Recognitions

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados remains ‘the number-one firm in Oporto’, and has a superb reputation across numerous legal disciplines. Carlos Osório de Castro, who leads on corporate transactions, advised Sonae Investimentos on a retail partnership agreement with Condis in Angola, and advised La Seda de Barcelona on the €30m sale of Artenius Portugal-Industrial Polymers to Control PET. EU and competition expert Joaquim Vieira Peres acts for Zon TV Cabo Portugal and ACP – Automóvel Club de Portugal. Tax expert António Lobo Xavier is advising Barclays and Santander in tax litigation, and also represents Sonaecom and Cofina.

Banking and Finance

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados is widely known, particularly for advice to lenders on financings. Practice head Luís Branco advised Caixa Geral de Depósitos and Caixa – Banco de Investimento (CaixaBI) on matters regarding the conversion of shadow toll motorways into real tolls. Filipe Lowndes Marques advised Selenis Canada on financing for a PET plastic factory in Quebec. Debt restructuring and corporate reorganisation mandates included advising a bank syndicate on Brisa’s €3bn reorganisation. Senior lawyer Pedro Gorjão Henriques is recommended.

Capital Markets

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados’ ‘very good, creative and reliable’ team produces ‘first-class work’ in equity and debt transactions. It is counsel to BCP, which it advised on a €1.75bn state-guaranteed floating rate notes issue in 2011. It advised EDP on updating its €12.5bn debt issuance programme, as well as on a €300m credit facility agreement. In the equity arena, the team is representing the banks in Efacec Capital’s planned IPO, and advising BCP on share capital increases. Oporto-based Carlos Osório de Castro and Lisbon-based João Soares da Silva are ‘among the best lawyers in Portugal’. Luísa Soares da Silva is ‘excellent’, Nuno Galvão Teles ‘understands clients’ needs very well’, and Rui de Oliveira Neves is also recommended.

Corporate and M&A

‘One of the pre-eminent firms in Portugal’, Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados provides ‘prompt and focused advice’, and is particularly praised for its ‘extremely deep knowledge of the energy sector, its regulation and applicable laws’. João Soares da Silva ‘excels in M&A’ and has ‘an elegant manner’, and Nuno Galvão Teles has ‘superior analytical skills and client orientation’. ‘Excellent lawyer’ Tomás Vaz Pinto advised Tardes Solarengas as part of GlobalWatt, a joint venture between ES Capital and Salvador Caetano, on its €4.2m acquisition of PV Loiral. Oporto-based Carlos Osório de Castro, who is ‘brilliant’ and has ‘notable expertise in negotiations’, advised Sonae on a partnership agreement with Condis to launch a chain of Continente hypermarkets in Angola. Rui de Oliveira Neves has ‘in-depth energy knowledge’, and this ‘pragmatic’ and ‘top-of-class’ team also includes Luísa Soares da Silva, Segismundo Pinto Basto, and João Alfredo Afonso.

Dispute Resolution

One of the firms at the ‘top of the league’, Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados provides ‘outstanding advice’ and representation in employment, civil, commercial and criminal disputes. This ‘excellent team’ includes Miguel Galvão Teles and António Sampaio Caramelo, as well as António Pinto Leite, who is assisting Pfizer in 150 IP-related lawsuits, and successfully represented Lusoponte in an ICC arbitration against the Portuguese state regarding concession agreements for two Lisbon bridges. José Manuel Galvão Teles and the ‘strong and analytical’ Miguel de Almada are advising Santander in a €23m case against Marinha Guincho. Francisco Cortez is advising Gestifute, Cristiano Ronaldo and José Mourinho in litigation relating to image rights, as well as media, contract, and transfer disputes. Criminal expert Rui Patrício is recommended for ‘clarity, incisiveness and wins-to-losses ratio’. Luís Miguel Monteiro leads in labour cases, and counts Mondial Assistance and BP Portugal as clients.

EU and Competition

The ‘extremely competent, reliable and responsive’ Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados advises on antitrust matters, investigations, advisory work, and merger control, and on EU law before the EU courts. Carlos Botelho Moniz can ‘fix very difficult problems’, and is advising television broadcaster SIC in an annulment action, and representing Cerealis Moagens and Cerealis Produtos Alimentares in an antitrust case before the PCA relating to the alleged alignment of flour price lists. The team also assisted Hendrix Genetics with a merger filing. Joaquim Vieira Peres and Margarida Rosado da Fonseca are recommended, as are senior associates Pedro de Gouveia e Melo, Eduardo Maia Cadete and Gonçalo Machado Borges.

