Desks

Brazilian Desk

International Desks

In keeping with our broad strategy of growth and international presence and addressing the increasing needs of our clients throughout the world, we have created our Brazilian Desk, an internal team of lawyers that assures guidance and ongoing legal support to transactions that connect Brazil and Portugal and Brazil and the Portuguese-speaking African countries.

As a multidisciplinary team, the Morais Leitão Brazilian Desk is composed of lawyers specialized in different practice areas and sectors, namely including lawyers registered in the Brazilian Bar Association, with years of residence and local experience – something that sets us apart within the Portuguese legal landscape.

Our Brazilian Desk guarantees, on a permanent basis, and in close cooperation with our associated offices, personalised day-to-day assistance to clients from Brazil. We have experience in very complex transactions and operations in Brazil and/or involving Brazilian interests.

We believe that the Brazilian Desk is an invaluable asset for wishing to invest in the countries covered by the Morais Leitão Legal Circle network – Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Portugal –, not only because of the quality of our global expertise, but also given our access to a worldwide network of contacts, offering a unique and integrated view of the local business and business and legal environments, which allows us to better understand and advise our clients.

Main areas of activity

Banking and finance

Advising on complex operations in all sectors of this activity, as well as on financial services such as structured financing, project finance, assetbacked transactions, derivative instruments and investment funds.

Criminal, regulatory offences and compliance

Conducting and orientating these types of processes, from the initial investigation and instruction phase through to the judicial phase.

Group reorganisations

Tax neutral reorganizations, reorganisations involving the application of the group relief regime, transfer of losses and the redomiciliation of corporations.

International & European Tax

Application of Double Tax Treaties and the impact of the Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting, application of EU Directives and Regulations.

Litigation

Administrative claims, arbitration, courts of first instance, courts of appeal, Supreme Court, Constitutional Court, Court of Justice, tax inspections, foreclosure processes, precautionary actions and mutual agreement procedures.

Mergers & acquisitions

Mergers, spin-offs, exchange[s] of shares and corporate takeovers in both international and domestic contexts, as well as insolvency-based M&A.

Private clients

Wealth and inheritance planning, trusts and family offices, importation of works of art, as well as advisory in migratory issues such as the nonhabitual resident tax regime.

Project finance and project development

Vast experience in public infrastructure projects related to road, railway, port and airport concessions, the production of wind, water, photovoltaic and thermoelectric energy, natural gas and oil concessions, and sporting and recreation facilities, as well as municipal concessions funding.

Real estate operations

Financing operations and acquisitions of real estate portfolios, including offices, commercial centres, hotels, residential parks and resorts, using different types of vehicles and dealing with tax incentives and benefits related with these operations.