Abreu confirms Inês Sequeira Mendes as new managing partner

The partners at Abreu Advogados have elected a new board of directors and executive committee to lead the firm for the next two years

Inês Sequeira Mendes has succeeded Duarte de Athayde as managing partner of Abreu Advogados. During her mandate, Sequeira Mendes will continue the sustained growth strategy that Abreu has been developing nationally and internationally.

In addition to Inês Sequeira Mendes, the new executive committee will also include the partners Manuel de Andrade Neves, Francisco Patrício and António Pina.

Inês Sequeira Mendes has been practicing law for more than 20 years with a primary focus on the Competition area, which covers several sectors, notably Healthcare. As co-leader of the EU and Competition Law practice area, she is a renowned name in the sector and a reference among peers and clients.

Sequeira Mendes also has relevant experience in the firm’s leadership and management areas, as a member of the previous executive committee of Abreu Advogados, where she was responsible for the reorganisation of the firm’s practice areas, industries and international desks.

“I am very proud of the trust Abreu Advogados’ partners have placed in me, but I also feel an enormous responsibility for the position I now hold. I am convinced that we will continue on the affirmation path as one of the four main independent law firms in Portugal. Since its foundation, Abreu Advogados has been a humanist project that goes beyond the mere provision of legal services and it is based on this genetic code that we will continue to develop our work”, says Inês Sequeira Mendes.

“I take on this new responsibility in a particularly challenging global context, but one to which Abreu Advogados has been able to respond in the best possible way. We are already a key player among the largest independent Portuguese law firms but we still have room to continue to innovate and grow. We have the technical and human skills that allow me to look into the future with special confidence”.

Besides leading Abreu Advogados, Inês Sequeira Mendes is also the chairman of the National Committee of UIA – Union Internationale des Avocats for 2020-2021. In addition to her strong connection to business and innovation, she is also associated with sustainability areas and with the firm’s cultural projects, being one of the main driving forces behind Abreus’ Cultural Project, together with partner Manuel Andrade Neves.

Duarte de Athayde becomes chairman of the board of directors of Abreu, succeeding partner Carmo Sousa Machado, who will be the president of the Supervision and Compliance committee of the firm. Carmo Sousa Machado is also vice-president at the Portuguese Bar Association and chairman of the international association Multilaw.

Duarte de Athayde completed three mandates as managing partner, having led the firm during a period through which Abreu Advogados achieved strong results, recognised by the partners and the market, thus leaving an indelible contribution for the sustained growth of the firm. The board of directors also includes, as non-executive members, the partners Armando Martins Ferreira, Maria Dulce Soares, Manuel Santos Vítor and Alexandra Courela. José Maria Corrêa de Sampaio will be the Vice-president.

“We believe Inês Sequeira Mendes is the right person to lead Abreu’s national and international operation and this executive committee has everything it needs to carry on with our company’s strategy. Inês is an excellent professional, with renowned human, technical and leadership qualities, who has been with us for over 15 years, with a key role in the growth and affirmation path we are following”, highlights Duarte de Athayde, the new chairman of Abreu Advogados.

“I finish this stage with a feeling of accomplishment. We have managed to respond to the present challenges with resilience and determination, and to plan the future with the required speed and anticipation for the times we are living”, adds Duarte de Athayde.

Inês Sequeira Mendes begins her managing partner mandate shortly after Abreu Advogados presented its financial results, where it recorded a 12% growth in revenue, compared to the previous year.