Mozambique

MDR Advodagos is a full service law firm founded in 2014 and led by managing partner Tiago Arouca Mendes. The firm is a member of the Morais Leitão Legal Circle, a global alliance of law firms established by Morais Leitão. The firm has a strong focus on banking, M&A and project related work. 

Highlights  

MDR Advogados advised in the restructuring of PriceWaterhouseCoopers' operation in Mozambique. Specifically, the firm assisted in the process of designing the implementation of the restructuring plan as well as the execution and implementation of the restructuring operation. This included drafting contracts and supporting documents, setting up new companies in Mozambique, and obtaining the necessary authorizations. The team is led by Tiago Arouca Mendes and advice is currently ongoing.  

The firm also acted as local counsel to the banking syndicate in the project financing of the Coral South FLNG Project. This project includes the design, construction, and operation of a floating liquefied natural gas facility located offshore of the Rovuma Basin. The team, led by Paula Duarte Rocha, was responsible for advising the lenders on all Mozambican law aspects of the financing structure, including regulatory, contractual, and security package matters. The project is currently ongoing.  

Raposo Bernardo is a Portuguese law firm with offices in 8 countries in Europe and Lusophone Africa. 

Focuses / specialisms 

The firm has a particular strength in project development work and also has a focus on project finance and restructuring deals. 

Research period review: 32nd edition (2022/2023) 

During the research period, the firm was active in financial and corporate matters. 

In banking the firm worked on loans for clients connected with financial services. 

In M&A the firm worked on acquisitions for clients in the real estate and tourism sectors. 

In project development the firm worked on projects for clients in the renewables, transportation and infrastructure sectors. 

In project finance the firm worked on financings for clients in financial services and energy. 

Client Feedback: 32nd edition (2022/2023) 

Banking and finance 

"Recently the main operation was a private placement of an important amount for our company to a small number of investors, enabling our company to raise the cash needs as expected. The transaction was very well planned and implemented by the firm within quite a short period of time and accordingly with the provisions in force related to securities. Choosing the best legal and financial mechanisms, arranging the documents of the subscription and whole transaction and selecting the investors was a due diligence work conducted in full by the legal team, which was the factor for success of such a risk operation."  

"The firm was referred to us by one of our clients because they had been so incredibly professional. Indeed, they have proven to be extremely trustworthy, valued partners who make good recommendations and deliver consistently. Their lawyers are used to our industry best practices and we find their work to be very strong and 100% worth the investment. We have been working together for almost three years and they have always been excellent, both on the client management side and in the outcome."  

PPP/PFI 

"Raposo Bernardo’s positive attributes are so many that will not fit in this sole page. They are creative in problem solving and rapid in decision making. Their integrated transactional capabilities cover all bases of each transaction or operation. From deal structuring to equity financing, corporate governance compliance matters to arrangement of the financing models and escrow agreements, they cover all in a very sophisticated and clear manner. It is amazing to attest to their capacity and experience and way of working in these types of transactions. They give us the confidence to make the right decision at the right time." 

Project development : Energy 

"Raposo Bernardo is a sophisticated law firm with international standards allied to the local knowledge of Mozambican market. They are very detailed and organized. They make sure they understand the full scope of the operation in the briefing meetings. The work is done accurately and in a timely manner and the fees are more than reasonable. We will definitely have Raposo Bernardo on board on our next relevant project." 

"They know the sector's language, the critical points of these deals (which are many), the importance of a very well negotiated financing, and a well-built and eligible project finance." 

"The firm has valuable experts, and all of the work is pretty good, without mistakes, focused and technically solid, which we appreciate by the presentation of the final pieces and the complete ease they demonstrate in every meeting, grabbing the core ideas immediately, acknowledging every technical term used. All the lawyers we have been dealing with since we used their services are very good, being competent and ready to solve any question, and for sure we will use  the team in a full-service perspective further to employment subjects. In the firm we feel each lawyer has that competence and bright character strength embedded." 

