Press Release

The general meeting of the partners also approved the end of the distinction between equity partners and salaried partners as well as the integration of PLMJ International Legal Network lawyers into the PLMJ career structure by approving the international career model.

We are very pleased to announce that the general meeting of PLMJ’s partners has approved an important set of new measures aimed at strengthening the leadership of the firm and defining its direction for the next three years. The firm approved a new governance model and elected a new managing partner, Manuel Santos Vítor for the three-year period 2013/2015. He will be supported by a larger non-executive board with a chairman, Luís Sáragga Leal working alongside José Miguel Júdice, Nuno Líbano Monteiro, Jorge Brito Pereira and Tomás Pessanha.

In the words of Manuel Santos Vitor, “To be appointed to the position of managing partner at PLMJ, following in the footsteps of some very brilliant lawyers, is an enormous responsibility and an enormous challenge. I hope to live up to the trust that PLMJ has placed in me and in the board and this new governance model. 2013 and the coming years will be particularly challenging. I have absolute confidence that we will overcome all the challenges we face and maintain our leadership in Portugal and our path to establishing ourselves internationally, particularly in the Portuguese-speaking world. To achieve this we can count on all the lawyers and staff of PLMJ and PLMJ International Legal Network who have constantly and unreservedly demonstrated their commitment, enthusiasm, dedication and, above all, have done this with great strength and quality”. The managing partner also had a word for PLMJ’s clients and partner firms across the world: “We enjoy the continuing support of our partners in Portugal and in other countries and we hope that we merit the confidence our clients have in us. Many of them have been with us for decades and we have repaid this confidence by supporting our clients as partners through these challenging times, working together to find solutions and new ways to overcome difficulties”.

PLMJ ends the distinction between equity partners and salaried partners. PLMJ’s partners also decided to put an end to the traditional distinction between equity partners and salaried partners, introducing greater alignment between partners. Growth in the internationalisation of PLMJ and consolidation of PLMJ International Legal Network have led to the creation of the PLMJ International Career

As a reflection of the growing demand by Portuguese and foreign clients for legal advice on international transactions and operations in a range of countries, PLMJ has taken another important step in its international expansion policy, by defining and approving the INTERNATIONAL CAREER model for lawyers working at the PLMJ International Legal Network firms including Angola and Mozambique.

The principles adopted are aimed at ensuring the integration and alignment of the careers and statuses of the lawyers who work in this network.

Formalising a PLMJ International Career makes it possible for lawyers with experience and know-how in the countries where they work to join the PLMJ career structure, with a standardised definition of objectives that focuses on the career progression of these lawyers.

Tomás Timbane, a partner at GLM – Gabinete Legal Moçambique, which is a member of PLMJ International Legal Network, was elected PLMJ international partner. The Mozambican lawyer heads the law firm GLM – Gabinete Legal Moçambique, which is made up of a team with sound knowledge of the local legal services market and a legal culture that is international in its scope. GLM works with a group of lawyers who are members of PLMJ International Legal Network. These lawyers, who specialise in Mozambican law, all work at the PLMJ Mozambique Desk, and this approach makes it possible to provide highly specialised legal services in Mozambique and at any firm in the network in accordance with the highest international standards. For Tomás Timbane, his election as international partner represents "a huge challenge and pride in being part of a brand as important and valuable as that of PLMJ. Becoming part of the PLMJ career structure will help to strengthen the legal profession in Mozambique, which, although young, has recently faced growing demand from domestic and international investors and public institutions".

In a few short years, PLMJ has created a solid network of international partnerships with leading independent professionals in a number of countries. PLMJ International Legal Network has a presence in the main Portuguese-speaking markets of Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Brazil and Macau, and in the principle destinations for Portuguese investment including Central and Eastern Europe and China.

Please contact us for further information or visit http://www.plmj.com/