Driving innovation and sustainability: Abreu’s way
The second female managing partner of Abreu Advogados, Inês Sequeira Mendes explains how the Portuguese law firm, a pioneer in the use of AI, has incorporated knowledge and technology to forge a path of expansion
by glória paiva
Sustainability, technology, training, and resilience. These are the pillars that underpin the success of Abreu Advogados according to its managing partner, Inês Sequeira Mendes. Leading the firm for the past three years, Sequeira Mendes has guided Abreu to remarkable growth, with a 19% increase in revenue in 2023, reaching €49.7 million. This milestone coincided with the firm’s 30th anniversary, showing that, during the past three decades, the organization has managed to balance tradition and innovation in an increasingly volatile context.
The second woman to lead Abreu after Carmo Sousa Machado (2004-2007), Sequeira Mendes brings a bold and strategic vision, anchored in the conviction that innovation is not just an advantage but a necessity. The Abreu “Knowledge Institute” (Instituto de Conhecimento) exemplifies this vision, acting as a learning and adaptation laboratory for new trends and challenges. One of the latest examples of this quest for innovation is the partnership with Microsoft to use Copilot with AI, a tool that promises to transform how the legal profession interacts with technology. In an exclusive interview with Iberian Lawyer, Inês Sequeira Mendes reveals the secrets behind Abreu’s strategy.
Abreu grew by 19% in 2023 and achieved record revenue. How do you evaluate this result? Was it expected?
It was an excellent year, with results that exceeded our expectations. This growth was a birthday gift for the firm, which celebrated 30 years in 2023, and it demonstrates that, over the years of management, we have followed a sustainable path. The focus has been on continuous growth while empowering our team, creating internal and collaborative mechanisms that enable the development of individual talents. All of this is combined with innovation and the adoption of new technologies, which make our internal processes more efficient. The success is the result of the combination of these factors, with a very clear focus on maintaining solid and sustainable growth.
What is the importance of innovation for Abreu?
