Alexandra Courela

Partner | Lisbon

Alexandra Courela is a non-executive member of the Board of Directors of Abreu Advogados.

Partner whose practice focuses on Tax, Corporate and M&A, she advises on a wide range of Portugal and international tax and corporate matters related to the financing, acquisitions and restructuring of national and multinational groups, advising on both legal and financial.

Alexandra primarily concentrates on consultancy for several national and international companies regarding tax advice in Portugal in areas as diverse as stock options, transfer prices, the implementation or revision of treasury centres, tax benefits or application of double taxation treaties.

She has extensive experience in providing legal assistance to private clients in the context of tax planning associated with their move to Portugal as residents and in the management and/or restructuring of their asset holding structures (with a special focus on Trusts and Foundations).

Her experience also covers digital tax matters, specifically in the areas of online gambling tax and crypto-currencies tax advice in Portugal.

Additionally, she has experience in corporate restructuring (acquired during her time at Baker & McKenzie, in London) and in the finance area (during the period she spent at the English law firm Wragge & Co).

Alexandra Courela is the Partner responsible for the pro bono programme at Abreu Advogados as well co-coordinator of the ESG Service.

Alexandra joined Abreu Advogados in 2000 and is a Partner since 2014.

Tax: Leading Individual, 2022

Recommended Lawyer, Corporate Tax (2021-2022)

Tax Law, Portugal (2020-2022)

Highly Regarded – General corporate tax and Transactional tax, 2022

Corporate and M&A – Notable Practitioner, 2021

Tax, 2019

Experience

Advising an international hotel group on the acquisition of several hotels in Lisbon, including the refinancing of its investment and obtaining a tourist licence with consequent exemption from IMI (property tax in Portugal).

Advising one of the world's largest manufacturers of home appliances on its integration with another group in the same area, involving advisement and implementation of several cross-border mergers and neutral capital contributions; due diligence of transfer prices and advice on the final structure of the group for tax efficiency purposes.

Tax advice in Portugal for a Spanish petrochemical group on the sale of two of its Portuguese companies. Tax counseling involved reorganizing the taxation of the assets in question for greater efficiency, analyzing aspects relating to insolvency, and defining compensation mechanisms for existing mutual funds with accumulated tax losses.

Advising a Spanish group on how to enter the petroleum market in Portugal and on developing its business activities.

Advising on the privatisation process of a Portuguese healthcare group and defining the structure of the acquisition.

Advising an international insurance company on the creation of unit-linked products suitable for the Portuguese market.

Advising one of the world's largest online gaming companies regarding gambling tax law in Portugal and on how to enter the Portuguese market.

Advising a French family group on the structuring of its property and other assets in order to ensure their smooth transfer from one generation to the next.

Advising a family group with several residency in different countries, by analysing and restructuring their international assets, that is held by a Foundation, in preparation for their Portuguese residency.

Advising a family group with residence in several countries by analysing the restructuring of its international assets held partially through a Trust fund in preparation for its Portuguese residency.

Associations

Education

Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Lisboa

Law degree (2000)

Instituto Superior de Gestão

Postgraduate degree in Tax (2003)

London School of Economics

Master’s degree in Law (LLM) from London School of Economics, 2007