Portuguese employment law

Ana Luisa is head of the Employment & Social Security Department, she has extensive experience in advising national and international companies in a variety of sectors, in particular coordinating and implementing administrative employment proceedings and disciplinary actions, as well as on collective dismissals.

With over 20 years of experience, Ana Luísa heads the labour litigation team of the department, as well as the disciplinary action and social security litigation team, and is responsible for establishing action plans/strategies and for supervising judicial lawsuits in labour law and social security.

Ana Luisa began her career as a lawyer in 2002 in CTT, the national post service, having passed to SRS Legal in 2004. She has a law degree from the University of Lisboa and two postgraduation’s, one in Communication Law and other in Employment and Social Security Law.

Joana is Managing Associate at the Employment & Social Security Department of SRS Legal, one of top firm in Portugal. She has over 20 years of experience in law, particularly in employment and social security. With a strong involvement in the community, she has also published doctrine on Equality and Non-Discrimination, more specifically on Parental Leave.

Joana began her career as a lawyer in 2003, having worked for other international law firms, such as, Uría Menéndez | Proença de Carvalho and DLA Piper, until she joined SRS Legal in 2019. Joana has a law degree from the University of Lisboa and a master’s degree from the same university in legal science (Labour Law), her master’s dissertation being “Maternity and Paternity Protection in Portuguese Labour Law”.

Focused mainly on the international advisory, cross-border issues, global governance and compliance, employment litigation, organisation and restructuring of human resources, labour benefits, social security and general advisory, Joana has accompanied clients operating in the banking, technology, IT and logistics sectors and, in the last three years, even more intensively and on an in-house basis, in the aviation and aeronautical maintenance and infrastructure sector.

Mariana is Head of the Employment & Social Security Department at SRS Legal, with an extensive experience in advising national and international companies involved in a variety of sectors.

With more than 25 years of experience, she heads the Department’s Projects Unit, focused on corporate restructures, transfer of undertakings, outsourcing/insourcing projects, HR due diligence/consultancy, leading one of the most successful teams acting on these specific matters in Portugal.

Mariana acts for several large-scale national clients and is recognized for her technical know-how and acknowledged at a national and international level for her excellence in negotiating and service delivery. She has expert knowledge on the definition of flexible contractual models for the hiring and appointment of human resources, (re)organization of working time and restructuring processes, in particular in the context of collective dismissals and transfers of undertakings. Mariana has also been involved on the negotiation of collective labour regulation instruments with trade unions.

She began her career as a lawyer in 1997 as a trainee at the European Commission, Directorate-General XV, Internal Market, having worked in SRS since its foundation. She became a partner in 2013 and the Head of the Employment & Social Security Department in November 2023. Mariana has a Law Degree from the University of Lisbon School of Law and a Postgraduate Diploma in Labour Law from the University of Lisbon School of Law.

Joana Correia da Fonseca is a Senior Associate in the Employment and Social Security Department at SRS Legal with 8 years of experience and with an extensive knowledge in advising a wide variety of sectors: trade and distribution, civil construction, energy, finance, pharmaceutical industry, insurance and telecommunications.

She started her career in 2014 as a Trainee at PLMJ Law Firm, having worked in-house at SAMSUNG-Eletronica Portuguesa, S.A., and joining SRS Legal in February 2019.  Joana has a Degree in Law from Portuguese Católica University – School of Law, a Postgraduate diploma in Employment Law and Social Security Law, University of Lisbon – School of Law and a LL.M Law in a European and Global Context – Católica Global School of Law.

Over the years, Joana has developed a strong foundation in various employment law areas, including complex disciplinary proceedings, often involving workplace harassment, social security, equality and non-discrimination at work, workers and job applicants’ data privacy, employment litigation and collective bargaining.

Her expertise extends to international mobility of workers and cross-border social security issues. Joana has significant experience negotiating collective bargaining agreements and providing strategic in-house legal support to multinational companies. Her work with both national and international clients has equipped her to handle intricate employment-related matters, ensuring full compliance with legal frameworks.

Sara is a Managing Associate at SRS Legal, with an extrensive experience in all areas of Employment and Social Security Law. Her practice includes both general advisory work and litigation. Sara is coordinating the social security area for more than 5 years.

Sara began her career in 2001 as a Trainee at José Santana Carlos & Rui Roldão, Sociedade de Advogados, RL., later working as a lawyer in Soares Machado & Associados – Sociedade de Advogados, RL., until she joined SRS Legal in 2010. She has a Law Degree from the University of Coimbra School of Law, a Postgraduate diploma in Legal Sciences from Católica | Lisbon School of Law as well as a Postgraduate diploma in Employment Law from Católica | Lisbon School of Law.

Sara has significant experience in social security matters, mainly corporate related, including international mobility and transfers. She also advises on matters related to appointment and termination of human resources, accidents at work, health and safety and due diligence. Sara acts both for national and international corporations across a range of market sectors, including Retail, Food, Financial Institutions, Automotive and Transports.

César is Managing Partner at SRS Legal, as well as Partner in the Employment & Social Security Department. With over 30 years of practice, César has extensive experience in dealing with collective bargaining, collective and individual disputes and HR/employment strategic advisory services.

César began his career as a lawyer in 1992, having worked in SRS Legal since its beginning. He became a partner and the Head of the Employment & Social Security Department in 2004. Since November 2023 he has become a Managing Partner here at SRS Legal.

César has a law degree from Católica law School, a Postgraduate Diploma in Pharmaceutical Law from University of Coimbra and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Law from Instituto Superior de Gestão, in Lisbon.

César has a high reputation in advising companies on Employment Law, particularly in corporate restructuring operations, negotiating CBAs, managing collective disputes, defining HR policies and contractual models. He also has extensive experience in defining flexible hiring models and establishing plans and remuneration policies, including Pension Plans.