Abreu Advogados strengthens its team and launches a new Practice Area in Customs Law and International Trade

José Rijo, Sofia Rijo and Nuno Rijo join Abreu Advogados from SPCA – Sociedade de Advogados, to establish a new Practice Area in Customs Law and International Trade, in what represents a pioneering initiative within the Portuguese legal market in a field of increasing legal, economic and regulatory relevance.

In an international environment increasingly shaped by geopolitical instability, protectionist policies, growing regulatory complexity and heightened compliance requirements, Customs Law and International Trade have become central to business competitiveness and the way companies plan and execute their international operations. Abreu Advogados is responding to this shift with a clear strategic focus on a highly specialised and critical area for clients with international activities, strengthening its ability to operate at the intersection of tax, international trade and regulation, particularly in complex cross-border transactions and highly demanding technical and strategic contexts.

The new Practice Area will be led by Senior Of Counsel José Rijo, Professional Partner Sofia Rijo and Of Counsel Nuno Rijo, alongside Abreu Advogados’ Professional Partners Joana Maldonado Reis, Maria João Melícias and Sara Soares.

José Rijo brings several decades of experience, with his practice focusing on indirect taxation – including customs VAT and excise duties – and customs sanctions law, particularly in matters related to international trade in goods. Sofia Rijo has regular involvement in advisory and litigation matters related to the cross-border movement of goods. Nuno Rijo’s practice has a particular focus on customs regimes, tariff classification, customs valuation, origin of goods and customs debt, as well as criminal and administrative offence proceedings in this area.

According to Inês Sequeira Mendes, Managing Partner of Abreu Advogados: “The arrival of this team significantly enhances our ability to support clients in complex cross-border operations. The creation of this new Practice Area represents an important added value for Abreu, both in strengthening our relationships with existing clients and in creating new business opportunities in a particularly dynamic sector exposed to major economic and geopolitical changes.”

José Rijo, who will co-head the new Practice Area with Sofia Rijo, highlights the importance of this field of law: “Today, effective customs planning for the import and export of goods is essential for companies to enhance their competitiveness in global markets. It is therefore crucial that they are able, on the one hand, to fully leverage all available customs and tax benefits provided by law and, on the other, to mitigate risks and contingencies arising from the requirements imposed on economic operators in areas such as unfair competition practices, environment and sustainability, product compliance, market surveillance, export controls and licensing.”