Couto, Graça e Associados Limitada (CGA)

Chairman: Pedro Couto
Managing Partners: Pedro Couto, Telmo Ferreira
Number of partners: 7
Number of lawyers: 35
Languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese

Firm Overview:
CGA - Couto, Graça & Associados is a Mozambican law firm. It developes its activities with the purpose of providing high quality legal services to its clients.

With 35 lawyers CGA has a strong reputation in corporate, concessions, PPPs, dispute resolution, labour and investment, as well as leading pratices in banking, real estate and tax. The firm is also acknowledge as a prominent advisor in a number of industry sectors, including the energy and natural resources and infrastructure sectors.

The firm is associated with the Iberian law firm Cuatrecasas, which integrates almost 1,000 lawyers and 27 offices in 12 different countries (Mozambique, Portugal, Spain, United States of America, United Kingdom, Belgium, Brazil, Angola, China, México, Colombia, Morocco).

CGA is a member of the ‘Lex Africa’, a unique legal service group with wide network of long lasting relationships with the African continent’s leading law firms. It is also a member of the AERIAL network, which aims to share information, expertise and resources on African aviation law; of IsFin, the world’s leading Islamic finance lawyers and a member of the International Bar Association.

Main Areas of Practice:

Corporate & M&A:
The firm’s corporate and commercial practice advises clients on national and international corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, capital market, joint ventures, private equity investments, corporate restructurings, corporate governance, assets and business transactions and collaboration agreements.
This includes:
■ Transfer of participating interest on the operator of the Coral FLNG project (Operator of the Coral South reservoir of the Rovuma Basin)
■ Public offer made by a beverage company on the Mozambican Stock Exchange
■ Acquisition of 49% of cement company
■ Sub-concession of the power plant
■ Assignment of 15% of the major hydroelectric company
■ Assignment of shares in mining company
■ Financial institution bond issuances
■ Issuance of bonds of Financial Institution and respective listing before the Mozambique Stock Exchange
■ Restructuring of telecommunication company share capital
■ Merger of banks
■ Merger of insurance companies
■ Açucareira Project (sugar cane growing scheme –incorporation of company, farming agreements, funding and settlement of debt agreements
■ Acquisition of a beverage business
■ Turn key project for cement company
■ Advised cement company on the project of merger and acquisition
■ Transformation of paper factory
Partners: Telmo Ferreira, Emília Camacho

Banking & Finance:
The firm’s specialised finance practice includes counselling to all corporate and structured finance transactions, including asset, acquisition, corporate, project and structured financing; sale-and-leaseback transactions; other models of asset outsourcing; asset, mortgage and synthetic securitisations; assignments of credit; issuing of fixed-income and structured instruments as well as other financial instruments; and consumer credit.
■ Incorporation of banks
■ Regulatory intervention of Bank institution
■ Merge of Mozambican Banks
■ Legal Assistance regarding the Final Investment Decision and fulfilment of Conditions Predecent regarding Coral FLNG project (Operator of the Coral South reservoir of the Rovuma Basin)
■ Establishement of branches of foreign credit institutions
Partners: Pedro Couto, Telmo Ferreira
Managing Associate: Célia Francisco

Public Law & Regulatory Compliance:
The public law and regulatory practice includes advice to the following sub practice areas: energy, mining, oil and gas, infrastructure and PPPs. The practice includes lawyers from different areas with extensive experience in all sort of concession contracts, namely public-infrastructure projects and other forms of public-private collaboration and private finance initiatives.
■ Legal assistance to an oil and gas company for the negotiations with the government of Mozambique on the LNG projects in Northern Mozambique, as well as day today advice
■ Legal assistance to an oil company with the government of Mozambique for the negotiations on the LNG projects
■ Port coal terminal (project finance)
■ Railway (project finance)
■ Power station (project finance)
■ Power station (project finance)
■ Construction of the new bridge and road (project finance)
■ Corridor railway (private-public partnership)
■ Port and railway project (private-public partnership
■ Power plant project – 140 MW natural gas fired power station (private-public partnership) 
■ Power plant project – 40 MW natural gas fired power station (private-public partnership)
■ Power plant project – 40 MW natural gas fired power station (private-public partnership)
Partners: Pedro Couto, Telmo Ferreira

Foreign Investment:
The firm has been advising all major companies on structuring of foreign investments in Mozambique regarding the specific framework for the realisation in the Mozambican territory of ventures that involve national or foreign private investments in order to assure the legal protection on goods and rights.
■ Advising paper factory for forestry purposes and construction of an industrial project (paper manufacturing plant)
■ Advising a group of hotels on the investment extension of US$ 8.6 million for purposes of rebuilding and renovation of the a hotel and capital increase of share capital by means of new capital contributions in by converting a credit vis-à-vis
■ Advising a petroleum company on the investment extension for purposes of rebuilding of Matola Terminal and upgrade of Beira and Nacala Terminals
■ Advising Australian mining company, which is exploring ‘the largest combined deposit of graphite and vanadium in the world’
■ Advising a port company- on the acquisition of 70%
■ Advising Chinese mining company, Chinese entities and bid winners for the Chibuto Heavy Sands Deposit project in Mozambique Partner: Faizal Jusob

Litigation:
The firm provide clients with representation in all types of litigation; focusing matters of commercial, civil, criminal and administrative law. It also provides representation in mediation and arbitration.
Partner:Álvaro Pinto Basto

Labour & Employment:
The firm provides clients with multiple services, from strategic planning of employment specific treatment required by senior management, employment due diligence, as well as client representation during inspections by labour authorities, and in labour disputes, negotiations and litigation.
Partner: Rui Loforte

Intellectual Property:
The IP area provides legal advisory services in the process of registration of trademarks, patents, internet domain names, management, follow up and litigation of trademarks, patents, industrial designs as well as on the copyrights.
Partner: Rui Loforte