Iberian Lawyer’s Forty under 40 Awards recognise the achievements of the new generation of leading lawyers shaping the future of the legal profession. 

Held every year, Iberian Lawyer’s Forty under 40 Awards, honor lawyers across Spain and Portugal under the age of 40. The winners include only lawyers working in private practice. This year, the awards ceremony is being held the 29th of October in Lisbon in the Intercontinental Hotel – the Ceremony will be followed by a Gala Reception

NEW as from 2019 – the Forty under 40 Awards will be per category rewarding 20 individual and 20 team awards per category.

The Jury members will be a group of General Counsel and Head of Legal’s. The names will be announced later

Lawyer of the year M&A
Javier Gómez – Pérez-LLorca
Partner since 2018, his main areas of expertise are public and private M&A. He is among the leaders of one of the teams that dominate the market and that is constantly involved in large, cross-border deals.

Team of the Year M&A
PLMJ
With more than three-quarters of its lawyers under 40, the team is consistently involved in the largest, most high-profile and most complex M&A transactions in Portugal and Portuguese-speaking countries.

Lawyer of the Year Capital Markets
Juan María Lamo – Linklaters S.L.P
With a wide experience in all types of Capital Markets transactions, the professional is a recognised expert in the legal sector. A market source says: “His main skills concern securitisation transactions.”

Team of the Year Capital Markets
VdA
With more than 80 per cent of its lawyers under 40, including two partners, the team acted as legal advisor on the first issuance of senior non-preferred debt in Portuguese Capital Markets, a milestone in the country’s sector.

Lawyer of the Year Banking & Finance
Carlos Pérez Dávila – Pérez-Llorca
Partner of the firm, Carlos Pérez has been active in the Finance sector, having advised the most important clients of the financial and non-financial market.

Team of the Year Banking & Finance
Allen & Overy
With more than 80 per cent of its lawyers under 40, the team has acted for both lenders and borrowers on key transactions in Spain, having recently advised major banks and funds.

Lawyer of the Year Private Equity
José Costa Pinto – Costa Pinto Advogados
Founding partner of the firm, José is an experienced Corporate and Commercial lawyer with strong business acumen. He was president of ANJAP, the larger independent association of young Portuguese lawyers.

Team of the Year Private Equity
Pérez-Llorca
The team is made up of talented lawyers involved in the Private Equity largest transactions in Spain. Their clients include public and private companies from all industries, Spanish and international Private Equity funds, infrastructure funds and professional investors.

Lawyer of the Year Litigation
José Carlos Velasco Sánchez – Fuster-Fabra Abogados
Partner of the firm, José Carlos leads the Civil and Criminal Litigation Law department. He has always had fluid and continuous contact with the clients, with participation in the strategy.

Team of the Year Litigation
Ontier
With three-quarters of its lawyers under 40, the team has a remarkable experience in Litigation cases with outstanding success. They defend the interests of clients of different profiles.

Lawyer of the Year Arbitration
Fernando Bedoya – Pérez-Llorca
An active member of the Spanish Arbitration Club, Fernando has taken part in numerous commercial and investment arbitrations both as a lawyer and an arbitrator, for the most prestigious Spanish and international arbitration institutions.

Team of the Year Arbitration
VdA
Seventy per cent of the team is composed of lawyers under 40. During the research period, they were involved in both national and international arbitrations, demonstrating a 360° knowledge of the practice.

Lawyer of the Year Energy
Joana Alves de Abreu – Morais Leitão
Joana has participated in several relevant transactions in the Energy sector. She was also a guest lecturer at Nova University Law School to discuss renewable energy in Portugal and to teach a class on climate change and energy.

Team of the Year Energy
VdA
With 65 per cent of its lawyers under 40, the team has participated in the most relevant transactions in the Energy sector, including Project Finance that also involved the African market and the innovative green bonds.

Lawyer of the Year Infrastructure & Construction
Mafalda Ferreira – DLA Piper ABBC
Head of Public Law and Projects Team, Mafalda advised on one of the most important deals of the sector, related to the sale of a controlling stake of the largest motorway operator in Portugal.

Team of the Year Infrastructure & Construction
Pinsent Masons
With many already renowned young lawyers, the team is constantly growing, advising the most important clients on the most strategical national and international deals in the Infrastructure sector.

Lawyer of the Year Insolvency & Restructuring
Ricardo Silva Pereira  – Linklaters LLP
Ricardo has assisted many important clients such as companies, Insolvency practitioners and creditors in distressed situations, in relevant deals of the sector.

Team of the Year Insolvency & Restructuring
Allen & Overy
With more than 80 per cent of its lawyers under 40, the team has distinguished itself by playing an important role in the most complex transactions affecting the future of the companies and in the Covid-19 situation.

Lawyer of the Year Real Estate
Renata Silva Alves – Abreu Advogados
Associated partner of the team, during the research period Renata has worked on many relevant acquisitions in the Real Estate sector, as the one of a plot of land for the construction and development of an important tourism project.

