Recognitions

Practice co-head Tomás Vaz Pinto at Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados is an experienced IP transactional lawyer who advises on advertising and copyright issues. António Pinto Leite is recommended for his advice on patent law. In 2010, Leite conducted the first national arbitration in Portugal’s new specialist IP arbitration centre. The team represents clients across the pharmaceuticals, media, telecoms and retail sectors, including Pfizer, Impresa, Sonae, Benetton, Procter & Gamble and new client Euronext Lisbon.

Tax

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados has an excellent tax group, featuring ‘one of the best tax specialists in Portugal’, Francisco de Sousa da Câmara, who is ‘really something else’. The team advises clients such as Mota-Engil, Nobre Alimentação and EDP on their ongoing tax needs, and also has expertise in taxes relating to M&A and financing. The team advised Barclays Capital on the Portuguese element of an intragroup financing operation worth €1.7bn. António Lobo Xavier leads in Oporto, and acted for the Grupo Jerónimo Martins on various tax liquidation claims.

TMT

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados is another ‘major player’ in the TMT arena and has substantial experience advising on commercial matters, advertising and regulatory disputes. Helena Tapp Barroso regularly represents SIBS Processos. Tomás Vaz Pinto advises beverage distributor Pernod Ricard Portugal on all media and advertising matters. Other clients include Impresa and Sonaecom. Oporto-based António Lobo Xavier heads the practice.

Shipping and Transport

António Lobo Xavier and Francisco Sousa da Câmara co-head the transport group at Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados, which is particularly expert in shipping law. Clients include Single Buoy Moorings and United European Car Carriers. Senior lawyer Manuel Freitas Pita provides support from the Madeira office, and advises international shipping companies on registering fleet vessels.

Real Estate

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados has developed notable expertise in commercial real estate, where zoning expert João Pereira Reis continues to advise Sonae Sierra on shopping centres. The team advised Eurohypo on the €24m refinancing of Arrabida Shopping, and is assisting a domestic bank with the €350m sale of seven shopping malls. The group also handles wider real estate instructions encompassing contentious

Public Law

The ‘excellent’ Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados has a substantial presence in the public law arena, and its spread of work across public and private sectors continued to attract a steady flow of instructions throughout 2010. Highlights included advising the Lisbon airport company, NAER, and the government on the transaction model for the construction of the city’s new airport (albeit now suspended), and advising Parque Escolar on implementing a €90m model to modernise state schools. The team acts for clients in major industries including the pharmaceuticals, telecoms and energy sectors, among them Pfizer, Sonaecom and EDP. Practice head Fernanda Matoso is recommended, along with the ‘highly qualified and very skilled’ Pedro Gonçalves and Magarida Olazabal Cabral, who represents the government and other public bodies. Miguel Nogueira de Brito and Nuno Peres Alves are also recommended.

Project Finance

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados is a ‘top name’ in project finance, with practice head Luís Branco enjoying a superb reputation as regular adviser to major Portuguese banks. The ‘excellent’ energy expert Filipe Lowndes Marques advised Banco Espírito Santo on the €30.25m construction, installation and operation of a wind farm in Cinfães. Marques also assisted EIB Facilities on financing for a portfolio of 23 wind farms. Banco Santander Investment, BPI and Caixa – Banco de Investimento are also clients.

Tier2

Insolvency and Restructuring

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados excels in traditional insolvency work and preventive counselling, and acted on several matters in 2010. The group advised AWB in a claim relating to Oleocom’s insolvency, and assisted Cai International and Sky Container Trading as creditors in the insolvency of Linhas de Navegação do Atlântico. Carlos Osório de Castro and Helena Soares de Moura are recommended.

Energy and Environment

The ‘outstanding’ Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados is universally agreed to have top-tier skills in this area. The team, including the ‘very good’ Rui de Oliveira Neves, recently advised EDP and Hidroeléctrica del Cantábrico on its €617m acquisition of Ente Vasco de Energia’s share in Naturagas. Energy expert Nuno Galvão Teles is highly recommended, along with environment specialists Fernanda Matoso and João Pereira Reis. Reis is advising Sonae Sierra on environmental impact studies and litigation, and acting for Sovena Group on its €90m acquisition of the Portuguese companies of SOS Corporácion Alimentaria. Casa Amiga, SAIP and Abertis are also clients.

