Ana Bruno & Associados, Sociedade de Advogados, RL > Lisbon, Portugal > Firm Profile

Paulo von Hafe, Partner, Ana Bruno & Associado

How as Ana Bruno & Associados fared through the troubled times of 2020/2021 ?

After the first times of uncertainty, we were pleased to find our team ready to go on working, despite the difficulties of confinement. I am proud to say that we helped several foreign clients who found themselves trapped in the confusion of those first weeks, go back home to their loved ones. When the dust started to settle, however, we understood that the dynamics of working together physically were not to be discarded, and moved the team back to the office as soon as it was safe and we could ensure a safe work environment. The excellent conditions of our offices were central and we were able to take advantage of our outdoors areas to welcome our clients in the sunny months of spring, summer and early autumn. Indeed, some of our clients seemed to be finding pretexts to come and meet us here at the office…

Surely, there were as retraction in the first semester of 2020, but our great foreign client base then provided a new focus of attention. Covid and the excellent response that Portugal collectively showed increased the interest of many to relocate and invest in our country, and we have been honour to support them.

Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that ?

Ana Bruno & Associados is firmly grounded in the triangle it created covering tropical Portuguese speaking Angola and Mozambique, Dubai (linking to India and China) and the Cyrus Ross Network in Europe, of which the Firm has been a long-time member and of which I am honored to be a Board Member.

We believe that finally Portugal has caught the eye of the World and that we are still only in the beginning of what’s to come. More and more, those who first came after EU resident cards are finding the myriad investment opportunities that Portugal has to offer, by our geographical location, our natural riches, and our educated and proactive workers.

And, as incentives drawn from the aid by the European Union start to materialize and investment models for residence purposes shift, so we try to be in the forefront of new more structured solutions, that may provide our clients or prospective clients with different opportunities to invest and have appealing returns on their investments.

What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

Evidence of our vitality through the last two years is our continued and sustained growth. Our team has expanded with two new junior lawyers and we have increased and intend to reinforce still our trainee pool, in view of future organic growth. We have been rethinking the workload distribution, releasing the more experienced lawyers to face-to-face contact with our Clients. Our personal relation with the Client, our effort to know and understand their wishes and needs, has always been the centerpiece of our identity as a law firm. Investment on the consolidation of our digital tools has been my main concern and I intend to continue pursuing it, to rationalize our processes, reduce fees for our clients and allow us to focus on high value chores.

Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

We never forget that technology is a tool. It is a tool to release us from irrational work processes, repetitive low value added tasks, human error, and to elevate us to what humans do best: relate, communicate, care.

But as a tool that it is, it is highly valued. We continually incorporate tested technology and remain attentive at the constant threats that information technology poses to our data storage. Lawyer firms must keep much higher privacy and data security standards, which forces us to always be one step ahead of the growing risks.

You have mentioned the firm’s international presence: how does that presence weigh on the strategy of the office?

In Europe, Ana Bruno & Associados has been a very active party of Cyrus Ross (http://cyrusross.com). The network acts under the form of an European Economic Interest Group, and is composed of small to medium sized law firms in Spain, France, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Denmark , Austria, Chequia, Poland, Romenia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Finland. We meet often and try to maintain close proximity and to integrate as much as possible, without jeopardizing each firm’s identity.

Outside Europe, the firm is present in Dubai, our most active outpost, with a permanent Portuguese colleague who has been living in the Emirates for the most part of the last decade, who ensures multiple services locally, as well as acting as point-man for the foreign investors coming from the Middle East and India, looking to invest in Portugal.

In Angola and Mozambique, our many years working in permanence there have left us well acquainted with the territory, its peoples and opportunities. We maintain a minimal local staff, and currently provide a much more flexible service, both to locals looking for Portugal’s opportunities, and for foreigners looking for opportunities there.

We also keep tight relations with law firms in Brazil, Macao, Turkey and the US, in view of providing the best solutions for our clients.

Ricardo Falcão, Partner – Head of Corporate and Financial Law Department

Ricardo Falcão, Partner of the Firm, shares his views on what Ana Bruno & Associados brings to the table when dealing with Clients

1) What do you see as the main points that differentiate Ana Bruno & Associados from your competitors?

