Practice areas | Joana Ribeiro Pinho, lawyer

Legal advice and consultancy

Personal advisory support to clarify questions and make decisions with legal certainty.

Prevention is one of the best legal strategies. Personal advisory support clarifies questions and guides every decision with legal certainty.

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Risk analysis of specific situations: Review of the personal, professional or business legal situation, identifying weaknesses, risks and alternatives.
Strategic guidance: Choosing the administrative, judicial or out-of-court route that best protects the client's interests.
Document review: Detailed analysis of documents and legal opinions to support decisions with legal impact.

Civil law

Everyday legal relationships and situations, with timely action to prevent disputes and reduce risk.

Contracts, obligations and everyday disputes can become complex. Acting early helps prevent litigation, reduce risk and protect the interests of each party.

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Contracts, obligations and breach: Drafting, reviewing and revising civil contracts and documents, handling breach of contract and out-of-court notices.
Civil liability and dispute resolution: Assessing damages and available remedies, negotiating settlements and handling civil court proceedings.
Other civil matters: Legal assessment of other questions involving rights and obligations, with a strategy suited to each case.

Debt recovery

Swift, structured action to recover what is owed, out of court or through the courts.

Recovering a debt calls for swift, structured action. Reviewing the case and the documents sets the best strategy, whether out of court or through the courts.

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Out-of-court stage: Checking that the debt exists and is due, assessing the debtor's situation, and negotiating and formalising settlements and payment plans.
Court and enforcement stage: Filing and following payment order procedures and enforcement proceedings to recover the amounts owed.
Insolvency: Lodging claims and protecting the creditor's rights in insolvency proceedings.

Insolvency law

Close support at every stage, to protect assets and allow a fresh start.

When facing over-indebtedness and financial difficulty, insolvency can be the way to protect assets and make a fresh start, with close support at every stage.

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Personal insolvency: Filing and following personal insolvency proceedings, including discharge of remaining debts and debt restructuring.
Corporate insolvency: Filing and following corporate insolvency proceedings, and support with business recovery and restructuring.

Corporate and company law

A sound corporate structure, risk prevention and support for strategic business decisions.

Ongoing legal support gives a company a sound corporate structure, prevents risk and supports strategic decisions.

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Company formation and restructuring: Choosing the type of company, incorporation, articles of association, amendments, share transfers, partners joining or leaving, and the related registrations.
Commercial contracts: Drafting, negotiating and reviewing supply, service, partnership and confidentiality agreements, and general terms and conditions.
Legal compliance: Support with companies' legal obligations, including the beneficial ownership register (RCBE) and commercial registry filings.
Ongoing legal support: Regular support with advice, contract review, debt collection, employment matters and other day-to-day business issues.

Employment law

Preventing and resolving workplace disputes, for employees and for employers.

Legal support is key to preventing and resolving workplace disputes, ensuring compliance and protecting the rights of employees and employers.

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Employment contracts: Drafting, reviewing and amending employment contracts, reviewing employment records and meeting legal obligations.
Managing the employment relationship: Advice on rights and duties, changes to working conditions, mobility, holidays, leave and formal notices.
Disciplinary proceedings and termination: Support with disciplinary proceedings, dismissals, termination of contracts and mutual termination agreements.

Immigration and foreign nationals

Support at every stage, from arriving in Portugal to obtaining Portuguese nationality (citizenship).

International mobility and complex procedures make close support essential throughout the immigration process, from arriving in Portugal to Portuguese nationality.

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Portuguese nationality (citizenship): Checking the legal requirements, organising the documents and following nationality applications with the IRN.
Visas and entry into Portugal: Preparing and filing visa applications with Portuguese consulates, including work, residence, job seeker, passive income, entrepreneur, investment and digital nomad visas.
Residence and status: Residence permit applications, AIMA appointments, obtaining NIF and NISS numbers, tax representation and responses to refusals.

Real estate law

Legal review and support at every stage of a property transaction.

Property transactions call for detailed legal review at every stage, to keep the deal secure and protect the parties.

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Buying and selling property: Legal and document review of the property, promissory contracts, preparing the deed or authenticated document (DPA) and following the whole process.
Leases: Drafting, reviewing and following residential and commercial leases, and advising landlords and tenants.
Construction contracts and works: Drafting, reviewing and negotiating construction contracts, and legal support while the works are carried out.

Family and inheritance law

Rigour, discretion and sensitivity in matters with personal and financial impact.

Family and inheritance matters call for rigour, discretion and sensitivity, given their personal and financial impact.

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Marriage and civil partnership: Marriage procedures, including with foreign nationals, registering marriages celebrated abroad and civil partnership matters.
Divorce and separation: Filing and following divorce proceedings, including negotiating and dividing assets.
Parental responsibilities: Setting, changing and enforcing parental responsibilities, the children's residence, contact arrangements and child support.
Inheritance and estates: Inheritance advice, wills, probate proceedings, out-of-court division of estates and settling inheritance paperwork.

Administrative offences

Defending individuals and companies before administrative authorities.

Defending an administrative offence case calls for a rigorous review of the facts and the law, to protect individuals and companies before the authorities.

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Legal review: Assessing offence reports, notices and administrative decisions.
Defence and appeals: Preparing defences, appeals and administrative or court challenges to decisions imposing fines or other penalties.

Registrations and legal formalities

Legal acts, registrations and administrative procedures handled with technical rigour and full legal compliance.

Legal acts, registrations and administrative procedures call for technical rigour and full compliance with legal formalities, so that every act is valid.

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Registrations and administrative procedures: Filings with registry offices and public bodies, including land, commercial and vehicle registrations, certificates, licences and reporting deaths to the Tax Authority.
Authenticated private documents (DPA): Preparing, formalising and authenticating private documents.
Legal formalities: Signature recognition, certified copies, powers of attorney, declarations, authorisations and statements of responsibility.
Document files: Preparing document files to support applications with the competent authorities.