Abreu Advogados wins the “Innovation in Skills Development” award at the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards Europe 2023 and is recognised as one of the most innovative firms in Europe

Abreu Advogados was distinguished for its innovative and disruptive work in the legal sector, winning an award in the “Innovation in Skills Development” category at the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards Europe 2023. The Portuguese firm was recognized at the awards ceremony held this Thursday in London.

In this ceremony, Abreu Advogados was also honored as the 16th most innovative law firm in Europe. The independent Portuguese firm was included in the ranking of the renowned international publication, highlighting the top 40 most innovative law firms in Europe. Abreu was recognized as the highest-ranked among the four Portuguese firms in this ranking.

In the Innovation in Skills Development category, Abreu was nominated alongside 5 other firms from 3 countries and emerged as the winner with a project in the area of training and development of its professionals through the creation of the IdC – Instituto de Conhecimento Abreu (Abreu Knowledge Institute). This is an autonomous project by the firm, which established a certified training entity in various areas of law, business skills, and soft skills. The aim of this initiative is to study subjects not regulated in the Portuguese legal system and to discuss important topics not directly on the legal agenda. The project identified 4 areas of focus: innovation, legal tech, sustainability, and public affairs.

Abreu has been investing in new ways to improve its service delivery model while also strengthening its investment in empowering its clients and employees with the right tools and skills to remain relevant in a future where AI is already a reality.

“The award given by the Financial Times to the Knowledge Institute as the most innovative project in Europe in ‘skills development’ makes us immensely happy. It is a recognition of our vision for the future and our contribution to building a new ecosystem of collaboration between lawyers, universities, and companies. We receive this award as an incentive to continue innovating in creating training programs, both internally and for the market, and in many other directions. I emphasize that the Knowledge Institute is the result of Abreu Advogados’ investment in a pioneering project, a leader in reflection and training on topics such as digital transformation and sustainability,” said Luís Barreto Xavier, President of the Knowledge Institute and Consultant to Abreu Advogados.

It’s worth noting that, in addition to winning these awards, Abreu was the Portuguese firm with the most nominations at the FT Innovative Lawyers Europe Awards 2023. They were considered for five of the main competing categories – “Innovation in Skills Development,” “Innovative Lawyers in Digital Assets And Blockchain,” “Innovative Lawyers in Energy Security and Transition,” “Intrapreneur,” and “Most Innovative Law Firm in Europe (outside UK)” – a clear recognition by the market and the sector of Abreu Advogados’ innovation.

FT Innovative Lawyers Awards Europe

The FT Innovative Lawyers Awards Europe celebrate the best innovations in European law firms and in-house legal teams. There are over 20 awards aimed at recognizing leaders in digital innovation, strategic advice, talent management, and promoting positive change in the sector.

To validate the nominations, the Financial Times evaluates all applications based on three key criteria:

Technical-legal innovation: Solutions found with the client, highlighting the skills developed through counseling, such as in lightly regulated sectors that require ad hoc and pioneering solutions.

Innovation in firm management: Valuing strategies that increase efficiency, reduce costs, and enable legal teams to manage complexities, such as ensuring that everyone is aligned with the firm’s environmental, social, and governance commitments, as well as strategies for labor relations.

Impact: Evaluation of results and impact for the client and/or sector in counseling matters that, with the regulator or government entities, benefit all companies in the sector in the future (for example, counseling on matters related to crypto assets). Additionally, the socio-economic impact of counseling is also assessed, for example, in major projects of national interest, important for the economy and attractive to international investors.