"The firm provides a wealth of legal industry knowledge ranging across all practice areas. They are truly capable of providing excellent client-care service, genuine and thoughtful insight, and deliver more than expected. Their approach to challenges and opportunities is innovative. They are highly productive and consistently deliver as promised. " 

Project development : Infrastructure 

"This is a law firm tailored to our needs and expectations. Professionalism, attention to detail, creativity, depth of advice and commercial sensitivity – these are the five virtues I can highlight that the firm brings to every operation or transaction they are involved in. They have the adequate experience with cross-border investments without losing the personal approach to our demands. It is a very entrepreneurial law firm that transfers that culture to their clients. They have a profound knowledge of our activity, and are very focused on giving solutions to problems, with a legal expertise like we have never seen. We are more than pleased with their advice. " 

Restructuring 

"This law firm has attributes that put them on the top ranking of the firms in Mozambique. They have it all: technical skills, local legal know-how, market reputation, leading role when other firms are involved and experience in how to do it best. They are a top law firm, providing an 'end-to-end' service, combining deep legal and regulatory knowledge with practical industry experience to deliver practical and commercial solutions. Highly recommended, for sure." 

Joana Andrade Correia 

"Joana Correia is very experienced and accessible who gives us a significant level of comfort, providing pragmatic advice on projects of high dimension and complexity. It is a pleasure to deal with her, she has an ability to anticipate the opposing lawyer’s moves in transactions. Joana is a skillful lawyer with technical and commercial acumen, very well organized, proactive, dynamic, and brilliantly clever. She has a precise way of doing business, which is very appreciated by our company directors and by myself." 

"Joana is a great leader for the biggest projects in Mozambique, extremely competent and an excellent support for our local activities. All your advice is very solid and safe and I have never seen her fail. She is always well informed and extremely proactive in making us aware of the new legal rules and local practices. She has long experience and has become an important support for us." 

"Her advice was simply phenomenal from start to finish. We could not have had a more kind and considerate lawyer. Her most important positive attributes are strong knowledge of local law, very fast to provide solutions for every problem, thinks out of the box, very innovative, strong commitment with our activity and total availability. The whole legal team have been responsive, professional and emphatic throughout." 

"She shows great ability in establishing bridges for dialogue between all stakeholders, public and private, always managing to become an excellent and fundamental mediator of interests, protecting ours brilliantly. She is extremely versatile in our sector and very rigorous in the detail, gaining the confidence of all players almost immediately. A quality that deserves special mention is the position of compliance with the agreed timings." 

"She is absolutely outstanding, very strong analytically, extraordinarily responsive and, more importantly, very thoughtful in her responses. She is knowledgeable about the subject matter, and is excellent at client care and communication.  She has a well-earned reputation for innovative thinking. Whether it is a cross-border transaction or managing business risk. Thus, we always feel that she gives us the confidence to act decisively." 

"She has all the technical qualities of an expert in these matters, but distinguishes herself by managing to transform contrary positions into the same direction, which make her absolutely priceless in a table meeting with several parties and namely with government entities. She is very reliable, responsive, very diligent and very commercial, and tries to find an easy solution for everyone. She is also an experienced lawyer with notable expertise advising on cross-border mandates." 

"She is an authentic lawyer, very qualified and technically skilled. I trust very much in her work, and she is a 'must have' in every big and complex corporate transaction. She can leverage our operation while acting as a business lawyer, assisting the company at the negotiation table with both clients, partners and official entities, bridging common interests between the parties that override the difficulties and incompatibilities that business often generates. She is a visionary who combines enormous legal expertise with an understanding of how the market works." 

"She is outstanding, very personable and has a high level of experience. She is capable of solving any query, given her experience and bullet-proof confidence in any matter. She has European experience and academic training, which allows her to use innovative mechanisms of legal practice here in Mozambique. She has an incredible ability to achieve objectives even when everything seems impossible. She is always solution-driven and notably skilled in cross-border and international matters." 

"She is an amazing lawyer, with a great attitude and a pragmatic character. She is very proactive and has fantastic client service and legal expertise of the Mozambican jurisdiction. She is a very strong asset in negotiating with authorities and has an argumentative capacity that makes the difference. She is highly recommended, or even an essential asset, for anyone who wants to do business in Mozambique."