Team size: 27

Jurisdictions your role covers: Portugal, Poland, Colombia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Morocco

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

I would say that the consolidation in new jurisdictions (specially in Slovakia), the implementation of the Jerónimo Martins Foundation, and the expansion of relatively new areas of business, through M&A, portfolio investment and partnerships (agribusiness, aquaculture, waste management, etc.), were some of the most important recent milestones.

What do you value most in external advisers working alongside your team: sector knowledge, responsiveness, innovation, or something else?

The need for specific expertise, specially concerning foreign jurisdictions, is the main factor to decide if a given matter is to be addressed in-house or by external legal services; Corporate/business acumen, communication skills, successful outcomes and availability is required from external legal counsels. 

Which recent regulatory or legislative change in Portugal has had the most significant impact on in‑house legal teams, and how have you adapted your approach in response?

Portugal is following the European Law trend. So, the ESG/Sustainability agenda and the associated national and European Regulation (CSRD, CS3D, EUDR, etc) continues to put a lot of pressure on large corporations such as Jerónimo Martins. Strategic litigation and class actions are growing exponentially. To address these issues from the legal standpoint requires multidisciplinary working groups and specific training .