Abreu Advogados is 5th most innovative law firm in Europe and wins ‘Innovative Lawyers in Responsible Business’ at the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards Europe 2025

Abreu Advogados has won “Innovative Lawyers in Responsible Business” for its innovative project to develop a new solar power plant in Guinea-Bissau at the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards Europe 2025 ceremony, held in London on Thursday evening. The firm was also the only Portuguese law firm to be awarded and was distinguished as the most innovative in Portugal, achieving 5th place in the ranking.

“It is a true honor to receive this award in Responsible Business. The project shows that legal innovation can change lives. By helping build the framework for the first solar power plant in Bolama, we proved that law can drive social, and environmental transformation”, says Bruno Azevedo Rodrigues, partner of Abreu Advogados, after the ceremony, which took place at the Natural History Museum, gathering the most innovative law firms across Europe.

Abreu Advogados acted pro bono for TESE (a Portuguese NGO that operates in five areas: energy, water, waste management, employment, and capacity building), in a project financed by the European Union and the World Bank, to develop solar power generation and promote greater access to electricity in Guinea-Bissau on the island of Bolama in the Bijagós’ archipelago, where there was no access to the grid.

Bruno Azevedo Rodrigo reinforces: “For us at Abreu, responsible business is not a slogan – it is leadership in action. This project proves that responsible business is not only about profit, but about impact”.

The firm was the lead legal advisor for this project, providing counsel to TESE, which operates in five areas: energy, water, waste management, employment, and training. Partners Manuel Santos Vitor (co-head of Corporate, Commercial and M&A and of the Guinea-Bissau Desk) and Bruno Azevedo Rodrigues (Co-head of the Projects & Structured Finance sector) led the project, with the full support of Abreu’s Pro Bono Committee.

The evening at the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards Europe 2025 was further marked by Abreu Advogados’ significant rise to 5th place in the ranking of the most innovative law firms in Europe, achieving the highest position among Portuguese firms. This result makes Abreu the most innovative law firm in Portugal, after climbing 24 positions compared to 2024.

The firm achieved the highest score in the Innovation and People criteria, reinforcing the recognition of its commitment to transformation and talent development.

“It is a true honor and a profound responsibility to be the winners of the ‘Most Innovative Law Firm in Responsible Business’ award, as well as being distinguished as the most innovative law firm in Portugal and the 5th most innovative in Europe. These recognitions highlight Abreu Advogados’ vision and strategy, but above all, the exceptional work of our teams, who over the past 32 years have led the transformation of the legal sector by investing in technology, sustainability, and innovation. All of this is to develop impactful solutions in highly complex projects, in the service of our clients and society,” emphasizes Abreu Advogados’ Managing Partner, Inês Sequeira Mendes.

For this edition of the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards Europe 2025, Abreu Advogados was shortlisted in six categories. In addition to this award, the firm stood out with five other nominations, further recognising the innovation and work carried out over the past year:

•  Most Innovative Law Firm in Europe.
• Most Innovative Law Firm in Europe (outside UK).
• Innovative Lawyers in Private Finance: Abreu Advogados was shortlisted for the work developed in Private Equity, by advising a national private equity fund in the structuring and implementation of a pioneering financial instrument with Banco Português de Fomento.
• Innovative Lawyers in Science and Technology: Abreu Advogados advised Selenis, a global leader in polyester solutions, on the establishment of a partnership with Syre, a company focused on large-scale textile recycling. This partnership aims to combine advanced depolymerisation and polymerisation technologies to recycle textiles sustainably, on a large scale and with economic efficiency.
• Innovation in Knowledge and Data: This is the biggest project ever undertaken by Abreu and represents a revolution in access to information (and with much higher quality), producing knowledge with better reporting, and supporting the decision-making process. Its innovation is both technological and process-driven, as it digitises all client-related workflows, from lead generation to team/project management and financial records. Abreu creates value not only through improved efficiency, but also through enhanced effectiveness, offering a clear view of the firm’s business pipeline. This was achieved with Abreu’s own technology, developed in-house and owned by the firm.