Since 2018, Lamares, Capela & Associados (LACA) has been guiding expats, investors, and families through Portugal’s legal landscape. Founded by Portuguese lawyers Ana Sofia Lamares and Diogo Capela, this Lisbon-based firm offers specialised services in Immigration and Citizenship, Real Estate, Corporate, Tax, Labour, and Succession Law, making it a one-stop legal partner for expats.

“When we created Lamares, Capela & Associados, we didn’t just want to open an office but a space where law was exercised with integrity and respect for our clients. From the beginning, we defined that our pillars would be Integrity, Excellence, Proximity, Agility and Flexibility, not only as theoretical principles but as something present in everyday life”, Diogo Capela told The Portugal News.

With regards to the company’s ethos, Diogo Capela, affirmed “We believe that the essence of our work is to remember that on the other side are people who trust us because they need our help. We have a responsibility to support them in the best possible way. If we keep that focus, everything else happens naturally. It was this vision that led us to create LACA and that continues to guide us.”

A strong legal partnership

Founders Ana Sofia Lamares and Diogo Capela first met while studying at the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon. Their friendship eventually evolved into a professional partnership built on shared values and complementary skills.

Ana Sofia Lamares went on to briefly explain, “Diogo and I studied at the same Faculty (Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon) and we have been friends ever since. Our professional paths, at an early stage of our careers, were different, each of us had the opportunity to work with different offices and areas of activity, but from 2013 I started to dedicate myself to the area of Nationality Rights and Immigration Law and the opportunity arose to work together in 2014. Since then our focus has been on supporting foreign clients who want to live or invest in Portugal, LACA has now been running for six years and we have gone from the two of us to a whole team. Our team has grown and we are now 16 people, who are not just colleagues, but also friends.”

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: Client;

Today, LACA’s multilingual team fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish prides itself on offering clear, accessible guidance to both expats and international clients. When asked what makes LACA stand out as a unique law firm, Ana Sofia Lamares expressed, “I believe that our degree of specialisation is one of our main advantages. Over time we have been recognised nationally and internationally as a reference firm in our areas of activity. This is the result of the commitment of a young, ambitious team that shares the same values.”

A leader in Immigration Law

One of LACA’s standout specialties is Immigration Law, where Diogo Capela has been named one of the world’s top immigration lawyers by Uglobal Immigration for four consecutive years, underscoring the firm’s reputation for excellence.

“LACA supports clients in obtaining visas and residence permits for Portugal, renewing them, submitting legal actions for the protection of rights and appealing against decisions refusing visas. We also process all types of immigration processes for Portugal, including offering support for clients, who are still outside of Portugal.”

When it comes to the very popular Golden Visa, the firm strives to not only help clients with this matter but also help clients overcome delays that come with this particular area. “Over the last few years, we have been strengthening our level of service in matters related to Administrative Litigation, namely in the initiation of legal proceedings against AIMA. This has been, unfortunately, one of the most used ways by our firm to combat delays in the processing of Golden Visas”, Diogo Capela notes.

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: Client;

Obtaining Citizenship

Finally, for those who are seeking to obtain Portuguese nationality, Ana Sofia Lamares assured that LACA provides the necessary services to obtain Portuguese nationality. Explaining that, “We process all types of Portuguese Nationality processes, namely those that apply to descendants, those who are married or in a common law marriage with a Portuguese citizen, foreign citizens born and/or residing in Portugal, citizens born in former Portuguese colonies, among others. In addition to this, we carry out all types of administrative and judicial actions associated with this area of Law.” Ana Sofia Lamares’ expertise in this field has been further recognized through her recent invitation to join the faculty of the Postgraduate Course in Immigration and Nationality Law at Universidade Nova, a distinction that highlights her extensive experience in this area, which, alongside immigration law, is the core specialty of the firm.

If you’re in need of expert legal advice, Lamares, Capela & Associados is ready to help. For more information and to get in touch with their experienced team, please visit www.lamarescapela.pt