EU and competition

PLMJ

PLMJ fields a ‘great’ competition law team, praised by clients for its ’quality of partners’ and ‘attention to detail’. The practice handles a wide range of prominent competition and antitrust matters, such as merger control, State Aid, and investigations, in Portugal across various industries, from banking to infrastructure. Counting a mix of major Portuguese and international companies among its key client roster, the practice is adeptly positioned to assist on both contentious and non-contentious matters. Steering the practice is Ricardo Oliveira, who is noted for his focus on cartel cases, competition litigation, merger control and abuse of dominance. Rita Aleixo Gregório advises on the full gamut of antitrust matters, specifically across the aviation, banking, energy and health sectors. Martim Valente, described by one client as a ’fantastic technical lawyer’, focuses on all aspects of anti-cartel and abuse of dominance cases, merger control and the implementation of compliance programmes. These are also key areas of activity for Alexandra Dias Henriques.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'The team has extensive litigation and competition experience and combines expertise with hard-working, pleasant lawyers who communicate effectively. I particularly appreciate the way in which they involve all advisers and clients in a teamwork approach.’
'Martim Valente is thoroughly professional and a smart lawyer who is an excellent team leader and communicator.'
‘My go-to practice for advice on Portuguese matters - a great team of individuals with strong technical expertise, excellent responsiveness and a keen focus on client service.’
‘My first port of call at PLMJ is Martim Valente - a fantastic technical lawyer who does a really impressive job at translating the particular intricacies of the Portuguese regime for an international audience. Advice is always commercial, pragmatic and delivered on time, even with unreasonable deadlines! Always a pleasure to work with.’
‘PLMJ is a complete team with significant experience in Portugal in the area of competition and litigation. The team brings its knowledge and experience in other European geographies, in particular the United Kingdom. This allows them to innovate when advising Portuguese clients but also have the ability to advise international clients.’
‘A very trustworthy team, always on top of everything, offering the highest quality of work and willing to go the extra mile.’
‘Martim Valente is definitely an individual to follow. Mentored by Ricardo Oliveira, the head of PLMJ competition department, Martim stands out as an exceptional lawyer and leader, with great intuition and outstanding knowledge of Portuguese competition law. ’
‘It is one of the best legal departments in the area of competition law operating in Portugal. Exceptional availability, involvement and quality of partners, as well as their knowledge of the subject and cases related to competition law. Team with quick response and attention to detail.'

Key clients

Mastercard
PrimeDrinks
Volvo/Renault Trucks
NBC Universal
Grupo Bimbo
Tabaqueira (Philip Morris International Group)
Start Campus
Ford
Dreammedia
Eleven Sports Network
Cabelte (Oxy Capital Group)
Live Nation
Farmodietica
Oxy Capital
Ascendi
Danone
Generali
Securitas
Grupo Impresa
IKEA

Work highlights

Advising the Mastercard group on the consumer class action brought by Ius Omnibus, a consumer protection association, that is asking for compensation for all Portuguese consumers who were allegedly impacted by Mastercard’s anticompetitive practices, as identified by the European Commission.
Advising Grupo Bimbo and PrimeDrinks on investigations launched by the Portuguese Competition Authority (PCA) into the food and drinks sector, in particular, possible hub-and-spoke arrangements involving several suppliers and retailers.
Advising Volvo / Renault Trucks on its defence against dozens of damages claims stemming from an infringement decision issued by the European Commission relating to an alleged antitrust arrangement in the truck sector that led to the application of record-breaking fines totalling €2.93bn.