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Rita Gouveia

Partner
Lawyer

Contact
CMS Portugal
Rua Castilho 50
1250-071 Lisbon
Portugal
Languages Portuguese, English, French, Spanish

Rita Gouveia is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution team.

With over 20 years’ experience, she advises on litigation and arbitration, concerning domestic and international disputes, including: corporate disputes, M&A operations, financial and banking transactions, distribution contracts, and service agreements, among others.

Rita is also a professor of Civil Procedure and Forensic Practice at Faculdade de Direito, Universidade Católica Portuguesa since 1998.

Rita is individually ranked for Dispute Resolution for the past 13 years, by Chambers Global and Europe, 2023. She is acknowledged as Leading Individual for Dispute Resolution and she is recommended  for Insolvency and Restructuring, by Legal 500, 2023. Rita Is also recognised for Litigation, International Arbitration and Insolvency and Reorganization Law, by Best Lawyers since 2019. In addition, she is acknowledged as Highly Recommended lawyer for International Arbitration, White Collar Crime and as Excellent for Civil & Commercial Litigation by Leaders League, 2023. Moreover, she is was recognised in the Private Practice Powerlist 2023, Arbitration – Iberia, by Legal 500, as well as as one the most inspirational women of the Iberian Peninsula by InspiraLAw, Iberian Lawyer in 2021.

Joined CMS Portugal in 2018.

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Band 2 for Dispute Resolution

Chambers and Partners Global (2021)

Rita Gouveia frequently assists clients with infrastructure, insurance and real estate disputes. One satisfied client states: "She is very analytical, strongly academic and knows all the details of the matter.“

Chambers and Partners Europe (2021)

Market commentators highlight Rita Gouveia as a key partner in the team. She leads or co-leads many of the firm's major debt recovery or commercial arbitration matters. She acts for clients from the construction, telecommunications and energy sectors.

Chambers Global (2022)

Rita Gouveia has profound knowledge of law.

Legal 500 (2021)

Recognised Lawyer for Dispute Resolution and Insolvency and Restructuring

Legal 500 (2021)

Recognized Lawyer for Insolvency and Reorganization Law, International Arbitration and Litigation

Best Lawyers (since 2019)

Relevant experience

  • Lecturer of Civil Procedure and Forensic Practice Faculdade de Direito, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, where she has been teaching since 1998.
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Memberships & Roles

  • Member of the Portuguese Bar Association since 2000
  • Member of the Executive Commission of National Arbitration Commission of  ICC Portugal
  • Member of the Board Arbitration Centre of the Associação Portuguesa de Arbitragem until July 2022
  • Member of the Direção do Círculo de Advogados de Contencioso
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Publications

  • GOUVEIA, Rita – “Comentário ao Código Civil, Direito das Obrigações”, (collective work), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, 2019
  • GOUVEIA, Rita – “Comentário ao Código Civil, Parte Geral”, (collective work), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, 2014
  • GOUVEIA, Rita – “Convenção de arbitragem em caso de insuficiência económica”, in “Direito das Sociedades em Revista”, Almedina, 2012
  • GOUVEIA, Rita – “Arbitraje Comercial Internacional en Portugal: marco legal y jurisprudencial”, (co-authored), in “El arbitraje comercial internacional en iberoamérica”, Wolters Kluwer, 2012
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Education

  • Law degree, Faculdade de Direito, Universidade Católica Portuguesa
  • Masters in Legal-Civil Sciences, Faculdade de Direito, Universidade Católica Portuguesa
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Feed

15/02/2024
CMS Portugal highlighted by Chambers & Partners Global 2024
CMS Portugal has been recognised in the prestigious Chambers & Partners Global directory in seven categories and has received 11 individual nominations from eight lawyers.   Check out all the nominations:...
04/12/2023
International arbitration law and rules in Angola
1. Historical Background 1.1.1 Angola’s first arbitration act was enacted in 2003 through Law no. 16/2003 of 25 July (Angolan Arbitration Act). The Act, also known as Voluntary Arbitration Law, is largely...
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CMS European Class Actions Report 2023
Data-driven insights into class action risk across Europe, a key concern for major corporates
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See the Overview of the Representative Actions Directive >> 1. Do you have a specific procedure or procedures for bringing “opt-in” class actions?  If so, please outline such procedure(s) and...
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21/07/2020
Building law and regulation in Portugal during Covid-19
1. Is there con­struc­tion-rel­ev­ant COVID-19 regulation? No. With regard to the legislation on COVID-19 and, in particular, with regard to real estate law, only a few rules have been introduced regarding...