Purpose

Tending to what unites us.
Living up to the legacy of trust,
citizenship and decency.
Keeping the whole in mind.

VdA

Purpose

Proud of our history, we build the future based on a culture that sets us apart and unites us around a common purpose. A culture rooted in the awareness that citizenship is the anchor of our practice. This is what makes VdA an open, inclusive and solidary law firm focused on people and committed to ensuring that everyone has a fair opportunity to fulfil their potential. We promote a high level of individual responsibility and accountability, always working together as a team and placing our clients’ interests first.

VdA is a vibrant, creative and innovative organisation which affirms itself in the aspirations of a community that strives to play an active role in overcoming the social and environmental challenges we face as a society, by mobilising action based on an example of respect, justice and humanity.

Our purpose is thus to nurture and perpetuate this culture grounded in unwavering ethical principles and defined by collaboration and trust, which is lived by all those who work here. We believe that this uniting driving force and guiding values serve as the inspiration projecting us into the future.

Tending to what unites us.
Living up to the legacy of trust, citizenship and decency.
Keeping the whole in mind.

About Us

Who We Are

Each step of the deal is vital. Drawing upon a wealth of knowledge and experience our extensive track record of innovation enables our teams to deliver legal services of excellence every stage of the way. Our professionals are carefully selected for their advanced technical skills and business-minded approach but also for the human qualities each one brings to the firm and to the communities in which we operate.

+ AWARDS recognition of a prestigious path
KEY INDUSTRIES deep knowledge and legal innovation
HOURS PRO BONO more than 100 organisations supported

Culture & Values

To work at VdA is to be part of an extraordinary journey made by a growing number of professionals, who have taken an active part in the making of our country’s economic history. We are proud of the road we have travelled based on hard work and strong convictions, where our clients and the team have always been more important than each one of us.

João Vieira de Almeida, Senior Partner

To be ethical

We work as a team to provide excellence with true independence, integrity and mutual respect for our clients, our people and other law firms.

To Exceed Expectations

We foster relationships of true partnership with our clients. Your goal is our goal and we fight for it relentlessly. We value and protect our clients’ people, business, products, services and reputation by selecting a tailor-made team of relevant sector experts.

To be innovative

Identifying obstacles is not enough. We aim to overcome them by achieving groundbreaking solutions for our clients. We view innovation as a key differentiating factor, which is why we anticipate the future by developing cutting-edge solutions.

To be one team

At VdA, we understand that top-quality service requires quality of life. A rigorous and demanding working environment, yet relaxed and stimulating, is key to our success.

To foster knowledge

We are proud of the personal regard we dedicate to all our lawyers and staff. At the pioneering VdA Academia – our very own training center – we foster and support our team members’ continuing education and development: at VdA, we aim to empower our people to fulfill their full potential.

Convergence | Knowledge | Collaboration | Trust

These are the levers of our Future.

Over 40 years in the making

Ethics and diligence

Vasco Vieira de Almeida first founded a small law firm in 1976. To this day, his unbending ethics and high professional standards are lived on a daily basis by VdA’s more than 440 lawyers and other legal staff. We are proud of our leading role in the provision of legal services with the support of our teams, which are made up of some of the most reputed industry specialists. Our work speaks for itself.

Tradition and innovation

Professionalism and diligence underpin the tradition of the name we carry. Since the very outset VdA’s forward-thinking approach made innovation a stepping stone of our growth. Over the last decades, we have led some of the most cutting-edge transactions in the financial and infrastructure sectors, among others.

We foster dialogue between generations and promote diversity of viewpoints. At VdA, junior associates from some of the best national and international universities work side by side with senior partners in developing creative solutions for increasingly complex legal issues.

In Memoriam

We are grateful for the contributions of those who have been part of VdA. We remember with great fondness those who have passed away for their inspiring legacy and remarkable talent.

Mário Esteves de Oliveira
(1944-2019)

Mário Esteves de Oliveira, who was a prominent and key figure in the development of the Portuguese legal and administrative culture after the 1976 Constitution, joined Vieira de Almeida as senior partner in 2006.

A Law graduate from the University of Coimbra Law School, Mário Esteves de Oliveira had a remarkable academic career as an Administrative Law and Public Law Professor and reference author of a vast work in the field. A reference in administrative law, Mário Esteves de Oliveira was consulted by public and private entities and by his peers for legal opinions on the most sophisticated and sensitive issues in the field of administrative law and was also involved in some of the most prominent administrative legal actions in the country.

Recognized for his in-depth knowledge of the law, he showed a unique ability to combine highly complex reflections with a rare perceptiveness and thoroughness in dealing with any issue, always in a unique style and with unmistakable elegance. His legacy to the national legal and academic community is unsurpassed, both a source of inspiration and grateful memory.

Mário Esteves de Oliveira was an Assistant Professor of Administrative Law at the Coimbra University Law School between 1971 and 1972 and a Professor of Public Institutions of Economic Life at the Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas (Institute of Higher Learning for Social and Political Sciences) between 1973 and 1975. A few years later, between 1977 and 1986, he would go on to become Professor of Administrative Law at the Lisbon University Law School. He worked as a legal consultant since 1972 and in that capacity penned over 600 doctrinal legal opinions. Mário Esteves de Oliveira was registered with the Bar Association as Administrative Law Expert. He was regularly invited by different Law schools as lecturer in masters and post-graduate degrees, and as speaker in Public Law and Administrative Law seminars and conferences.

He left an indelible mark on all those who had the privilege of working with him or being a part of his life, which resulted in a heartfelt tribute to his remarkable qualities, not the least of which personal, with the publication of “Estudos em Homenagem a Mário Esteves de Oliveira”.

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