Mr Francisco Leitão > MdME > Macau, Macau > Lawyer Profile

Mr Francisco Leitão

+853 6336 8322 francisco.leitao@mdme.com View profile View profile

Work Department

Litigation, Arbitration & Dispute Resolution

Position

Partner

Career

With a strong focus on dispute resolution, civil and criminal litigation. Francisco is the head of the Litigation, Arbitration & Dispute Resolution practice at MdME, having joined the firm following several years practising law.

Francisco is one of the most active litigation lawyers in the Macau jurisdiction. He has assisted and represented several local and international companies and individuals in their Macau-based disputes, including corporate and property litigation, high-profile commercial and construction disputes, bankruptcy proceedings and mass labour litigation, as well as in infraction proceedings, before the Macau regulators in a number of areas.

Francisco’s experience in recent years includes acting for clients such as a public transportation concessionaire in voluntary bankruptcy proceedings, a leading financial services provider in civil claims related to securities investment, several international engineering and construction companies in contractual disputes and arbitration proceedings against local gaming and hospitality operators, a multinational security company in mass labour litigation, and several overseas gaming operators in their Macau-based debt recovery proceedings in Macau.

He has also acted in many of the highest-profile cases in the Macau Courts in recent years, in such diverse roles as criminal defence, attorney against charges of corruption of public officials, racketeering or drug trafficking, or counsel for international real estate developers in administrative appeals and civil claims against the Macau Government in connection with nullified or reclaimed land concessions.

Francisco is also frequently requested to take part as Macau counsel in multi-jurisdiction teams handling complex cross-border litigation. In that capacity, he has partnered with other leading litigation practitioners from all over the world to assist clients in international arbitrations, judicial disputes based in offshore jurisdictions, discovery proceedings and confirmation of foreign judgments.

Languages

Portuguese, English, Spanish and French.

Memberships

Portuguese Bar Association (admitted in 2004).
Macau Lawyers Association (admitted in 2012).

Education

Law degree (University of Lisbon School of Law).