HOME
ABOUT US
SERVICES
REGIONS
CONTACT
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
VIEW PRACTICES →
SEND A BRIEF
  • -1-

    1,000+

    Matters Handled

  • -2-

    35+

    Jurisdictions

  • -3-

    12

    Senior Practitioners

  • -3-

    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.
EXPLORE →
EXPLORE1 →
ICC, LCIA, SCC, DIFC-LCIA proceedings and award enforcement.
LITIGATION & ARBITRATION
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
FDI screening, due diligence, SPA negotiation, post-closing disputes.
EXPLORE3 →
BANKRUPTCY
Restructuring, COMI analysis, creditor strategy, EU Insolvency Regulation.
EXPLORE2 →
§
§
§
§
IP PROTECTION
Trademark registration, anti-counterfeiting, UDRP, IP enforcement.
EXPLORE →
EXPLORE1 →
Transfer pricing, MAP, withholding tax recovery, treaty interpretation.
TAX DISPUTES
VIEW ALL 7 PRACTICES →
ENFORCEMENT
Foreign judgment enforcement, exequatur, NY Convention, asset tracing.
EXPLORE2 →
§
§
§
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 →
Our news