An interview with Paulo Monteverde, partner at BMA, was published today in Advocatus, marking the firm’s 18th anniversary.
In the interview, Paulo Monteverde looks back on BMA’s journey since its establishment and discusses some of the firm’s main practice areas, including Intellectual Property, Pharmaceuticals, Technology and Litigation, as well as developments in the legal market and the outlook for the coming years.
We are sharing an excerpt from the interview, in which BMA is described as a “boutique firm”.
“Looking back on the firm’s 18-year journey, Paulo Monteverde describes it as “very positive” and emphasises that, alongside industrial property, the firm has gradually consolidated its position in other strategic areas, such as pharmaceuticals, technology, cybersecurity and data protection, as well as civil and criminal litigation.
“That growth was not merely quantitative. Above all, it reflected greater specialisation, increasingly sophisticated work and an enhanced ability to support international and domestic clients in addressing ever more complex challenges”, says the BMA partner, stressing that the firm has never aimed to become a full-service law firm.
Paulo Monteverde also notes that the firm has achieved its initial objectives and, in several respects, “clearly exceeded” them. “Another key objective from the outset was to establish a strong position among international clients. Our initial target was, to a large extent, the international market. Today, international clients continue to account for around 80% of our turnover, reflecting the trust the international market places in our work” he says.
“The pillars of BMA’s mission are, first and foremost, ethics, technical rigour, specialisation and dedication. For us, character always comes first! We do not make the mistake of putting technical expertise before integrity or a sense of responsibility. Technical excellence is absolutely essential, but it only has real value when it is rooted in a culture of ethics”, he emphasises.
In the market, BMA defines itself as a “boutique firm”, highly specialised and committed to operating at the “highest level” in its core practice areas. “We sometimes say internally that we aim to bring a certain concept of “luxury” to legal practice, not in an ostentatious sense, but rather as an expression of attention to detail, high standards, a personalised approach, discretion and excellence. We want our clients to feel confident that their most important matters are in the hands of a specialised, approachable and discerning team, genuinely committed to achieving the best possible outcome,” he adds.
The full interview can be read here:
https://eco.sapo.pt/2026/08/24/futuro-da-bma-passa-pela-aposta-no-contencioso-complexo-e-de-elevada-exigencia/
