Valadas Coriel & Associados

Managing Partner: João Valadas Coriel
Number of partners: 7
Number of lawyers: 30
Languages: Portuguese, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Ukrainian

Firm Overview:
VCA – Valadas Coriel & Associados started its journey in 2001 in Chiado, the heart of old Lisbon, with four lawyers and is celebrating this year its 20th anniversary.

VCA has become a firm of polymath lawyers, specialised in dispute resolution, private wealth, real estate, and immigration. The firm also caters to other areas of Law such as labour, corporate, tax, projects, energy and mining, maritime, art law, and copyrights, which are intersectional with the firm’s areas of specialisation. VCA’s 25 lawyers team combines experience, anticipation, creativity, and determination, offering clients a range of skills and resources for a variety of projects both local and international.

A dynamic yet informal work environment at VCA has attracted talent from bigger law and audit firms longing to strike a balance between personal and professional life, such balance being actively promoted at VCA, one of the firm’s contributions for the sustainability of a profession that needs to reinvent itself. Parity and diversity are encouraged at VCA, the majority of partners and associates being women.

VCA is an active member of established international networks, the Grimaldi Alliance and IR Global which give them access and resources across Europe and the Americas, in the Middle east, in Portuguese and French speaking Africa and in the most important Asian markets.

The Grimaldi Alliance was established by Italian Grimaldi Studio Legale and is present in 42 jurisdictions. It is dedicated to cross border transactions and has a great focus in European Affairs, with an office in Brussels exclusively to deal with the E.U. institutions.

VCA activism in IR Global, a network that spans 158 jurisdictions has earned the firm the distinction of its peers as ‘member of the year’ in 2018.

VCA seeks an immersion in the client’s business. The firm wants to become a client’s trusted advisors; the team wants to be considered not solely as lawyers but also as reliable partners.

Each client has a close connection to his assigned lawyer. You shall never feel like a number at VCA.

VCA focus is problem solving, even the most intricated, through creative solutions. VCA embrace challenges. VCA are resilient by principle, mostly conciliators, always determined, VCA has a fighting spirit whenever necessary.

Main Areas Of Practice:  

Dispute Resolution:
The firm’s very experienced team is led by partners with over 25+ years’ experience. It acts in a broad range of disputes, from civil actions, corporate and commercial litigation, to maritime, labour, tax, and white-collar crime.

Private Wealth:
VCA has a wealth management department for private clients. VCA offers assistance akin to a legal concierge service. Whether you wish to redomicile in Portugal, buy, rent, or sell a property, set up or sell a business, prepare a prenup or deal with the legal, tax and property aspects of a divorce and/or inheritance, VCA covers all the needs of a family and its family office.

Real Estate:
From the initial project to sales, going through all the procedural issues, licensing, construction, VCA covers all stages of any real estate project. VCA assists its clients in the purchases, sales and leases of property ensuring maximum legal security for the parties involved. Specialists in tourism and leisure projects.

Immigration:
VCA has a deep knowledge in Immigration Law and extensive experience and know-how to advise its clients on any Visa application process, providing legal and practical advice on the best route for investment in each specific case. The firm also deals with the popular NHR program.

Other Areas of Practice:
■ Labour, HR management, disputes
■ Corporate, company incorporation, shareholder disputes
■ Tax, personal income tax and corporate tax. NHR regime
■ Transnational Projects, Transports, Energy and Mining
■ Maritime, ship arrests and further litigation
■ Art Law, copyrights, provenance, tax, import and export
■ Specialised and alternative investment funds. Fund management