Couto, Graça e Associados, lda – member of CMS

Senior Partner and Legal Consultant in the Law Firm CGA – Couto, Graça & Associados Main areas of practice Administrative and Regulatory Laws. Commercial Law – Company, Mergers and Acquisitions. Banking, Finance and Capital Markets Laws. Foreign investment and international contracts. Legislative Drafting. Land Legislation including agrarian law and rights in rem. Arbitration. Institutional development.

Mozambique: Managing Partner and Legal Consultant in the Law Firm CGA – Couto, Graça & Associados, Lda. (since June 2011). Managing Partner and Legal Consultant in the Law Firm MGA, Advogados e Consultores, Lda. (1996 to 2011) Team leader in the drafting of legislation such as the arbitration, conciliation and mediation law (1999), the residential tourism and time sharing regulation (2006 to 2007) and law firms’ corporate governing law (2012 to 2013). Legal advice to private companies, including concessionaires, under the foreign investment, companies and concessions legal frameworks (since 1993). Consultant / team leader of projects in the institutional development and public politic areas (since 1993), including in the drafting of the public administration reform strategy (1996). Coordination of a central national planning unit of an institutional capacity building project and reform of the public sector and of a legislative drafting and advice services unit for the Parliament (1995 to 1999). Director of Government’s institutions, such as the office of the cabinet´s ministers at the presidency office, the national directorate for the organizational development of the state and the public administration and administrative national inspectorate; and director in electoral offices and in offices of preparation of the sessions of the People´s Assembly (Assembly of the Republic) and related elections as well as local elections during the first mandates (1975 to 1988). Deputy of the People’s Assembly (Assembly of the Republic) – (1979 to 1994) and President of Commission for its Constitutional and legal Affairs (1988). Vice-Chairman of the Board of Arbitration of the Arbitration Center, conciliation and Mediation of Maputo (CACM) e Member of Stering Committee for the foundation of Africa ADR, representing the Center of Arbitration, Conciliation and Mediation – CACM of Maputo (2008 to 2009). Timor-Leste: Chairman of the Law and Setor Justice Comission of the East Timor Government in the period of December 2015 to 30th August 2017. Team Leader of the legal component of the establishment of the first Special Social Market Economy Zone (ZEESM), at Oe-Cusse, including a comparative analysis of similar experiences and the drafting the law of its creation and the constitution of the administrative authority, under the mandate passed by Govenrment of Timor-Leste. Lecturer in the first training course on public administration for civil servants of the Transition Government, sponsored by UNDP (2000). Legal adviser responsible for the justice and public administration sectors of the Government, in the Assessment and Monitoring Missions of the World Bank, as part of the Transition Support Programme (2002 to 2007) and in the preparation of the National Development Plan (2007). Team leader da componente jurídica da criação da Zona Especial de Economia Social de Mercado (ZEESM) de Oe-Cusse, que elaborou a Lei da sua criação e o estatuto da Autoridade de administração, por mandato do Governo de Timor-Leste. Member of the Joint Assessment Mission of the United Nations, World Bank and National Council of Resistance of Timor-Leste (October 1999).

Portuguese, English, French, Spanish, Tetum

Membership in the Bar Association of Mozambique

Master of Arts in Development Studies, Specialized in “Public Policy and Administration” at the Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, Holland in 1992. Degree in Law, major on company law University of Coimbra, Portugal, in 1990.