João Leitão Figueiredo

Languages

Portuguese
English
French
Spanish

Social media

João Leitão Figueiredo is a partner in the TMC – Technology, Media & Communications, Intellectual Property, as well as Life Sciences & Healthcare teams. Also, he is part of the ESG Task Force.

With over 20 years of experience, he specializes in advising domestic and international companies on intellectual property, industrial property, copyright, and technology, particularly in litigation and dispute resolution, as well as Commercial law.

Moreover, he is well-versed in the drafting, negotiation, and termination of a wide range of IP/IT agreements (licenses, trademarks, designs, software, outsourcing, distribution agreements, transfers, assignments, etc.), as well as in advising on technology, digital transformation, and data analytics in sectors such as fintech, energy, health and wellbeing, and real estate, among others. He also advises various clients on the negotiation and the drafting of commercial contracts.

João is ranked Band 4 for TMT, by Chambers Europe, 2025 and he is recommended for Intellectual Property, Data Privacy and Data Protection, and TMT, by Legal 500, 2025 and he was also awarded Lawyer of the Year for IP & TMT, Forty under 40 in 2020, by Iberian Lawyer. He is also ranked Recommended for IP – Copyright, by WWL. He has also been awarded Bronze Individual – WTR1000, 2024. Moreover, he is ranked Excellent for IP Litigation and Data Privacy & Data Protection, as well as Highly Recommended for Technology and Trademark Prosecution by Leaders League, 2025.

Joined CMS Portugal in 2004.

Awards & Recognitions

01 –

Award

João Leitão Figueiredo is an extremely competent person with in-depth knowledge of the subjects.

Legal 500 (2025)
Award

João Leitão Figueiredo is an excellent professional who is always available to help us with all legal issues and questions that we address to him.

Chambers Europe (2025)
Award

All of the team’s work is exceptional, revealing great proximity and ability to resolve the most complex issues. I highlight, in particular, João Leitão Figueiredo.

Legal 500 (2024)
Award

The service provided in the area of intellectual property is impeccable. Proactive and excellent response timing.

Legal 500 (2023)
Award

João Leitão Figueiredo is reliable, pragmatic and technically sound on all aspects of data protection work.

Legal 500 (2022)
Award

João excels technically and has an exceptional leadership capacity. He has built strong relations with clients due to his constant dedication and availability.

Iberian Lawyer (2021)
Award

João Leitão Figueiredo, a lawyer with a lot of experience and know-how in the field of intellectual property, demonstrates a lot of technical qualities and transmits security to the client since he always presents a solution for the legal cases that are presented to him.

Legal 500 (2021)
Quote

Recognised Lawyer for Intellectual Property, Data Privacy and Data Protection and TMC

Legal 500 (2021)

Publications

LEITÃO FIGUEIREDO, João - “Data protection and cybersecurity in Portugal: challenges ahead through 2023”, (co-authored with José Luís Arnaut) in Legal500, 2023
LEITÃO FIGUEIREDO, João - “ChatGPT - A tecnologia, a ética e um jurista entram num bar”, in Sapo Tek, 2023
LEITÃO FIGUEIREDO, João - “Governação de dados: um passo rumo a mais competitividade”, in Sapo Tek, 2020
LEITÃO FIGUEIREDO, João - “5G: Um desafio que Portugal não poderá perder”, in Dinheiro Vivo, 2020

Memberships & Roles

Member of the Portuguese Bar Association since 2006

Awards & Rankings

The Legal 500, 2024
Leaders League, 2024
WTR 1000, 2024
Forty under 40, by Iberian Lawyer, 2020
WWL - Who's Who Legal

Lectures list

Speaker at the "Colloquium on Criminal Procedure and Economic Crime", organized by Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa and CMS Portugal under the theme "Protection of Industrial Property Rights". (2009)

Education

Law degree, Faculdade de Direito, Universidade de Lisboa
Course on Copyright and Connected Rights, World Intellectual Property Organisation Academy
Course on Biotechnology and Intellectual Property, World Intellectual Property Organisation Academy
Postgraduate degree in Industrial Property “The recent reforms of Industrial Property”, Faculdade de Direito, Universidade de Lisboa and APDI
Certification in Data Protection Officer by the European Institute of Public Administration

Practice Areas

Intellectual Property Commercial

sectors

TMC - Technology, Media & Communications Life Sciences & Healthcare Consumer Products

Insights

Global Reach