner, is a popular choice for insolvent banks; Mafalda Ferreira Santos excels in dispute resolution, often representing creditors and debtors in restructuring and insolvency proceedings; while António Teles and João Saúde specialise in litigation and arbitration matters.