GPA Advogados at 20
From PwC spin-off to full-service contender, the law firm founded by Sofia Gouveia Pereira and Margarida Lino Santos doubles down on growth and international reach
by glória paiva
In 2005, when the law firm comprised in the PwC Legal international network (correspondent law firms of PwC, former Landwell) temporarily ceased operations in Portugal for regulatory reasons, Sofia Gouveia Pereira and Margarida Lino Santos, former PwC lawyers, decided to found their own law firm. They were joined by other partners, giving rise to GPA Advogados, which has just marked its 20th anniversary with significant growth: from an initial team of five, the firm counted around 100 professionals at the end of 2025. In the past five years, the firm has consistently ranked among the top 25 law firms in Portugal by revenue (click to read), posting turnover of €10 million in 2025, up 20% year on year.
The connection to PwC and the DNA acquired by the founding partners through years of Big Four experience — strongly influenced by corporate and banking & finance practices — were crucial to GPA’s consolidation, explains Sofia Gouveia Pereira to Iberian Lawyer. “Until 2013, we had a strategic partnership with PwC, which knew us well. In fact, we were on the floor above them at the time”, she recalls. This relationship paved the way for the firm’s internationalisation, with projects in markets such as real estate in Cape Verde and the oil sector in Angola. Today, the GPA Network comprises partnerships with over 30 offices in the national market, as well as a presence in other Portuguese-speaking African countries and German and Chinese desks.
Over time, GPA gained the autonomy to chart its own course. The focus on a young and dynamic team, now with an average age of 39, is highlighted by Sofia Gouveia Pereira as one of the pillars of this growth. “A competent team, the contribution of the partners, flexibility, and the fact that we have lawyers with an outstanding academic background give us a high degree of technical security. All of this underpins our trajectory”, she states. The firm’s governance is also distinguished by equality of opportunity: GPA was one of the first Portuguese firms to have a female managing partner and currently has 61.4% female lawyers. Across all lawyers and staff, women represent around 70%.
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Pictured top row, from left to right: Pedro Cantista, Francisco Rodrigues Rocha, João Frias Costa. Bottom row: Sofia Gouveia Pereira, Margarida Lino Santos, Anabela Caetano, Manuel Gouveia Pereira.
