Lusophone legal connections
Legal partnerships between Portugal, Brazil, Africa and Asia are evolving, fuelled by shared history, a common language and new markets
Experts: Diogo Xavier da Cunha, managing partner at Miranda & Associados; Francisca Mendes da Costa, partner at Sérvulo & Associados; Fernando Prado Ferreira, international partner and head of the Vieira de Almeida in Brazil; João Ribeiro da Costa, partner at TozziniFreire
by glória paiva
In February, Vieira de Almeida (VdA) announced the appointment of its first resident partner in Brazil. The timing was no coincidence: Brazilian interest in the European country has never been greater. Likewise, alliances between Portuguese law firms and those in Portuguese-speaking Africa and Asia continue to grow. This movement is supported by strong historical, legal, and cultural ties between these countries, but is also driven by new economic opportunities.
The main Portuguese law firms have been present in the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) since the early 1990s, in a longstanding relationship that also benefits from a common civil law system. Miranda, for example, began its international operations the same year it was founded, in 1987. “Our first client had a major energy project in Angola. Expanding our practice to other Portuguese-speaking countries was a natural evolution”, says Diogo Xavier da Cunha, managing partner at Miranda.
The demand for legal advisory services in foreign investments, compliance, and arbitration within the CPLP has kept this exchange active to this day. Recent partnerships include Morais Leitão and JLA Advogados e Consultores in Timor-Leste; Sérvulo and MLA in Cape Verde; Antas da Cunha Ecija and the Angolan law firm DC Lawyers; Melo Alves and LS Lawyers in Macau, and MFA Legal in Angola.
Since these are economies undergoing evolution and diversification, there is still room for growth in all industries, with an emphasis on energy, mining, infrastructure, financial systems, and telecommunications. Angola and Mozambique, currently in economic recovery, stand out in these sectors, while Cape Verde focuses on tourism and clean energy. Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe present opportunities in fishing and agriculture. “In the context of the global economy, Africa has shown one of the highest potentials for growth, attractiveness, and opportunities”, says Francisca Mendes da Costa, partner in the public law department at Sérvulo & Associados.
In the Lusophone Africa, the energy and natural resources sectors are among the primary focuses of the Miranda Alliance. “We are also active in sectors such as ports and other infrastructure, construction and real estate, finance, aviation, and agriculture”, explains Xavier da Cunha. Sérvulo also highlights international arbitration, capital markets, corporate governance, public contracts, and public procurement as growing fields. “We have participated in various legislative review and public procurement system update projects in countries such as São Tomé and Príncipe and Angola”, reports Mendes da Costa.
