Manuel Cavaleiro Brandão > VdA > Lisbon, Portugal > Lawyer Profile
VdA Offices
Rua Dom Luis I, 28
1200-151 Lisboa
Portugal
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Manuel Cavaleiro Brandão
Work Department
Labour
Position
Partner, co-Head of Labour and Head of the Porto office
Career
Manuel Cavaleiro Brandão joined VdA in 2021. He is co-Head Partner of the Labour practice and Head Partner of the Porto office.
He is a leading Labour lawyer in Portugal, boasting over 40 years of experience.
Manuel couples his vast experience in Labor Law with a no less significant experience in national and international arbitration, having acted as both counsel and arbitrator in commercial and corporate law, construction and public works, contracts and labor law related arbitration proceedings.
Among other roles, he was a member of the Court of Arbitration of ICC – International Chamber of Commerce (Paris) (2002-2005).
Languages
French, English, Spanish.
Memberships
Admitted to the Portuguese Bar Association.
Member of the Associação Portuguesa de Arbitragem [Portuguese Arbitration Association].
Member of APODIT – Associação Portuguesa de Direito do Trabalho [Portuguese Labor Law Association].
Education
Law Degree, Universidade de Coimbra Law School.
Post-graduate degree in European Studies (attended).
Lawyer Rankings
Portugal > Employment
(Leading individuals)At VdA, the employment practice acts for an impressive client roster, featuring leading companies from the banking, technology, life sciences, and energy sectors across Portuguese-speaking countries. At the helm of the team is Manuel Cavaleiro Brandão, a veteran labour practitioner based in Porto with a wealth of experience in national and international arbitration. In Lisbon, Américo Oliveira Fragoso provides comprehensive advice to a diverse client base on all aspects of labour and social security law, including litigation. The ‘exceptional‘ Benedita Gonçalves, who sits in the Porto office, focuses on corporate restructuring, lay-offs, labour negotiation, and employment law training. Both Fragoso and Gonçalves were promoted to the partnership in 2023.
Portugal > Porto: Leading commercial firms
(Leading individuals)VdA fields a robust Porto-based team, enriched with extensive expertise in ‘several areas of law’, spanning corporate and M&A, tax, employment, public law, dispute resolution, white-collar crime, TMT, data privacy, and real estate. The team is active across the manufacturing, energy, automotive, telecoms and technology sectors, and earns further praise for its cross-border capabilities. Focused on tax law, practice head João Velez de Lima regularly acts for clients in judicial and administrative tax litigation, international taxation issues and compliance work. Labour and employment specialist Manuel Cavaleiro Brandão is noted for his experience in contentious matters, including arbitration. Miguel Reis excels in domestic and international taxation issues, while Isabel Gião de Andrade works closely with clients in corporate governance issues and M&A deals. Recently promoted partner Benedita Gonçalves undertakes a range of labour and social security law work.
Lawyer Rankings
- Leading individuals Portugal > Porto: Leading commercial firms
- Leading individuals Portugal > Employment
- Porto: Leading commercial firms Portugal
- Employment Portugal
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Banking and finance
- Capital markets
- Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Data privacy and data protection
- Dispute resolution
- Energy and natural resources
- EU and competition
- Fraud and white-collar crime
- Insolvency and restructuring
- Intellectual property
- Porto: Leading commercial firms
- Projects and project finance
- Public law
- Real estate and construction
- Tax
- TMT