When searching for Lawyers and Solicitors, we use Internet and mainly Google. Our search becomes biased from the very beginning, through the first search outcomes presented to us. And even if we add details to our queries, we always get options that have nothing to do with what we're looking for, only because there are driven factors which don't depend on us, like eg. paid advertisements, ...
So that you can decide for yourself who you want and where you want, I provide here the Portuguese Professional Associations' websites of these certified professionals, each professional with a id number as a registered member.
Each one of these associations sets a code of conduct with principles that their members have to abide regarding their clients and public's interest (such as professional confidentiality). If a member is found to be in breach of any of these principles, regulatory body can step in and take action.
Searching for:
Solicitors / "Solicitadores"
(See post #2)
Lawyers / "Advogados"
(See post #3)
Notaries / "Notários"
(See post #4)
TIP: Before starting your search, please note the following:
It is always useful to search for professionals near where you live or in the city you are interested in. So you will need to find out more about administrative division of Portugal, as you will need to fill in search fields like District/"Distrito" and Municipality/Council/"Concelho" in your queries.
Administrative division of Portugal
(See post #5)
____________
What is the most significant difference between a Solicitor and a Lawyer ?
Although there are some legal areas in common, they are not the same thing.
Solicitors can exercise judicial mandate within certain limits, but their main activities consist of advising, guiding and representing individuals and companies. Solicitor may only assist his client in Court in matters where the presence of a Lawyer is not mandatory.
But in general, both Solicitor and Lawyer can act on behalf of their clients like:
- Prepare/obtain/deliver all documentation from/to all Public & Private Entities;
- Advise and guide about any kind of Visas and Residence Permits before SEF (Foreigners and Border Service);
- Apply for NIF (tax id.number) and become your Fiscal Representative before AT Portuguese Tax Authority;
- Open a bank account in your name (as a holder) in Portugal;
- Advise and guide in many types of legal transactions, eg. purchase/sale/lease's Real Estate agreements
...
____________
Please note:
Most questions asked by expats who want to apply for visas in Portugal are about how to apply for a NIF or open a bank account in Portugal.
These requirements are included in requested documentation when applying for some visas, and it becomes rather hard to achieve this when you don't know anyone in this country and you are not physically present in Portugal so you could do it all by yourself, easily and for free.
Applying for a NIF number/open a bank account is also possible without being physically present in Portugal. If you're a non-resident and want to apply from outside of Portugal, you can get all of this, through a solicitor or lawyer in Portugal who agrees to act on your behalf.
These certified professionals can do all this for you through the "power of attorney"/"Procuração". This is quite a common service offered to expats who are not yet in Portugal.
You have here all contacts, emails and phone numbers to get in touch with professionals you choose, preferably with a working address in the city where you intend to settle in Portugal.
Avoid appeal to online solutions developed by non-professionals (many of them are not even portuguese) and that often take more money than these certified professionals. Remember that even in these online services you have to give them the power of attorney to handle your documents. And if something goes wrong, you have no one to call or complain to any institution... Besides, these people usually don't even pay taxes for the amounts they have charged !
Keep in mind that:
- with certified solicitors and lawyers you can always complain to professional associations where they are registered;
- when seeking for legal advice, look for people who you feel can be trusted and with whom you feel comfortable.
Moderated by Bhavna last year
Reason : Out of context and advertising
We invite you to read the forum code of conduct
