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Manuel Santos Vitor

Manuel Santos Vitor

Partner • Lisbon

Manuel Santos Vitor has been a partner at Abreu Advogados since 2019 and is a non-executive 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.

Practice Areas
Corporate and M&A
Industries
Energy & Natural Resources, Aviation, Maritime & Transportation, Insurance, Oil & Gas, Mining, Projects & Structured Finance
Desks
Angola Desk, Mozambique Desk, Guinea-Bissau Desk, French Desk
Languages
English, French, Spanish
Email
Contacts
vCard

Experience

  • Legal assistance to 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 activity;

  • Legal assistance to corporate, M&A and regulatory matters in insurance in re-insurance fields of activity and the purchase and disposal of controlling participations in 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 retail operations in Portugal;

Manuel Santos Vitor

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)

Professional recognition

  • Corporate/M&A (2025)

  • Highly Regarded | Energy and Infrastructure, Project Development and M&A | Energy, Oil and Gas (2024, 2025)

  • Commercial, Corporate and M&A: Leading Partner (2025)

  • Energy and Natural Resources: Leading Partner (2025)

  • 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)

Associations