EUROPEAN LEGAL 500

Abreu Advogados, bolstered by recent further additions to the firm, is now able to call on the services of 14 partners, including practice head Rui Peixoto Duarte. ‘The best choice of legal counsel from a business perspective’, the firm is heavily involved in the real estate sector and among a stream of recent highlights, assisted Quinta da Arrábida with the development of the Monte da Rocha golf and tourism project. The ‘excellent’ and ‘first-rate’ Duarte de Athayde led on this matter. Other clients include the Regional Government of Madeira, Porto Vivo and Grupo Vasconcelo.

Abreu Advogados advised BES Group on derivatives and structured finance transactions, and has continued to build a reputation with leading banks for being ‘prudent, accurate and trustworthy’. In 2009, the team worked on a highly innovative and high-profile mandate, featuring representatives of major domestic banks forming a group to draft a master agreement to govern derivative transactions between Portuguese counterparties. Sofia Santos Machado led on this mandate and is ‘a brilliant legal mind’, and a ‘first-choice attorney on any crucial structured finance matter’.

‘Level headed, uncomplicated but effective’, Abreu Advogados’ banking practice continues to flourish with the arrival of Paulo de Tarso Domingues and José Miguel Tropa. Under the guidance of practice head Miguel Castro Pereira, the firm advises core client Banco Espírito Santo on the incorporation of an investment bank and a securities broker in Angola. Fund formation is a strong suit for the group and its recent record includes advising Banif in several matters relating to asset management. ‘Great at supporting in-house teams or taking the driving seat where necessary’, the team is ‘recommended for its excellent work product’.

Abreu Advogados assisted Câmara Municipal do Porto on a €100m project to create a special REIT fund devoted to the rehabilitation of a degraded urban building. Real estate is a key facet of the firm’s Oporto practice, alongside M&A and tax, and real estate practice head Rui Peixoto Duarte is the key contact for the office.

Miguel Teixeira de Abreu heads Abreu Advogados’ ‘outstanding’ seven-partner team of tax experts. The depth of the group is a key strength, and while Teixeira de Abreu handles high-visibility mandates, such as advising General Motors on the tax aspects of its acquisition of Delphi, the rest of the team is active on a range of issues. Particularly accomplished at handling ‘a difficult or unfamiliar case, where innovative techniques are required’, the team assisted the Regional Government of Madeira on the creation of special real estate funds to benefit from a specific tax regime.

Abreu Advogados, led by the ‘formidable’ and ‘tactically astute’ Leonor Chastre, is able to offer a mix of IP and IT law that has won a range of customer-side clients. The group assisted several members of the WPP Group on advertising issues and also handled work for a major US medical device technology group.

Abreu Advogados, led by Guilherme Santos Silva, has an active shipping practice which advises clients on contentious and non-contentious matters. The team represented Estaleiros Navais De Viana Do Castelo in litigation concerning two shipbuilding contracts amounting to €55m. Elsewhere in the transport industry, the group advised Israir, the second-largest Israeli air carrier, in litigation regarding a lease agreement of an aircraft.

Abreu Advogados combines deep experience of working on infrastructure and energy projects and various concessions with a ‘comprehensive approach to energy and administrative law’. Group co-head Manuel Andrade Neves is recognised for his ‘hardworking nature, timeliness and devotion to achieving a favourable outcome’. He assisted Auchan in administrative litigation relating to the environmental impact and authorisation of a shopping centre. Elsewhere, the team advised on the conception of a public operation related to urban renewal within the Oporto Municipality, including preparing the international public tender.

Leonor Chastre is Abreu Advogados’ IP practice head and is praised for ‘executing instructions on time and acting with a vital degree of independence to ensure matters run smoothly’. On the contentious side, the team represented Galucho in patent litigation, and also advised Companhia de Equipamentos Industriais on patent registration and litigation. Other recent highlights include defending Polti in a counterfeiting case.

Abreu Advogados combines long-established public and environmental law expertise, and frequently advises energy-sector clients on regulatory and transactional mandates. Headed by Manuel de andrade Neves and José Eduardo Martins, the group has had much recent success advising on several prominent energy projects, including acting for Iberdrola Generación on the licensing, construction and operation of four hydropower plants. On the environmental side, the team has a ‘detailed understanding of complex regulations and a willingness to help clients through very challenging engagements’. Recent highlights include advising Micron Technology on due diligence, state aid and environmental issues regarding its acquisition of another technology group.

Following the arrival of Augusto Marques and a team of associates from SMS Law Firm in 2009, Abreu Advogados is able to draw on considerable employment expertise. Seen as ‘a very feasible alternative to some of the larger Portuguese firms’ and ‘certainly a good choice for its professionalism and commercial attitude’, the firm continues to advise domestic corporates on a range of non-contentious matters. Recent highlights include advising Losomecânica Canicense on a collective dismissal matter, including contract termination negotiations and the restructuring of employment policy. Carmo Sousa Machado heads the practice.

Abreu Advogados’ 15-lawyer team is ‘a well-rounded practice with plenty of useful advisers’, including Armando Martins Ferreira, who acted for Mota Engil Ambiente e Serviços on the competition issues relating to the public tender of state concessions. Ferreira co-heads the group alongside Miguel Mendes Pereira.

Headed by Miguel Castro Pereira, 
Abreu Advogados’ 12-fee-earner group has a particular focus on IP and IT-related litigation, and ‘handles trial situations with skill and sense’. Recent highlights include advising Estaleiros Navais de Viana do Castelo on a complex arbitration relating to the termination of two cruise ship building agreements. In 2009, the team added partners Augusto Marques, José Miguel Tropa and Paulo Gouveia e Silva from SMS Law Firm, building on consistent growth in recent years. The team is said to be ‘even more of an attractive prospect, and has the bench depth and litigation experience to win the biggest cases’.

Abreu Advogados hired three partners from SMS Law Firm and is establishing itself as ‘very capable in corporate matters’. Led by Miguel de Avillez Pereira, the team acts for a blend of banking and foreign corporate clients. The group advised Crédit Foncier de France on its acquisition of Banco Primus, one of the highest-profile M&A transactions in the Portuguese banking sector in 2008.