Professional notice
Portugal
As the largest competition practice in Portugal, the 10-lawyer team at Pereira Sáragga Leal Oliveira Martins Júdice & Associados (PLMJ) is recognised by peers as one of the country’s leading practices.
The team is led by Who’s Who Legal nominee Ricardo Oliveira – ex-partner José Luís da Cruz Vilaça left in October having been appointed a judge at the European Court of Justice. A highly experienced practitioner, Vilaça spent 10 years at the EU courts, including six years as president of the General Court, before joining PLMJ in 1996.
The firm is advising on all privatisation deals carried out over the last year under the Portuguese bailout programme. These include acting for government holding company Parpública in the privatisation of REN, Portugal’s electricity grid manager, and ANA, the country’s airport infrastructure manager. Oliveira is also advising Electrobrás in its acquisition of shares in EDP, Portugal’s energy incumbent.
PLMJ is also advising cement company Cimpor in its acquisition by one of its Brazilian shareholders, and the London Stock Exchange on aspects of purchasing a controlling stake in clearing house LCH.Clearnet.
On the behavioural side, PLMJ continues to act in the catering cartel matter. It is the largest antitrust case ever brought by the authority, in which it fined five companies €14.7 million in December 2009. PLMJ is advising Eurest, the largest defendant, which is appealing against a €5.2 million fine. The authority is finalising a new decision after Lisbon’s Commerce Court quashed the first ruling.
PLMJ is one of Portugal’s leading law firms and has established itself as a point of reference in the practice of law in this country through its dynamism, capacity for innovation and the quality of its services. It is a full-service and multidisciplinary office with more than 40 years of experience and an unparalleled team that places great emphasis on specialization and practices in all areas of the law.
With a team of more than 200 lawyers, including 40 partners, PLMJ is the largest Portuguese law firm. Based in Lisbon, the firm has offices in Oporto and Faro, as well as a network of joint ventures covering Coimbra, the Azores, Guimarães and Viseu. PLMJ has built up a strong network of joint ventures across the Portuguese-speaking countries where synergies are generated by a common language and culture, especially in Angola, Mozambique, Brazil, Macau and Cape Verde. The firm’s network spreads across the markets which are the main target for Portuguese foreign investment: the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and also in China. This structure enables the provision of cross-border legal services with cost-effectiveness and deep knowledge of local markets and legal systems. PLMJ has the largest EU and competition law practice of any law firm in Portugal. PLMJ’s EU and competition law practice is highly regarded and recognized in the market as a beacon of excellence.