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CROSS-BORDER DISPUTES · 35+ JURISDICTIONS · SINCE 2011
Turn Critical, Precision Decides

When Cross-Border Disputes

VLO Law Firm navigates corporate disputes, insolvency, and M&A litigation across 35+ jurisdictions — for executives who cannot afford uncertainty

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    1,000+

    Matters Handled

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    35+

    Jurisdictions

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    12

    Senior Practitioners

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    2011

    Founded in Lisbon

WHO WE ARE
A firm built around cross-border complexity.
More about VLO →
VLO Law Firm was founded in 2011 in Lisbon to fill a gap traditional regional firms could not — coherent, senior-led representation across multiple jurisdictions in a single mandate. Today we work across Europe, MENA, and the Americas with a network of vetted local counsel and a core team of senior practitioners.
WHAT WE DO
Practice Areas
CORPORATE DISPUTES
Shareholder conflicts, derivative claims, board disputes across jurisdictions.
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ICC, LCIA, SCC, DIFC-LCIA proceedings and award enforcement.
LITIGATION & ARBITRATION
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
FDI screening, due diligence, SPA negotiation, post-closing disputes.
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BANKRUPTCY
Restructuring, COMI analysis, creditor strategy, EU Insolvency Regulation.
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IP PROTECTION
Trademark registration, anti-counterfeiting, UDRP, IP enforcement.
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Transfer pricing, MAP, withholding tax recovery, treaty interpretation.
TAX DISPUTES
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ENFORCEMENT
Foreign judgment enforcement, exequatur, NY Convention, asset tracing.
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SELECTED MATTERS
Anonymised cross-border outcomes
€12M arbitral award enforced across Germany & Cyprus
Following ICC award, debtor assets dispersed across three EU jurisdictions. Coordinated exequatur and freezing measures recovered principal.
Minority shareholders faced exit obstruction in cross-border holding. Coordinated procedural strategy led to negotiated buyout at fair value.
Shareholder deadlock — PT/DE holding structure
FDI screening — EU buyer, MENA target
Cross-border acquisition required parallel FDI clearance in two jurisdictions. Coordinated regulatory strategy closed within compressed timeline.
M&A · 2024
CORPORATE DISPUTES · 2024
ENFORCEMENT · 2023
DURATION
4 months
FORUMS
UAE, NL
DURATION
Settlement
FORUMS
PT, DE
DURATION
9 months
FORUMS
DE, CY, AT
Transparent from the first email. No commitment before agreement.
ENGAGEMENT
How a mandate begins

INQUIRY

Send request via form or email
RESPONSE
Reply within 1 business day · NDA available
SCOPING
Email exchange to identify jurisdictions and merits
STRATEGY MEMO
Written brief within 5 days + fee estimate
JURISDICTIONS
35+ jurisdictions, three regional desks
  • PORTUGAL
    Founding jurisdiction
  • GERMANY
    Munich + Frankfurt counsel
  • UNITED KINGDOM
    London counsel network
  • CYPRUS
    Corporate hub
  • UAE
    MENA gateway
  • NETHERLANDS
    EU litigation hub
  • SWITZERLAND
    Arbitration seat
  • SPAIN
    Iberian extension
View all 35+ regions →
CLIENT VOICE
What General Counsel say
GENERAL COUNSEL
Swiss industrial holding · 2024
VLO restructured a four-jurisdiction enforcement strategy that three larger firms had failed to align. We recovered the asset within nine months.
CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER
MENA-based group · 2023
Honest about uncertainty, clear about the path forward. Their cross-border memo on our M&A dispute was the document that unlocked settlement.
Client names withheld for confidentiality — references verifiable on request.
LEADERSHIP
Senior practitioners across the practice
  • Henrique Almeida Costa
    MANAGING PARTNER
    Portuguese Bar · PT · EN · ES · FR
  • James Whitfield
    PARTNER · UK
    Law Society E&W · EN
  • Elena Moretti
    PARTNER · CONT. EUROPE
    Milan Bar · IT · EN · FR · ES
  • Katharina Berg
    PARTNER · CENT. EUROPE
    Munich Bar · DE · EN · CS
Meet the full team →
CLIENT VOICE
What General Counsel say
    Confidential. Reply within one business day. Initial scoping conversations for cross-border matters above €100,000 are complimentary.
    GET IN TOUCH
    Discuss your matter with senior counsel
    info@vlolawfirm.com
    Average response: 4 business hours. NDA template available on request.
    Structured form with jurisdiction, matter type and value range. Routes directly to the relevant partner.
    Brief intake form
    FORMAL BRIEFING
    EMAIL US DIRECTLY
    OPEN THE FORM →
    SEND A REQUEST →
    LANGUAGES
    EN · PT · ES · DE · IT · FR · AR · RU
    HOURS
    Mon–Fri · 09:00–18:00 WET
    OFFICE
    Lisbon, Portugal