The expertise of smaller specialist law firms can be as
important as that of the international players, argues The
Navigator Company's Antonio Neto Alves
Setúbal-based The Navigator Company is Europe's
largest paper and pulp manufacturer, producing 1.6 million tonnes
of paper annually and contributing around €2.9bn to the
Portuguese economy. The business has subsidiaries in a dozen
countries and exports to dozens more, and so a key requirement for
its external advisers is both global and local knowledge, according
to Antonio Neto Alves, the company's general counsel.
But while The Navigator Company does have long-standing
relationships with some law firms, Neto Alves says there is no
guarantee that the business will use these firms on every occasion.
Indeed, in some circumstances, the company will invite several
firms to bid for work. "Sometimes with a large project we put
out a tender and make consultations with six or seven law firms,
and we take the best offer,"
