Opportunities for Portuguese law firms emerging in North America and Asia – PLMJ

North America and Asia are markets that are generating an increasing amount of instructions for Portuguese law firms, according to Luís Pais Antunes, managing partner of PLMJ in Lisbon.

When it comes to serving clients operating in these markets, it is important to consider different strategies in order to ensure the correct approach is taken, he adds.“I think that all strategies, all the possible ways are to be used and exploited,” Pais Antunes says. “There are jurisdictions where we have a local office and others where we have partners, that is local law firms who belong to the PLMJ international network and with whom we have a special relationship.” Pais Antunes adds that, in other jurisdictions, having best friends or using international networks may be the most effective ploy. “We try to have specific lawyers and teams who know the specificities of these markets very well.” Pais Antunes continues: “Fifty percent of our activity is driven by international clients and international markets.”
While PLMJ remains focused on markets such as Africa, Brazil, China and East Timor, other jurisdictions in Europe, North America and Asia now present significant opportunities.