Lisbon annual report want to become lawyers , but they don ’ t want to specialise and they are more prepared to adapt .”
Dual qualification João Miranda da Sousa , partner in charge of Garrigues ’ Portugal practice , says young people want “ mobility ” in their careers . He adds : “ There is rigidity [ in the legal profession ], we are too restricted by the boundaries of our own jurisdiction . In Spain , England and France , there is a greater possibility of dual qualification .” Miranda da Sousa adds that there have been “ preliminary exploratory talks ” with universities in Portugal and in Spain about increasing the opportunities for Portuguese and Spanish lawyers to become dual
“ qualified to practice in The both jurisdictions . Lawyers also anticipate that two members of the ‘ Big Four ’ consultancy firms will make “ significant moves ” in the Portuguese legal market in the coming year . In the last year , six-partner law firm CTSU – Sociedade de Advogados joined the Deloitte Legal Network . Despite anticipated competition from the ‘ Big Four ’, there is considerable optimism among some partners . Vieira de Almeida says : “ Portugal has some of the most resilient law firms in Europe and a number of leading firms will move to new premises in the next year – the professionals of the future have new values and law firms need to promote a cultural change .
Luís Pais Antunes
PLMJ ”
challenge is to manage to change in the economic landscape .” Anastácio adds that there is likely to be some consolidation among Portuguese law firms in the coming year .
“ The legal market is performing well ,” says one partner at a Lisbon firm . “ I think there will be even better performance in the medium term , though in-bound work could suffer if there is a negative perception of the Portuguese government .” Meanwhile , the political situation in Mozambique and Angola is a concern for some lawyers , with some saying that Portuguese law firms need to begin targeting new jurisdictions to compensate for potential decreases in revenues from Lusophone Africa . One partner says : “ All of our [ Portuguese firms ’ key ] international markets are in bad shape .” He adds : “ If the left-wing parties in Portugal achieve a consensus , centrist parties might not get back into power .”
Of concern will be the fact that some lawyers at leading law firms in Lisbon have grave doubts about their organisations ’ ability to change in the face of new technological innovations . One partner remarks : “ My main concern is that we like to say we are adapting to new technology , but I ’ m not sure firms are really prepared for it .”
With regard to the future , the diminishing loyalty of clients is another worry . One managing partner remarks that a key challenge is clients ’ greater desire to switch between legal providers . He adds : “ Fifty per cent of our clients change every year .”
>> www . iberianlawyer . com September / October 2016 • IBERIAN LAWYER • 31