Cuatrecasas scales up in Portugal
Nuno Sá Carvalho, managing partner, outlines the law firm’s strategy in the country and its integration within the Iberian platform
by glória paiva
Marked by increasing dynamism and rapid transformation, Portugal has become fertile ground for the growth and consolidation of law firms. Economic expansion, rising foreign investment and the growing complexity of transactions have created a favourable environment, especially for larger firms, whose presence and consolidation underscore Portugal’s attractiveness as both an investment destination and a relevant legal market. This is the view of Nuno Sá Carvalho, managing partner of Cuatrecasas Portugal for the past four years, who sees this moment as one of optimism for the firm’s trajectory in the country and for the arrival of new international players. “Increased competition is healthy and drives us all to be better, more efficient and more innovative,” he tells Iberian Lawyer.
The Spanish-founded firm entered the Portuguese market in 2004, with the merger with “Gonçalves Pereira, Castelo Branco”, which resulted in Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira and has since evolved from an initial partnership into a fully integrated model within its international structure. With offices in Lisbon and Porto, Cuatrecasas currently has 133 lawyers in Portugal, 30 of whom are partners, generating around €42 million in revenue and ranking sixth among law firms by turnover in the national market, according to Iberian Lawyer estimates for 2025 (click to read).
Cuatrecasas treats Portugal as part of its core Iberian platform rather than a secondary market. According to Nuno Sá Carvalho, the firm’s approach in the country is closely aligned with the group’s global vision, while remaining adapted to local specificities. “Portugal benefits from Cuatrecasas’ scale and multijurisdictional capabilities”, he explains, stressing that the firm’s ambition is to remain “a reference for complex transactions in the Iberian space and Latin America”.
Portugal has also become a natural entry point for investors from Portuguese-speaking countries and beyond, particularly in sectors such as real estate, tourism, technology and renewable energy, where crossborder flows through Lisbon and Porto continue to intensify, he says.
Although positioned as a full-service firm, Cuatrecasas’ activity in Portugal is skewed towards higher value-added work, the managing partner points out.
…