Employment

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados’ ‘brilliant’ team is led by the ‘very good’ Luis Miguel Monteiro. It is advising EasyJet on Portuguese employment matters, and representing Pernod Ricard Portugal in litigation. The ‘fantastic and efficient’ Helena Tapp Barroso represents Fujitsu and Parfois. António Emílio de Vasconcelos advised RCS in a case brought by former employees following a collective dismissal after the company’s transfer to China. Senior associates Pedro Pardal Goulão and Maria João da Luz, associate Joana Almeida and Oporto-based consultant Paula Ponces Camanho are also recommended.

Energy and Environment

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados has a superb reputation in this space, particularly for being ‘number one in electricity’. Clients include EDP, REN Group, Sonae Sierra, SAIP, Casa Amiga and Sovena Group. On the energy side, Nuno Galvão Teles has ‘deep experience’, with Fernanda Matoso and João Pereira Reis handling environmental matters. Rui de Oliveira Neves is also recommended.

Intellectual Property

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados is recommended for IP transactions, and also particularly for patent enforcement and copyright issues. Leading on the transactional side, Tomás Vaz Pinto provides ‘extremely sound and straightforward advice on complex IP issues’. Pinto is advising Euronext Lisbon on copyright and trade mark matters, and advised EDP on patent licensing and IP rights. António Pinto Leite is advising Pfizer in over 150 legal challenges brought against generic drug companies as part of Pfizer’s patent rights protection programme, and is assisting Philips IP in litigation against counterfeiters. Consultant Vasco Stilwell d’Andrade is also recommended.

TMT

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados is ‘one of the best in Portugal for TMT’, and demonstrates ‘in-depth knowledge’ and ‘deep understanding of clients’ needs’. Oporto-based António Lobo Xavier leads the team. Clients include Audiovisual and Cinema Investment Fund, Medipress, Impresa and Pernod Ricard Portugal. IT expert Helena Tapp Barroso is advising Sonaecom on personal data processing to support litigation proceedings. Barroso also acts in telecoms matters, assisted by ‘pragmatic’ senior lawyer Nuno Peres Alves and senior associate Gonçalo Machado Borges. The knowledgeable Tomás Vaz Pinto acts for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

Insolvency and Restructuring

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados advises on insolvency and insolvency avoidance, and the team has related expertise in employment and tax, and cases involving criminal law. Senior lawyer and litigator Helena Soares de Moura is advising Shinsei Bank and JER as creditors seeking to recover €246m from the Fadesa Portugal insolvency, and is also advising EDP on Entigere’s insolvency. Carlos Osório de Castro is also recommended.

Project Finance

Another leading player in the project finance sphere, Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados has renowned experience, particularly in renewable energy. Luís Branco advised EBRD on financing a Romanian wind farm, and represented Águas de Cascais in financing a wastewater treatment concession. Filipe Lowndes Marques advised BCP on the financing of a wind farm in Vila Real, and advised a syndicate of 11 banks on upgrading Iberwind’s Lagoa Funda wind farm. Senior associate Pedro Gorjão Henriques is also recommended.

Public Law

‘One of the best Portuguese firms’, Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados’ very strong public law practice is recognised for its ‘in-depth knowledge’, ‘incisive advice’ and ‘prompt feedback’. The team is led by the ‘excellent’ duo of Fernanda Matoso and Margarida Olazabal Cabral. Cabral is advising ENATUR on several public tenders, and assisting Pfizer and Abbott Laboratórios on public procurement matters. Matoso is representing Lusoponte-Concessionária para a Travessia do Tejo in an ongoing litigation case. Pedro Gonçalves is also recommended. Senior lawyers Nuno Peres Alves and Miguel Nogueira de Brito also have notable clients, the former advising Sonaecom and Auchan Group, and the latter advising EDP on energy saving projects and public contract issues.

Real Estate

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados has expertise spanning financing, planning and litigation, and it provides ‘very high-quality service’. Filipa Arantes Pedroso continues to advise Abertis on matters relating to its investments in Portugal, and Lusoponte on maintenance issues regarding the 25 de Abril bridge in Lisbon. João Pereira Reis advises on zoning, planning, environmental and contentious matters, including assisting SAIP in the planning and construction of a tourism and leisure complex in the Alentejo region.

Shipping and Transport

Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados has ‘very good industry knowledge in Portugal and Europe’ for the shipping and aviation industries. Francisco de Sousa da Câmara leads on the shipping side, assisted by ‘competent and proactive’ senior associate Cátia Henriques Fernandes, who is ‘instrumental in ship finance work’. Aviation expert Segismundo Pinto Basto is ‘an assertive leader’, and acts for aviation group Omni.

Tax