The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Garrigues is a second tier firm,

Garrigues is experienced in financing and refinancing work, and advises banks on regulatory matters. Diogo Leónidas Rocha heads the team. Busy associate Bruno Ferreira led advice to Alliance & Leicester on the £22m Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel refinancing; represented Empark on the €42m implementation of an additional capex facility; and advised Campofrio Foodgroup on the €100m financing to acquire Cesare Fiorucci.

Within Capital markets, Garrigues is a second tier firm,

Garrigues’ ‘extremely experienced’ and responsive team provides ‘constructive viewpoints’. Diogo Leónidas Rocha is ‘among the most knowledgeable lawyers in Portugal’, and represents PT and Novabase. Associates Marta Graça Rodrigues and Bruno Ferreira are ‘most experienced’.

Within Corporate and M&A, Garrigues is a second tier firm,

Garrigues provides ‘very good response times’, a ‘practical approach’ and ‘high-quality solutions’. Clients praise it for ‘quickly putting together a multidisciplinary team of highly experienced lawyers to handle complex domestic and cross-border transactions’. ‘One of the best Portuguese lawyers’, Diogo Leónidas Rocha advised Africatel Holdings and Companhia Santomense de Telecomunicações on its involvement in the Africa to Europe submarine cable. The ‘highly experienced’ Mário Lino Dias advised Secil on its €65m acquisition of Lafarge’s Portuguese subsidiary companies. Susana Pimenta de Sousa has ‘global knowledge of the law’ and ‘a strong commitment to clients’.

Within Dispute resolution, Garrigues is a third tier firm,

Garrigues fields a ‘solid and responsive’ team. The ‘technically very good’ João Duarte de Sousa is advising Portugal Telecom and Crédito Agrícola Gest on contentious matters. Associate Miguel Azevedo displays ‘solid knowledge’, and is representing Decathlon in an €11m lawsuit concerning the alleged unlawful termination of a sale and purchase agreement.

Within EU and competition, Garrigues is a second tier firm,

Garrigues is ‘a great firm with fantastic lawyers in competition law’. João Paulo Teixeira de Matos leads the group, which advises on merger control, antitrust issues, and other competition matters. It acted for Fertiberia on PCA merger filing regarding its acquisition of Sociedade Nova, and is antitrust adviser to IBM. Other key clients include A. Silva & Silva, BioMérieux, Kraft Foods and flight booker Amadeus.

Within Employment, Garrigues is a second tier firm,

Garrigues provides ‘excellent service’ as part of its general advisory support and advice on restructuring and collective dismissals. It continues to advise Faurecia Group and IBM in employment matters. João Paulo Teixeira de Matos is advising the liquidation committee of BPP regarding a collective dismissal following the bank’s insolvency. Associate Rui Valente has ‘great knowledge of employment laws’, and is advising Águas de Porto in proceedings related to changes in its employee pension scheme.

Within Energy and environment, Garrigues is a second tier firm,

At Garrigues, João Rosado Correia continues to advise the Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Development on energy matters, and the team also has a growing environmental capability. Associates Filipa Alves Botton and Sara Castelo Branco are also recommended.

Within Insolvency and restructuring, Garrigues is a second tier firm,

At Garrigues, Diogo Leónidas Rocha combines corporate expertise with João Duarte de Sousa’s contentious experience to provide a broad-based insolvency and restructuring service. The team continues to advise Microcircuit Technology on the Qimonda Portugal insolvency. It is especially strong at associate level, with Bruno Ferreira, André Marçalo and Miguel Azevedo all busy representing clients such as Banc of America Securities, BPP and GE Capital.

Within Intellectual property, Garrigues is a first tier firm,

Garrigues displays ‘unique expertise that goes far beyond a local approach’, with experience in data protection, licensing agreements, and trade mark filing and prosecution. João Miranda de Sousa now heads the team following Gonçalo da Cunha Ferreira’s departure to Brazil. He shows ‘extraordinary concern for clients’ issues’, and is advising Kartell in bringing a copyright infringement case relating to designer furniture. Other clients include Nabeiro Group, Experian España and MANN+HUMMEL. Senior associate Isabel Bairrão is ‘professional and friendly’, and ‘excellent’ in IP disputes. Associates Francisca Ferreira Pinto and Paula Veiga are also recommended.

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

Garrigues’ ‘excellent multidisciplinary lawyers’ advise on corporate, employment, tax and litigation issues. Top-rated Miguel Reis advised Vicaima Group on tax and legal matters relating to its restructuring. Other clients include Iberdrola, Anteros Group and the Municipality of Oporto. Associates Miguel Koch Rua, Joana Tavares de Oliveira and João Velez de Lima are recommended for the ‘quality and timeliness of their responses’.

Within Public law, tier 4

Garrigues impresses with its ‘deep expertise in public law, infrastructure, and energy and environment’. The team, led by João Rosado Correia, provides ‘prompt responses’ and ‘alternative solutions to problems’. Clients include REN Armazenagem and União Meridianos Portugal. Associates Sara Castelo Branco and Filipa Alves Botton are also recommended.

Within Real estate, Garrigues is a second tier firm,

Garrigues’ ‘objective and very competent’ group is divided into planning, zoning and real estate transactional teams working collaboratively. It provides ‘consistent and solid’ advice to several insurers, and is advising both Groupama Seguros de Vida and Axa Portugal on property sales. ‘Good communicator’ Miguel Marques dos Santos is ‘sharp in negotiations’, and has an ‘in-depth understanding of real estate issues’. Associate Pedro Pereira Coutinho is ‘methodical’ and has ‘broad knowledge’.

Within Tax, Garrigues is a first tier firm,

Garrigues’ dedicated team provides ‘insightful analysis’. It advised Caja Madrid and Bankia on tax issues relating to the securitisation of bank loans between Portuguese companies and Caja Madrid, and continues to provide tax advice to Iberdrola regarding its €1.7bn hydroelectric power dams project in Portugal. Newly made-up partner Pedro Miguel Brás is ‘excellent’ in tax litigation, and is recommended along with team head Fernando Castro Silva. Paulo Núncio was appointed as the Secretary of State for Tax Affairs in June 2011.