With competition intensifying, and greater commoditisation of services, making compliance a profitable area of practice is, for some firms, increasingly hard work 

Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Portugal need to bring about a change of mindset in their companies and embrace the concept of being fully compliant, according to Paulo de Sá e Cunha, partner

Clients need to be able to demonstrate that they have a programme that meets the specific needs of their company

Due to the explosion of corporate scandals over the last two years and the ensuing criminal and civil litigation, there is a growing awareness among board members of the personal liabilities they potentially face in

Despite a relatively undeveloped legal framework for compliance, companies can still be held criminally liable for the actions of their representatives

Though having a compliance programme is not yet enshrined in Portuguese law, lawyers are taking the opportunity to develop a new practice area focusing on helping clients eliminate the risks associated with non-compliance, say Tiago