Manuela António - Lawyers and Notaries

Banking, Gaming, Hospitality Services, Insurance and Reinsurance, Public Procurement, Real Estate and Construction, Shipping and Transport

Founding Partner and Private Notary

1991 to date: Private Notary, Macau SAR 1986 to date: Lawyer (founding partner), Manuela António – Lawyers and Notaries, Macau SAR 1984 to 1986: Chief of the Taxation and Excise Services, Macau SAR 1982 to 1986: Member of the Supervisory Board of the Monetary Institute (presently, Monetary Authority of Macao), Macau SAR 1982 to 1986: Magistrate of the Tax Enforcement Court, Macau SAR 1982 to 1984: Legal advisor at the Macau Finance Department, Macau SAR 1978 to 1982: Assistant Professor at the Law School of the University of Lisbon, Portugal 1980 to 1982: Lawyer and consultant of Banco Borges & Irmão, Lisbon, Portugal 1978 to 1982: Lawyer and consultant of Brisa Auto-Estradas de Portugal S.A., Lisbon, Portugal 1981 to 1982: Legal advisor of the Secretary of State of the Treasury, Lisbon, Portugal 1979: Advisor to the Secretary of State of the Treasury, Lisbon, Portugal 1977 to 1982: Representative of the Ministry of Finance at several international negotiations for external financing agreements in favour of the Portuguese Government and state-owned companies with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Investment Bank, Lisbon, Portugal 1977 to 1978: Chief of staff of the Finance Minister, Lisbon, Portugal 1976: Advisor to the Finance Minister, Lisbon, Portugal 1976: Scholarship from the Agency for International Development, having completed an internship in the USA on the methods of preparation and negotiation of international financing agreements, USA 1975 to 1978: Representative of the Portuguese Government, as a member of the governing bodies, in several public companies and Government jointly owned companies, such as in the Supervisory Board of TAP Air Portugal, Lisbon, Portugal 1974 to 1982: Legal advisor of the Public Finance Department of the Ministry of Finance, Lisbon, Portugal

English, French, Portuguese

Registered Lawyer with the Portuguese Bar Association Registered Lawyer with the Macau Lawyers’ Association (since its foundation in 1991) Founding member of the Macau Corporate Governance Institute (MCGI)

Course for Private Notaries, Macau SAR (1991) Postgraduate studies in Economical Sciences, Law School, University of Lisbon, Portugal (1979) Law Degree (LLB), Law School, University of Coimbra, Portugal (1973)

Manuela António is a well-known lawyer and private notary in Macau and the founding partner of the firm. Involved in every instance of all cases, she is the heart and soul of the firm since it opened in 1986.

Highly regarded for her consistent legal knowledge as well as pragmatic approach, Manuela has been involved in the major legal challenges that have been taking place in Macau, such as the public tender for the gaming concessions (acting for a tenderer) in 2002 and the listing abroad of several companies with subsidiaries operating in Macau.

Having a comprehensive insight of the law in Macau, Manuela is also particularly praised for her legal knowledge on Real Estate and Construction, Banking & Finance and Public and Administrative Law. She is also a very able litigator and supervises directly all cases related to dispute resolution, being often commended for her practical and balanced solutions.

More than benefiting from Manuela’s legal skills, clients also tend to compliment her business savvy and unique perspective of the Region and its culture. In fact, her experience in Macau dates back to 1982, after being invited to act as legal advisor at the Macau Finance Department and later as Chief of the Taxation and Excise Services of Macau. Around that time she was also appointed Magistrate of the Tax Enforcement Court and member of the Supervisory Board of the Monetary Institute of Macau (presently, Monetary Authority of Macao) by the Macau Government.

Before that, besides practicing as lawyer (having joined the Portuguese Bar in 1975) and acting as arbitrator in several arbitrations, Manuela’s experience is centered at the Ministry of Finance of Portugal, as legal advisor, assistant, and later chief of staff for the Minister. She also represented the Portuguese Government in several international negotiations for external financing arrangements for the public sector. Manuela also gained exposure to the private sector by being appointed member of the Supervisory Board of TAP Air Portugal and legal consultant of major Portuguese jointly-owned companies (by the Government and private individuals), such as the largest highway concessionaire in Portugal and banks. She was also Assistant Professor at the University of Lisbon.