Sérvulo appoints three new equity partners
NEWS AND EVENTS 16 Sep 2024
Francisca Mendes da Costa, Pedro Fernández Sánchez and Teresa Pala Schwalbach are the new equity partners at SÉRVULO. In the year it celebrates its 25th anniversary, SÉRVULO reinforces its commitment to the future, increasingly investing in the excellence of its team, which is already a benchmark in the national and international markets.
According to Manuel Magalhães, managing partner of Sérvulo, “these appointments are the result of their recognized legal solidity upon which they have built their careers, a keen strategic vision, and strong personal and professional skills. These lawyers, who are today a national and international reference, have carved out a unique and distinctive path that has greatly contributed to the positive results we have achieved in recent years”.
Francisca Mendes da Costa has been with the law firm since 2008. She is a partner in the Public Law department and co-responsible for the Sérvulo Latitude network. Recognized by leading international directories as a key contact in multi-jurisdictional legal matters, Francisca has extensive experience advising public and private sector entities on the execution and negotiation of public contracts, particularly in the context of public-private partnerships in the road, rail, and health sectors, as well as in the preparation and management of international public tender procedures. She also specializes in administrative law litigation and arbitration. Francisca has been involved in the execution and coordination of numerous projects in Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe. She completed an Executive Education program in Accounting and Finance at Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics. Francisca holds a postgraduate degree in Water Law and Public Procurement, and an Intensive International Master of Laws from the European Public Law Academy. She graduated in Law from the Faculty of Law, University of Coimbra, in 2005.
Pedro Fernández Sánchez is a partner in the Public Law department and has been with SÉRVULO since 2005. He is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Lisbon, and holds a Ph.D. in Law from the same institution. He is vice president of the Institute of Legal and Political Sciences and Principal Researcher at the Public Law Research Center (Lisbon Public Law). Sánchez has conducted numerous legal studies and opinions at the request of public and private entities, both national and international, in the areas of Constitutional and Administrative Law. The new equity partner has also been part of teams responsible for drafting key legislative projects for Portuguese Public Law, including the drafting team for the 2008 Public Contracts Code and the legislation for its revision, as well as a consultant for drafting legislative projects in other Member States of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries. Additionally, Sánchez is a guest speaker and trainer for the Portuguese Government and other public and private entities, providing training in Constitutional and Administrative Law. He is the founder and first Director of the Administrative Law Review and has authored dozens of books and articles in the fields of Constitutional and Administrative Law.
Teresa Pala Schwalbach is a partner in the Tax Law department and heads the Scandinavian Desk at Sérvulo. With the firm since 2015, she has extensive experience advising on investment operations in various sectors, as well as in the analysis, planning, and support for the implementation of corporate reorganization operations. Teresa provides support to companies and individuals wishing to invest in Portugal, with a special focus on Scandinavian countries. The lawyer has worked on advising the preparation of tax legislation in Portugal and Mozambique, including areas such as insurance, oil and gas, and the financial sector. Teresa holds an MBA from ESADE Business School in Barcelona and a postgraduate degree in Management for Lawyers and Taxation from the Portuguese Catholic University. She is also a guest speaker and trainer at numerous conferences and training sessions in Tax Law.
With these latest appointments, Sérvulo now has a team of 17 equity partners, within a total of over 120 lawyers.