Public Law

Over the years, SÉRVULO has accumulated vast and recognised experience in the area of public procurement and in the execution of public contracts. The firm’s lawyers took part in the drafting of the Public Contracts Code and all associated legislation, which gives SÉRVULO a wealth of expertise when formulating contracts, structuring procedures and defending the interests of private tenderers and private contracting parties. The firm also counsels on the execution, implementation and renegotiation of public contracts, including construction work contracts, operational concessions and PPPs.

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SÉRVULO leans on its comprehensive substantive law expertise to provide a specialised team dedicated to administrative law litigation cases, in all their guises. The firm also commits significant resources to administrative law arbitrations, an area of growing importance and one in which the firm’s lawyers act as counsels or arbitrators, depending on the nature of the case.

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SÉRVULO provides comprehensive legal assistance to energy sector clients, handling matters ranging from oil and gas exploration and production, to oil refining and distribution, natural gas storage, supply, distribution and commercialisation, and the production and commercialisation of electric energy. The team also counsels clients on different regulatory regimes and development models, at a national and international level. Thus the firm has the expertise and agility to respond to an increasingly complex set of challenges in a sector that is of fundamental importance to the social and economic development of an array of countries and regions.

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SÉRVULO has long been actively involved in the water and waste sectors, advising on the management and operational structure of the sector as a public utility, the sector’s regulatory framework, the use of water resources and specific matters concerning water and waste clusters. Waste is an area of growing importance and the team routinely provides counsel on matters as diverse as the negotiation of contracts, the Portugal 20-30 programme, procedural issues and environmental law.

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SÉRVULO’s infrastructure practice advises clients on the development of large-scale public projects, such as national road and rail networks, and the construction and operational issues associated with major public sector facilities, such as ports, hospitals and schools. The firm has been involved in almost all high-profile road and rail projects undertaken in Portugal in the last decade, advising the state and other public bodies or acting for private companies in the preparing, negotiating and execution of public concessions and sub-concessions for motorway projects, or private and publicly-tendered concessions for railways.

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The department provides comprehensive advice to ensure clients comply with all aspects of environmental legislation and fulfil their environmental responsibilities. Thus the team provides due diligence analysis, environmental law compliance assessments and regular counsel concerning industry procedures and policy.

SÉRVULO has gained considerable environmental law experience working on projects in the water, waste and energy sectors. In water, the team has particular expertise handling water quality management programmes, while in regards to waste, the department is well-versed in collection, treatment and evaluation procedures. On the energy front, the firm has an exceptional overall command of environmental regulation (e.g. environmental impact assessments and risk and implication analysis in regards to environmental incidents) and specific expertise relating to the energy sector (e.g. issues connected to the use of water resources, CO2 geological storage and licensing for greenhouse gas emissions).

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