Manuel Castelo Branco joins Pérez-Llorca as partner in Lisbon

Pérez-Llorca is strengthening its litigation and arbitration capabilities in Lisbon with the appointment of Manuel de Abreu Castelo Branco (pictured) as the partner leading the practice in Portugal. This move bolsters the firm’s presence in the country. Castelo Branco joins from Linklaters Portugal, where he served as counsel for arbitration and litigation, corporate contracts, criminal law, and insolvency over the past 17 years.

Castelo Branco brings 20 years of experience advising national and international companies, financial and insurance entities, as well as private equity funds in domestic and cross-border litigation and arbitration in Portugal and various Lusophone countries. His practice has focused on civil and commercial litigation, particularly advising companies on a broad range of commercial disputes. Additionally, he has extensive experience in contentious and non-contentious matters related to restructuring and insolvency.

A growing team

Gonçalo Capela Godinho, the partner responsible for Pérez-Llorca in Portugal, stated that “Manuel’s appointment is key to strengthening the firm’s Litigation and Arbitration practice in Lisbon. In less than a year, we have built a team of experts in all areas of business law in Portugal, capable of providing comprehensive advice to our clients.”

A graduate in Law from the Faculty of Law at the Catholic University of Lisbon, with a postgraduate degree in arbitration from the Faculty of Law at Nova University of Lisbon, Castelo Branco also holds postgraduate studies in economic criminal law from the Faculty of Law at the University of Coimbra. He is a member of the APA – Portuguese Arbitration Association and Forum Penal – Portuguese Association of Criminal Lawyers.