The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Angola > Foreign firms

The Angola desk at Abreu Advogados has experience across a range of practice areas, from M&A and corporate regulatory advice, co-ordinated by Fernando Veiga Gomes, to arbitration and litigation, managed by fellow practice head Guilherme Santos Silva. José Eduardo Martins has public law and energy sector expertise, recently leading advice to AEnergy on the implementation of an Angolan 750 MW combined-cycle plant project. Clients include major international banks and investors, as well as key companies in a number of Angola's central industries. Further names to note from the sizeable team are M&A specialist José Maria Corrêa de Sampaio and tax expert Mariana Gouveia de Oliveira. João Bravo da Costa joined the firm in April 2021.

FCB Advogados works closely with its local partner EVC Advogados to advise across a range of matters in Angola; recently, it has seen an uptick in instructions in the finance, oil and gas, and real estate sectors. João Robles co-ordinates the Angola desk and has extensive corporate and M&A experience as well as strength in real estate matters. Pedro Guimarães is another name to note and has co-led with Robles on recent projects in the oil industry. Rodrigo Barbosa Souto adds further real estate expertise.

Guiding clients through the full life-cycle of projects, Miranda & Associados has over 30 years of experience in the Angolan market and has a particularly strong client base in the oil industry. The firm's work in the jurisdiction is overseen by oil and gas and tax expert Rita Correia, while Mafalda Oliveira Monteiro handles banking and finance matters. Nuno Marques Antunes also has expertise in the oil industry and is experienced in advising on projects in Lusophone African jurisdictions.

PLMJ's Angola desk focuses on foreign investment and has a diverse client base, which expanded further in 2019 with additional clients in the steel, agriculture, LNG and telecoms industries. Inês Pinto da Costa has experience in the infrastructure sector and Ruben Brigolas, promoted to managing associate in January 2020, is active in Angola-related matters, specialising in energy and mineral resources. BCSA – Advogados is the firm's local partner. Bruno Xavier de Pina left the firm in May 2021.

'Fast acting, with an international vision', Raposo Bernardo covers Angola's key markets, with a particularly impressive banking and finance practice that is instructed by a number of major international banks. Managing partner Nelson Raposo Bernardo co-heads the Angola office and leads on banking and finance deals. Ana Cláudia Rangel is recommended for her 'astute leadership' and works between Lisbon and Luanda, as does corporate and finance expert Júlio Martins Júnior. The aviation and energy sectors are other areas of strength for the firm.

A diverse client base that includes multinationals in a range of sectors instructs VdA on matters in Angola. Day-to-day regulatory advice to oil companies is a standout specialism of the team, which is also strong on mining, agriculture and banking. João Afonso Fialho heads the oil and gas practice group as well as focusing on mining and shipping and Paulo Trindade Costa leads on M&A, restructurings and corporate finance matters. Rui Andrade in labour law and Samuel Fernandes de Almeida in tax have also both been involved in recent highlights in the jurisdiction. In recent developments, José Miguel Oliveira was promoted to partner in 2021. Ângela Viana is a name to note at the non-partner level.

Significant oil and gas projects are the focus of Mayer Brown's work in Angola, with energy-sector experts from its Houston and Brazil offices active in projects in the jurisdiction. Alexandre Chequer heads the firm's global oil and gas group; Gonçalo Falcão in Rio de Janeiro and Norman Nadorff in Houston are additional contacts.

The Lisbon office of CMS fields a dedicated Lusophone Africa team of eight lawyers, whose multi-disciplinary expertise has recently attracted instructions from clients in the real estate, banking and oil and gas sectors, among others. Practice head Alberto Galhardo Simões joined in September 2019 and has over 25 years of experience in corporate and M&A, infrastructure and project finance. Gonçalo Guerra Tavares has public law expertise. Tiago Machado Graça is also a key contact.

Major transactions in the energy and infrastructure sectors are the hallmark of Linklaters LLP's work in Angola, spearheaded by London-based head of the Africa group Andrew Jones and head of Lusophone Africa Francisco Ferraz de Carvalho, both of whom have significant experience in projects in the region. The mining and TMT industries have been sources of recent standout work for the team.