Sofia Galvão Advogados

Partners: Sofia Galvão, Luis Moitinho de Almeida

Number of partners: 2 Number of assistants: 5

Languages:English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish

Firm Overview:

Sofia Galvão Advogados (SGA) is a boutique law firm, founded in 2014, which dedicates to the Territory, focused on supporting the implementation and development of economic activities on land and at sea.

SGA has its distinctive feature in the integrated approach of real estate and planning, and has been able to establish itself as a recognized go-to Firm (namely in major real estate transactions and planning instructions), filling what was a gap in Portuguese legal services panorama: a Partner based boutique Law Firm, with very solid (and acknowledged) real estate and planning expertise, that is able to present an integrated view of deals, whether they are of a “classic” real estate model (e.g., assets with a running cash flow or a sale and leaseback transaction) or require a prospective, strategy-oriented approach (e.g., development deals or urban renewal deals).

Main Areas of Practice:

Real Estate & Planning

■ Assistance to Champalimaud Foundation in its most recent real estate developments (namely the building of the Botton Centre for Pancreatic Cancer)

■ Assistance to Universidade Católica Portuguesa in the development of its real estate projects in Lisbon (Medicine College in Sintra and Veritatis Campus in Lisbon)

■ Assistance to the European Parliament in the management and development its real estate developments

■ Advice to Metropolitano de Lisboa (Lisbon Subway Corp) regarding the setting up of an ambitious urban development project in Lisbon for the new residential and office area of Sete Rios, within a specific public procedure framework based on our legal opinion

■ The studies done for the Comissão Técnica Independente (Independent Commission in Charge of the New Lisbon Airport Location) on the legal validation of the various potential locations for the new Lisbon Airport which, along with other expertise inputs, will provide a secure basis for government decision-making on the location to be established.

■ Legal assistance and representation of Fidelidade, in the construction of a major real estate development in Entrecampos, Lisbon

■ The work developed for Tidewell Corporation, N.V. (Al Baker Family), for the setting up and implementation of the real estate development of Herdade da Apostiça, a 37.728.300,00 sqm property, where a set of hotels, resorts and connected amenities corresponding to 549.550 sqm, circa 30 km south from Lisbon, are to be developed in the vicinity of the sea and within a forested and naturally preserved area, in accordance with the highest environmental standards.

■ Assistance to Novo Banco (Fundo Investimento Imobiliário Fechado das Amoreiras) with the implementation of a major real estate development (Amoreiras Artilharia Um Project), in Lisbon, as well as with the Benagil project, in Algarve

■ Legal counsel to ECS Capital on several major real estate developments

■ Assistance to the Pestana Group in the planning and real estate development of its projects in Porto Covo (Alentejo Coast, between Comporta and the Algarve) to develop a tourism establishment (touristic appartments and villas), in Comporta and in Madeira.

Key Clients: Champalimaud Foundation, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, European Parliament, Rossio Pombalino, S.A., Metropolitano de Lisboa, S.A. (Lisbon Subway Company), Comissão Técnica Independente para o Estudo da Localização do Novo Aeroporto de Lisboa (Independent Technical Commission for the Study of the Location of the New Lisbon Airport), Fidelidade Property Europe / Fosun, Novo Banco, Crédito Agrícola, Pestana Group, Bedrock Capital, Smartenergy, ECS Capital, Coporgest, Prowinko, Level Constellation, Atenor, Besix, Eastbanc, Status Capital, TAN