Sofia Galvão officially joins PLMJ’s urban planning team

Starting in October, Sofia Galvão (pictured left), as senior consultant, and Luís Moitinho de Almeida (pictured right), as partner, have officially joined PLMJ‘s urban planning area. In July of this year, the firm had announced the incorporation of Sofia Galvão Advogados to form “the largest urban planning team in Portugal,” according to PLMJ. The eight lawyers who made up Sofia Galvão’s team have now joined the group led by Andreia Candeias Mousinho, which now includes around 15 lawyers.

For Bruno Ferreira, managing partner at PLMJ, “bringing Sofia Galvão, Luís Moitinho de Almeida, and their team into our firm is extraordinary, due to the immense technical quality of these lawyers and the unique experience that makes Sofia an undeniable reference in this area and Luís a sure bet. It became clear to us that our legal advisory services in Urban Planning had to be highly specialized, and we began that journey with the hiring of Andreia Candeias Mousinho and the formation of a dedicated team that has been doing distinctive work, highly recognized by the market, which was demanding its expansion.”

Sofia’s return to PLMJ

Sofia Galvão, founder of Sofia Galvão Advogados, said: “I return to PLMJ, almost 20 years later, with a group of lawyers who made a clear choice about the type of legal practice they want and know how to do: rigorous and demanding, solution-oriented, and grounded in close relationships with clients. We are independent and choose not to do everything, so we can focus on what we do well. I found this same culture in the PLMJ project, which I know well and was a significant part of my journey, and I believe we are at the right moment for this merger, which will allow us to go further in the vision we share. This will be a new chapter in the career of this extraordinary team, which is joining a firm that, for over 50 years, has been one of the leaders in the sector.”

Sofia Galvão was the partner responsible for the urban planning departments at PLMJ from 2000 to 2005. She also served as secretary of State for public administration and secretary of State for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers in the 16th Constitutional Government. Between 2007 and 2014, she was a partner at Vieira de Almeida & Associados.

Luís Moitinho de Almeida, a former partner at Sofia Galvão Advogados for four years, joins PLMJ as a partner. He was an advisor to the secretary of State for administrative modernization in the 19th Constitutional Government and works in all areas of territorial law, particularly in urban planning, environment, energy, and licensing sectors.