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Sofia Ribeiro Mendes LL.M.

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Sofia Ribeiro Mendes ... stands out for her solid track record in high-profile arbitrations, where she acts as counsel and arbitrator.
— Legal 500 2022
Lisbon
About

Sofia Ribeiro Mendes focuses on arbitration and cross-border litigation, advising and representing Portuguese and foreign clients in lawsuits related to corporate, commercial, criminal and restructuring.

She represents clients from the most varied sectors of activity, including financial services, retail and distribution, life sciences, technology and insurance. She regularly assists with energy and real estate disputes, as well as disputes arising in regard to EU legislation.

Sofia is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Portuguese Arbitration Association, a Member of ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR, Co-Chair of Alternative Dispute Resolution Laboratory of the Law Faculty of Universidade Nova de Lisboa and a Member of the Editorial Board of the Portuguese Bar Association Review.

Sofia is also Co-Executive Coordinator of the Post-Graduate Programme in Arbitration Alternative Dispute Resolution Laboratory of the Law Faculty of Universidade Nova de Lisboa and a regular Lecturer in several Post-Graduate courses related to Arbitration, acting regularly as an arbitrator in Pre-moot courts of Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot.

She regularly speaks in events related to arbitration and has authored several publications on the matter.

Areas of FocusConsumer Goods, Food and RetailFinancial ServicesIndustrialsTechnologyReal EstateLitigation, Arbitration and InvestigationsRestructuring
Professional QualificationsAdvogado admitted with the Ordem dos Advogados (Portuguese Bar Association)

EXPERIENCE

  • Advising and representing the owner and promoter of a real estate complex against the contractor in arbitral proceedings related to a construction dispute in Angola.
  • Acting as Co-Arbitrator in arbitration proceedings initiated by an originator pharmaceutical company against a generics company for patent infringement and violation of industrial property rights.
  • Acting as Chairman in institutional arbitration proceedings initiated by a Portuguese Construction Company against the owner of real estate property regarding the termination of a works contract, indemnities and contractual fines  regarding a real estate project in Portugal.
  • Acting as Counsel for an engineering consulting firm in an ICC arbitration seated in Paris, against a subcontractor based in the Emirates in a dispute regarding a consortium for the execution of an urban hydraulic engineering project in Algeria.
  • Advising an online gambling company  against an Israeli software company regarding a dispute over software and licence agreement with an ICC arbitration clause.
  • Advising and representing insurance companies in insurance disputes (actual or potential) where Portuguese Law applies.
  • Advising a Bank and issuing a Legal Opinion in relation to civil contractual liability of former members of the Board and Directors for breach of their legal and statutory duties which caused damages to the Bank.
Languages
  • Portuguese
  • English
  • French
  • Spanish
Education
  • Universidade Nova de Lisboa, PHD Candidate in Faculdade de Direito. Conclusion of the first part of the PHD. Investigation and Thesis in Arbitration Law, since 2015
  • University of London, King’s College. Master of Laws (LL.M. Master of Laws in Arbitration Commercial and Corporate Law), 2004-2005
  • Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Centro de Estudos de Direito Comercial e Empresarial. Post-Graduate Course in Commercial and Business Law,  2002-2003


    Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Direito, Law Degree, 1994-1999

Awards

  • Distinguished as Up and Coming Partner for Dispute Resolution, Chambers, 2020
  • Distinguished by Best Lawyers 2020 in Arbitration and Mediation
  • Distinguished by Leaders League 2021 in Arbitration
  • Recommended by Legal 500 in Dispute Resolution

Publications

  • Chapter regarding “Evidence” in International Arbitration in Portugal, Kluwer, joint work, 2020
  • A Prova Ilícita na Arbitragem, in Estudos Comemorativos dos 30 Anos do Centro de Arbitragem Comercial da Câmara de Comércio e Indústria Portuguesa, Almedina, 2019
  • Nomeação de árbitros pelas partes - o “calcanhar de Aquiles” da Arbitragem?, in co-authorship, in Estudos em Homenagem a Rui Pena, inédito ainda 2019
  • Recentes Desenvolvimentos na Interpretação e Aplicação Jurisprudencial do Incidente de Recusa de Árbitro, in co-authorship, in Estudos em Homenagem a Agostinho Pereira de Miranda, 2019
  • As fontes de Direito e a Arbitragem, in co-authorship, in Estudos em Homenagem a Germano Marques da Silva, inédito ainda 2019
  • “Cinco Anos de Vigência da LAV: Favor Arbitrandum na Intepretação e aplicação jurisprudencial?” in XI Congresso do Centro de Arbitragem Comercial – Intervenções, Almedina, 2018
  • “Crónica de jurisprudência portuguesa”, em co-autoria, in Revista Internacional de Arbitragem e Conciliação - Ano I ao XI, desde 2008 a 2018

Seminars

  • Speaker in VI Open de Arbitraje de Madrid, 2020
  • Speaker in ITA Webinar – Brazil/Europe, 2020
  • Speaker in ICC YAF “Preparação para o Willem C Vis Moot: os principais tópicos comentados por experts (“A prova ilícita em arbitragem”), Curitiba, Brazil, 2019
  • Speaker in III Congresso Internacional CBMA de Arbitragem, Rio de Janeiro, 2019
  • Speaker in VIII Conferência Internacional de Arbitragem de Luanda, Angola, 2019
  • German-Portuguese International Arbitration Symposium Cross-Perspectives: Bringing economies together & international arbitration as the best way to solve crossborder disputes, 2018

Prior Experience

  • Partner of her own boutique law firm, 2010-2019
  • Associate Lawyer of the Litigation and Arbitration Department of a very prestigious and full-service Portuguese firm, 2006-2010
  • Trainee and Associate Lawyer of the Litigation and Arbitration Department of of a very prestigious and full-service Portuguese firm, 1999-2004

Additional qualifications / positions

  • Lecturer in several Arbitration related courses in prestigious Law universities in Lisbon.

Memberships

  • Member of the Board of Directors of the Portuguese Arbitration Association, since 2019
  • Secretary to the General Assembly of the Arbitration Centre of Concórdia-Centro de Conciliação e Mediação de Conflitos, since 2018
  • Executive Coordinator of the Post-Graduate Programe in Arbitration of Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, since 2018
  • Member of ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR, 2015-present
  • Chair of the Portuguese Arbitration Association under40, 2013-2016
  • Co-Chair of Laboratório de Resolução Alternativa de Litígios da Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, since 2010 to present

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(Work, Lisbon)
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