Team of the Year Real Estate
Uría Menéndez – Proença de Carvalho
With three-quarters of its lawyers under 40, including two out of three partners, the team has accomplished one of the Real Estate “deals of the year”. It involved prime retail assets located both in Portugal and Spain, in one single transaction.

Lawyer of the Year EU & Competition
Luís do Nascimento Ferreira – Morais Leitão
Co-chair of the firm’s EU and Competition team, Luís is also a member of the firm’s social responsibility committee, coordinating the firm’s environmental and ecological footprint policies.

Team of the Year EU & Competition
SRS Advogados
They have one of the largest teams in this sector in Portugal. They are highly skilled and experienced in assisting different types of matters, including the most demanding ones.

Lawyer of the Year Labour
Miguel Pastur – Bird & Bird
Head of the Employment team in Spain, in only nine years he has built a department which now counts with nine lawyers and ranks among the biggest Employment teams of all international law firms in Madrid.

Team of the Year Labour
VdA
More than 80 per cent of the lawyers in its team is under 40. During the research period, they advised some of the most important brands and companies in the sport and oil & gas sectors on Employment matters.

Lawyer of the Year IP & TMT
João Leitão Figueiredo – CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut
João excels technically and has an exceptional leadership capacity. He has built strong relations with clients due to his constant dedication and availability.

Team of the Year IP & TMT
CCA Law Firm
The team is globally recognised for its expertise in IP and TMT matters. During the research period, they have regularly advised the most important companies of the tech, telecommunication and fashion sectors.

Lawyer of the Year Life Sciences & Pharma
Eliana Bernardo – PLMJ
Praised by clients for her in-depth knowledge, fast responses and business acumen, Eliana has 15 years’ experience in legal practice. Furthermore, she is the co-author of many informative notes on the Covid-19 crisis.

Team of the Year Life Sciences & Pharma
SRS Advogados
The team has a deep knowledge of the dynamics of the Pharmaceutical sector. They have a good regulatory background and a solid experience in dealing with IP rights, trademarks and patents.

Lawyer of the Year Tax
Isaque Ramos – PLMJ
Partner since 2019, Isaque focuses on Tax advice and project management in Portugal and Africa. He has acted for both Portuguese, foreign private and public sector clients.

Team of the Year Tax
EY Abogados
It is one of the biggest and most important teams of the sector and more than 80 per cent of its lawyers are under 40. Currently, they are involved in the digital transformation of the International Tax department and are dealing with some of the major clients.

Lawyer of the Year White-Collar Crime
Joaquín Jiménez Rubio – Ayuela Jiménez Abogados
The professional is one of the founding partners of the firm. He leads the White-Collar Crime and Criminal Compliance area and has represented national and international stock-market clients in proceedings before the Spanish Courts in some notorious cases.

Team of the Year White-Collar Crime
Morais Leitão
With almost 90 per cent of its lawyers under 40, the team is one of the excellences of the firm. They constantly deal with delicate and extremely important cases as, among others, corruption, tax evasion and money laundering both in Portugal and abroad.

Lawyer of the Year Startup
David Salgado Areias – Areias Advogados
David is the managing partner of one of the most specialised firms in the sector. He is internationally recognised also for having participated as a speaker, coordinator and moderator in some of the most important events for young lawyers worldwide.

Team of the Year Startup
Ecija
Thanks to the merger with Bustillo Abogados in 2019, the team has gathered some of the best young Startup lawyers, who strengthened the firm’s name in the sector’s market.

Lawyer of the Year Public Law
Marco Real Martins – BAS – Sociedade de Advogados, SP, RL
Partner of the firm, Marco has led his team in many relevant deals in the research period related to Public Law matters. In addition, he is a member of the APMEP Management Committee (Portuguese Public Procurement Association).

Team of the Year Public Law
SRS Advogados
With more than 70 per cent of its lawyers under 40, among other Public Law-related activities, the team has distinguished itself for having worked on one of the most relevant restricted procedures to be launched in Portugal in the railway sector in the last couple of years.

Lawyer of the Year Insurance
Margarida Torres Gama – Morais Leitão
Co-head of the team, Margarida has coordinated an increasing number of important national and international deals in the Insurance industry. She has worked in different areas, including the innovative field of insurtech.

Team of the Year Insurance
PLMJ
The team is appreciated by clients for its wide experience in the sector. Among their activities, they advise Portuguese and international Insurance and Reinsurance companies on the most strategic matters.

Lawyer of the Year Fintech
Alonso Hurtado – Ecija
Partner of the firm, Alonso has a deep and wide experience in all type of matters related to IT Law. He has also played an active role in the elaboration process of numerous regulations related to the sector.

Team of the Year Fintech
Pinsent Masons
The firm has developed new technologies and has assisted a number of startup firms. They regularly advise on Fintech matters working with Fintech specialist teams at an international level, with extensive knowledge in the field and the necessary skills.

Best Practice White-Collar Crime
Ospina Abogados
The team is entirely formed by lawyers under 40. They have worked in important national and international cases with high media coverage. Those cases involved companies of food & beverage and transport sectors.