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Morais Leitão Galvão Teles Soares da Silva & Associados

Portugal

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Key contacts
Partner: Bruno Santiago
Partner: Francisco Mendes da Silva
Quick facts
Network memberships

Lex Mundi

Key practice areas
General corporate tax
Indirect tax
Private client
Tax
Tax controversy
Transactional tax
Transfer pricing
Firm overview

Morais Leitão is a leading full-service law firm in Portugal, with a solid background of decades of experience. Broadly recognised, the Firm is a reference in several branches and sectors of the law on national and international level.

At Morais Leitão we have a substantial team of tax lawyers with a relevant experience in this area. Our clients include some of the largest national and foreign corporate groups, operating in a wide range of sectors, including industry, services and telecommunications, banking and financial services, securities and real estate investment funds and private equity funds, as well as medium and small companies, public institutions, foundations, non-governmental social support organizations and private clients.

Alongside the tax litigation, we also ensure the best integrated tax advice in relation to the most diverse operations, seeking to complement the tax analysis with an approach to the different relevant areas of law. Our expertise comprises tax planning in corporate restructuring operations, research and development activities, mergers and acquisitions, public offerings, securitisation operations, structured finance operations, mortgage credit, debt issuance, derivatives, as well as specific tailored tax support within the scope of each client’s field of activity.

We also accompany inspection actions carried out by the Tax Authority, ensuring a thorough knowledge of the substantive law and a wide experience of legal assistance in the most diverse inspection procedures. In the area of tax litigation, we are proud on having a recognized team, which has sponsored some of the largest and most complex tax complaints and arbitration processes that have been trialed by our courts.

Due to its network of associations and alliances with local firms and the creation of the Morais Leitão Legal Circle in 2010, the firm can also offer support through offices in Angola (ALC Advogados), Cape Verde (VPQ Advogados), Mozambique (MDR Advogados) and Singapore.

Other offices

PORTO
Avenida da Boavista, 3265 – 5.2
Edifício Oceanvs
4100-137 Porto – Portugal
T +351 226 166 950

FUNCHAL, MADEIRA
Av. Arriaga, n.º 73, 1.º, Sala 113
Edifício Marina Club
9000-060 Funchal – Portugal
T +351 291 200 040

SINGAPURE
9 Raffles Place
#25-02 Republic Plaza
Singapore 048619
T +65 6349 2284

ALC Advogados
Masuika Office Plaza
Edifício MKO A
Piso 5, Escritório A,
Talatona, Município de Belas
Luanda - Angola
T +244 926 877 478
www.alcadvogados.com/en

MDR Advogados
Avenida Marginal, 141,
Torres Rani, Torre de Escritórios,
8.º piso,
Maputo - Moçambique
T +258 21 344000
www.mdradvogados.com/en/

VPQ Advogados
Edifício BAIcenter, 3.º esq.
Av. Cidade de Lisboa, Chã d’Areia
Praia - Cabo Verde
T +238 350 06 45
www.vpqadvogados.com/en

Address:
Rua Castilho, 165
1070-050, Lisbon
Portugal
Tel:+351213817400 Email:Contact Us Web Address:http://mlgts.pt
2027 Edition
General corporate tax
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Indirect tax
30 firms ranked
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Private client
32 firms ranked
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Tax controversy
34 firms ranked
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Transactional tax
30 firms ranked
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Transfer pricing
16 firms ranked
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Overview

Morais Leitão Galvão Teles Soares da Silva & Associados is recognised as a leading practice in Portugal. Senior practitioners are partners Francisco de Sousa da Câmara and Antonio Corte Real Neves.  Cornerstone strengths are litigation and M&A transactions for the banking, insurance, energy, and real estate sectors. Partners Francisco Mendes da Silva and Bruno Santiago co-manage the firm.  

The firm assisted EDP Energias de Portugal in a stamp duty reimbursement case connected with debt securities which was escalated to the CJEU. It also advised Novobanco on a tax assessment pertaining to municipal levies with anti-abuse dimensions under EU Beneficial Ownership. Sword Health Technologies received tax structuring guidance on R&D investments in Portuguese funds.  

Principal associate Inês Dias Cardoso arrived from Cuatrecasas in January 2025. Fellow associates João Sousa Magalhães and Carolina Braga Andrade joined in September 2024. Outbound partner António Pedro Braga joined Garrigues in September 2024 and fellow partners António Lobo Xavier and Paulo Núncio retired. Senior lawyer José Maria Montenegro transferred to Dower Law Firm in September 2024.  

Client feedback

‘’They have a deep and conceptual knowledge of the Portuguese tax law. The experience and seniority of its lawyers is also appreciated.’’ 

‘’An expert in surcharges and special contributions.’’

Linked Reviews
Tax

Morais Leitão Galvão Teles Soares da Silva & Associados is recognised as one the leading practices in Portugal. Senior practitioners are partners Francisco de Sousa da Câmara and António Lobo Xavier.  Cornerstone strengths are litigation and M&A transactions for the banking, insurance, energy, and real estate sectors. Partners António Pedro Braga and Bruno Santiago co-manage the firm.

The firm provided tax assistance in the sale of two private equity funds to Davidson Kempner, which was one of the largest real estate deals on the Portuguese market. It also acted for a client in a dispute with the tax authorises, related to reimbursement of withheld tax on interest payments under the Interest and Royalties Directive.

Client feedback

“This firm has a great and earned reputation.”

“Because Morais Leitão is together with VdA the main player in tax in the Portuguese legal market.”

“They have good tax lawyers and the firm has relevant experience.”

“Senior partners (Francisco Sousa da Câmara and António Lobo Xavier) are very recognised by the market.”

“Quality and experience of the team across different tax mandates. High-level capacity of all the other areas.”

“They are well known in the market for dealing with hot topics.”

“Very professional, very knowable of tax laws and mechanisms and very secure in their advises.”

“Tax impact analysis on the real estate transaction.”

"Knowledge, competence.”

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Mariana Morais Teixeira of Morais Leitão overviews Portugal’s new tax incentive regime designed to boost the country’s capital-depleted private sector.
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