Ana Bruno & Associados’ Client base is mainly made up of foreigners looking to extend their business to Portugal or, ultimately, change their personal or professional life to Portugal. In this context, what we believe differentiates Ana Bruno & Associados from other law firms is that we understand that our work is not limited to providing legal services to Clients. Ana Bruno & Associados’ policy is to be proactive in finding solutions for its Clients, helping them to find the right partners in Portugal to achieve their goals, allowing them to create a network that ensures that their businesses thrive and prosper. Likewise, through our partnerships abroad, Ana Bruno & Associados also helps its Clients to expand their business worldwide, namely to Portuguese-speaking countries (particularly Angola and Mozambique) and the United Arab Emirates.

2) Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

In the coming 12 months, Ana Bruno & Associados anticipates significant expansion in several key practice areas, namely Immigration, Financial, Corporate, and Tax Law.

The Immigration department is expected to keep on its growing trajectory, particularly driven by the increasing need for skilled labor, and cross-border mobility, particularly digital nomads. Thus, we anticipate a rise in inquiries regarding immigration services for individuals navigating visa procedures and citizenship applications, as well as for businesses seeking relocation strategies, particularly from regions affected by the war in Ukraine. Additionally, we foresee heightened interest in Collective Investment Undertakings and their Management Entities for the creation of viable investment products to attract capital into Portugal.

We anticipate a notable synergy between our Immigration Law practice and Financial Law. The growing interest in immigration programs, such as Golden Visa applications, is expected to catalyze investment activities, particularly in the technology sector. As investors explore opportunities in new markets and seek diversification, the incorporation of Collective Investment Undertakings, particularly Venture Capital Funds is poised to rise, presenting unique legal challenges and opportunities for our firm to provide tailored solutions, ensuring compliance, and managing risk.

Moreover, our Corporate Law practice is poised for expansion as businesses relocate to Portugal seeking investment and growth opportunities promoted by programs such as Start-up Vouchers and Start Up Visa. The need for adaptation to evolving regulatory landscape and drive to pursue strategic initiatives such as mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring demand our comprehensive legal counsel to facilitate their business objectives.

All these operations come with tax implications, which drive significant growth for our Tax Department. The continuous developments in tax legislation and the increasing complexity of international tax regimes make our individual and institutional Clients seek specialized tax advice to optimize their tax structures, enhance tax efficiency, and reduce risks.

Ana Bruno & Associados remains committed to staying at the forefront of these developments, providing customized legal solutions and strategic guidance to our Clients as they navigate through an increasingly complex legal landscape.

3) What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

Ana Bruno & Associados is sensitive to the needs of Clients, particularly their need for reassurance that their matters are being dealt with in a timely and professional manner. Thus, to address this, our Firm has implemented personalized follow-up procedures for each Client, with monthly information on the status of their files, especially in cases involving courts or submissions to public authorities, such as immigration and nationality matters.

4) Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

Technological advances create the need for Law Firms to reply to Clients at an increasingly quicker pace, without compromising the quality of services. Ana Bruno & Associados is aware of this demand and has focused on strengthening its internal IT programs with the aim of optimizing the search and collection of information and documents in order to reduce the time spent on ancillary tasks, allowing Lawyers to focus on legal work, reducing response times and making interaction with Clients more fluid and faster. Furthermore, Ana Bruno & Associados is studying the best way to integrate artificial intelligence into its daily activity without compromising the (irreplaceable) role of the Lawyers.

5) Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

A paradigmatic example of how Ana Bruno & Associados positions itself as a Law Firm is the case of a Client who engaged with us for an immigration matter with the view of obtaining Portuguese citizenship. In the context of assisting this Client with his personal matter, our Firm got to learn about his background and past professional experience and, as we are knowledgeable about the Portuguese market, we helped him create a working network that allowed him to establish his own business group in Portugal structured vertically, enabling him to attract foreign investment to be then deployed in acquiring/building/refurbishing hotels, which are managed and built by hotel operating companies and construction companies within his group, keeping the full operation “in-house”, streamlining procedures, decreasing costs and increasing efficiency.

6) Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

Ana Bruno & Associados has grown significantly in recent years, having increased its team by almost 50% in the last 3 years, reflecting the growth in its Clients base, which makes us particularly proud and happy given that this trajectory started still during the global pandemic. Considering our differentiating approach, in which Ana Bruno & Associados positions itself as a “partner” for its Clients, we believe that we will continue to grow, hand in hand with our Clients, current and future, giving them the strategic guidance that they need to establish themselves and prosper in Portugal.