With a strong presence in the shipping and aviation sectors, the transport team at Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados offers expertise in financing, M&A, insurance, tax, litigation and leasing matters. Segismundo Pinto Basto, who oversees the aviation arm, handles M&A transactions, as well as financing, operation and regulatory issues for a range of aviation companies. João Tiago Silveira combines his public law expertise with a focus on defence and aviation mandates. Funchal-based Manuel de Freitas Pita specialises in all matters related to the International Shipping Registry of Madeira (MAR), while Claudia Santos Cruz, a dual-qualified lawyer (Portugal, England and Mozambique) and maritime law specialist, regularly acts for lenders, insurers and cruise lines in ship finance and arrest. Bruno Xavier de Pina is a foreign investment specialist with a particular focus on Angola and other Lusophone jurisdictions.
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Work Department
Banking & Finance; Projects; Oil & Gas; Mining; Corporate M&A; Infrastructure; Ports, Shipping.
Position
Claudia Santos Cruz advises clients on the international and cross border aspects of their investments in Portugal and Lusophone Africa. She is co-head of the Lusophone Africa practice team at Morais Leitão which is dedicated to transactions and advising international clients investing in these markets. Claudia works on a daily basis with ML Legal Circle integrated law firms in Angola, Mozambique and Cape Verde and she is herself a member of the HRA Advogados team in Mozambique. Claudia coordinates the international Oil & Gas team and Shipping practice at ML and is also a member of the international Banking & Finance department.
Career
LLB University of Southampton, England, 1993; LPC College of Law Guildford, England, 1994; Post Graduate courses in Banking and Finance, Corporate, Oil & Gas; International Petroleum Transactions module of LMM, Lisbon, 2017; Previously at DLA Piper and Watson Farley & Williams in London, London, 1994-2005; IBA Oil & Gas Committee Officer, 2021.
Languages
Portuguese and English.
Memberships
Admitted to practice: Law Society of England and Wales (1996); Portuguese Bar Association (2005); Mozambique Bar Association (2018); International Bar Association Officer (2007-2012).
Education
Law Degree (University of Southampton, England, 1993). Legal Practice Course – LPC (College of Law Guildford, England, 1994). Post graduate training courses in Banking & Finance; Corporate / Commercial law, Restructuring & Insolvency (Central Law Training, London, England). Oil & Gas Specialisation (Central Law Training, London, England, 2013 & 2014).
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'It has a lot of expertise in Portuguese maritime law.'
- 'Manuel Freitas Pita efficiently provides high-quality advice.'
- 'We are very pleased with the assistance provided by Manuel Freitas Pita.'
- 'It provides good and efficient services.'
- 'Manuel Freitas Pita is experienced, swift and always very professional and committed. We can highly recommend him.’