Abreu Advogados strengthens its team with Miguel Rodrigues Leal and Catarina Mascarenhas

Abreu Advogados has reinforced its team with the addition of Miguel Rodrigues Leal as a Professional Partner in the Banking and Finance practice and Catarina Mascarenhas as an Of Counsel in the Intellectual Property and Technology practice. The firm also announces the promotion of four new Professional Partners: André Modesto Pinheiro, Isabel Pinheiro Torres, Guilherme Mata da Silva and Paulo Amaral Basílio.

This expansion reflects Abreu’s continued investment in strategic areas and a commitment to recognising legal excellence and merit in high-impact practice areas.

“The arrival of Miguel Rodrigues Leal and Catarina Mascarenhas strengthens our teams in two areas that are crucial to the development of our business. These are sectors of recognised relevance in the market, and I have no doubt that these additions will open new opportunities, forward-looking perspectives, and provide our clients with more tailored and insightful support. We believe that Miguel and Catarina share the firm’s values and culture and will complement the outstanding work already being done by our teams,” highlights Inês Sequeira Mendes, Managing Partner at Abreu Advogados.

On the promotions, she adds: “Recognizing young talent and promoting based on merit and performance has always been central to Abreu’s strategy. The promotion of André, Isabel, Guilherme and Paulo is fully aligned with our internal growth model. They are highly qualified professionals, with broad, multidisciplinary expertise, who consistently demonstrate rigour, dedication and excellence throughout every stage of the legal process, particularly in their close engagement with clients.”

Miguel Rodrigues Leal, newly appointed Professional Partner, stated “joining Abreu Advogados represents a perfect alignment of goals and values: an uncompromising pursuit of service quality and the cultivation of close relationships with clients and market players. I’m joining a highly experienced and talented Finance team, and I hope to contribute to the continued success of the firm as a benchmark in this practice area in Portugal.”

“I am very excited to join a firm that has distinguished itself through its disruption on various levels, starting with its provision of legal services in the field of intellectual property and technologies, an area I have been following since the beginning of my career. This is something we typically only find in places that recognized early on that constant innovation is the key to sustainability and prosperity for major law firms and to providing quality service to clients, while maintaining what defines us most as lawyers: closeness and trust. Abreu combines everything that has always driven me in my profession: talent, innovation, and determination. And that is what I also hope to bring to this firm,” says Catarina Mascarenhas, the new Of Counsel at Abreu Advogados.

About the new Professional Partners:

André Modesto Pinheiro joined Abreu in 2019 and focuses on Banking and Finance Law and Venture Capital, with experience in acquisition finance, real estate finance, start-up investments, fundraising rounds, private equity, and venture capital transactions.

Guilherme Mata da Silva joined the firm in 2022 and works primarily in Public and Environmental Law, with experience in environmental licensing, impact assessments, water and waste systems, waste management, regulatory compliance, M&A due diligence, and other public law matters.

Isabel Pinheiro Torres has been with Abreu since 2010 and works mainly in Banking and Corporate Law, focusing on financing transactions and regulatory matters, including licensing processes with supervisory authorities, banking services, financial instruments, payment services, and insurance law.

Paulo Amaral Basílio joined in 2008 and has worked extensively in Dispute Resolution and Arbitration, managing teams and representing both national and international clients across sectors such as banking, insurance, infrastructure, media, advertising, energy, consumer rights, and telecoms.