Employment

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados has a ‘very good team’ that offers ‘high-quality service’ regarding employment law. Luis Miguel Monteiro, who is praised as a leader in the field, continues to advise Pfizer on its dismissal proceedings and Santander Totta Group on a merger between private and commercial banking groups. Helena Tapp Barroso, who made partner in 2010, and António Pinto Leite advised BP Portugal on restructuring and relocating its accounting services centres from Lisbon to Bangalore. Associate Joana Almeida advised Mondial Assistance on collective dismissal proceedings and subsequent litigation.

EU and Competition

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados’ EU and competition practice recently represented the Portuguese government in two infringement proceedings before the European Court of Justice concerning the government’s golden shares in Galp and EDP. It also represented Abbott regarding its alleged participation in a cartel, succeeding in reducing the client’s €7m fine to €3m. The group also assists the litigation, IP and corporate practices with related advice. The ‘fantastic and efficient’ Carlos Botelho Moniz heads the practice, while Oporto-based Joaquim Vieira Peres is also recommended.

Dispute Resolution

Definitely a first-tier firm’ for dispute resolution, Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados’ fantastic reputation extends to work across several sectors, with notable experience in IP, employment and white-collar criminal litigation. The 20-partner team fields some of Portugal’s best-known litigators, and continues to advise Pfizer and BP on several cases, as well as others including Apple, Lusoponte and Auchan Group. The highly regarded Miguel Galvão Teles acted for REN in an arbitration case brought by Galp concerning a breach of a natural gas asset agreement, and is representing REN in ICC arbitration against Amorim Energia. António Pinto Leite is ‘a top name in disputes’, and is currently representing Philips IP. António Sampaio Caramelo is a ‘most knowledgeable’ arbitrator, and José Manuel Galvão Teles is also recommended.

Corporate and M&A

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados is widely regarded as the ‘best law firm in Portugal’, and it has a ‘fantastic’ corporate practice. The group advised Cinveste on the €155m sale of its stake in Cimpor to Votorantim and, similarly, Teixeira Duarte on selling its Cimpor stake to Camargo Corrêa for €970m. The group provides ‘very good quality service and advice’ and is extremely active, acting for many companies and banks. Nuno Galvão Teles advised EDP on its €330m acquisition of gas distribution and supply assets from Gas Natural, while Tomás Vaz Pinto has been assisting Pfizer on absorbing the Portuguese subsidiaries of Wyeth. Practice head João Soares da Silva is recommended, along with Carlos Osório de Castro, Oporto-based Bernardo Lobo Xavier, Luísa Soares da Silva, Segismundo Pinto Basto and Rui de Oliveira Neves.

Capital Markets

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados’ capital markets practice is very highly rated by clients, with the ‘very bright’ Oporto-based Carlos Osório de Castro consistently praised as ‘a leading lawyer’ in the field. This ‘excellent’ team also includes João Soares da Silva and Nuno Galvão Teles. The practice is well known for its work for Banco Comercial Português, recently assisting the bank with its €15bn commercial paper programme and on various floating-rate bond issuances. The practice has an exceptionally strong reputation for both issuer and borrower representations. On the equity side, it is advising Douro Azul on plans for an IPO on Euronext Lisbon. Luísa Soares da Silva and Rui de Oliveira Neves are also recommended.

Banking and Finance

"Undoubtedly a top-tier practice", Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados has a very strong banking and finance team, and recent experience of large financing deals. In early 2010, the team advised a syndicate of lenders, including Banco Espírito Santo and Caixa Geral de Depósitos, on financing for Sport TV Portugal. It also advised on the debt restructuring of Controlinveste Group through a €224m secured bond issuance guaranteed by Banco Comercial Português. EDP is also a key client. Practice head Luís Branco is ‘excellent’ and Filipe Lowndes Marques is also highly regarded.

Oporto: Leading Commercial Firms