Manuel Santos Vitor

Partner | Lisbon

Manuel Santos Vitor has been a partner at Abreu Advogados since 2019 and is a member of its Board of Directors. He co-coordinates the Corporate and M&A practice area as well as the Angola and Guinea-Bissau desks. He is particularly active in the Corporate and M&A area and in the energy and natural resources sector, both in Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking jurisdictions.

He regularly provides M&A and corporate support to important business groups, in Portugal and abroad, in a number of business sectors, including corporate governance, family businesses and corporate reorganizations and restructuring. Manuel has a special focus in M&A and contractual related energy and natural resources matters.

Manuel has a vast experience in aviation and insurance.

In recent years he has been heavily involved in the energy sector, in particular renewables and O&G, and natural resources in Portugal and in Africa. He provides regular legal support to companies in the mining sector in Portugal, Angola and Guinea-Bissau.

He has been a lawyer since 1991 and was a partner in another law firm between 1998 and 2019, serving that firm as Co-Managing Partner and Managing Partner between 2008 and 2015.

Energy & Natural Resources, Band 2 (2017-2019, 2022, 2024, 2025)

Corporate Law and M&A, Band 3 (2017-2019, 2022, 2024, 2025)

Recommended Lawyer, M&A (2021-2022)

Aviation Law, Portugal (2020-2022)

Energy and Natural Resources: Leading Individual (2017-2019, 2022)

Corporate and M&A: Leading Individual (2017, 2018 and 2022)

Energy Law, Portugal (2014-2022)

Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Portugal (2014-2022)

Corporate Law, Portugal (2012-2022)

Natural Resources Law, Portugal (2012-2022)

Portugal, Angola, Mozambique | Corporate and M&A, Energy and Infrastructure, Project Development and Oil & Gas (2018 – 2021)

Shipping & Transportation (2019)

Transportation and Aviation, Band 3 (2017-2019)

Experience

Legal assistance to several privatization projects such as in the telecommunications, air transportation, pulp and paper sectors

Legal assistance to the IPO in the telecommunication sector and the licensing/concession of telecommunication licences

Legal assistance in M&A projects in Portugal, Angola and Mozambique with a particular focus in the energy and natural resources sectors of activit

Legal assistance to corporate, M&A and regulatory matters in insurance in re-insurance fields of activity and the actual purchase and disposal of controlling participations in several insurance companies in Portugal

Legal assistance to the development, financing, licensing, operation purchase and sale of renewable energy  projects.

Legal assistance to the sale, financial lease and additional operations regarding commercial air carriers and executive jet groups.

Legal assistance to the setting up, construction, operation, purchase and disposal of hotel and leisure projects.

Legal assistance to the setting up, construction and operation of some of the largest retail operations in Portugal.

Associations

Academic

University of Lisbon Faculty of Law

Degree in Law from the University of Lisbon Faculty of Law (1988)

College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium

Postgraduate course in Higher European Studies (LLM) – Legal Studies (1989)