PLMJ – Law Firm has been named 'Law Firm of The Year: Iberia 2015' by the prestigious British publication, The Lawyer. The Lawyer European Awards are held annually, with a judging panel made up of senior private practice and in-house lawyers from leading law firms and a range of multinational companies choosing the best law firms in Europe. PLMJ was the first Portuguese law firm to receive this award in 2012. This distinction once again confirms PLMJ's place at the summit of independent and international firms working in Portugal and Spain. It also recognises the excellence of PLMJ's teams and the legal services they provide. For PLMJ managing partner, Manuel Santos Vítor, "after being the first Portuguese firm to receive this award in 2012, we are now the first Portuguese firm to receive the award twice, and this is a source of great pride. The award comes at the end of a year of great challenges but also one of enormous international recognition that encourages us to stay on our current path. It is also an incentive to maintain our ambition but, above all, to continue our work. And we want this work to epitomise constant attention to the needs of our clients, and to excellence, rigour and innovation." Considered a celebration of excellence and professionalism in business law practice, The Lawyer European Awards reward quality over quantity and are an important event for European lawyers. Manuel Santos Vítor added, "I believe PLMJ's conquest of the 'Law Firm of The Year: Iberia 2015' award strengthens the image of Portuguese law firms, which are constantly proving their high quality and capacity to compete with the big international firms. In Portugal we have the talent, the quality, and degree of perseverance and effort that have brought us up to this level. The Portuguese legal profession is also to be congratulated." A year of great challenges and international recognition This award was the result of the work done by PLMJ's lawyers in 2014, in advising on the main operations and projects in Portugal, as well as on cross-border operations including in Angola, Mozambique, China and Switzerland. These lawyers also worked on hundreds of litigation cases and major international arbitrations, where the quality of PLMJ's work and the results achieved for our clients were recognised. Importantly, these awards also place value on the management, strategic vision, capacity for innovation and client service of the law firms evaluated. This award is public and international recognition of PLMJ's consistent and pioneering management, and of the work of the firm, not only in service of its clients but also in the management of a team that today boasts 250 lawyers and 100 support staff in 5 countries. The strategy defined by PLMJ and its capacity to adapt and innovate to face the challenges of recent years have set the firm apart and strengthened its position as leader in the legal market in Portugal and in Portuguese-speaking countries through PLMJ International Network. In a year still marked by the economic crisis, PLMJ has managed improve its financial results, win new clients and press on with its internationalisation policy by opening its Swiss Desk. On top of this, it has also strengthened its position in the Portuguese market by establishing a partnership with a firm Madeira. PLMJ's policy of social responsibility and its training initiatives also contributed to this victory. In 2014, PLMJ invested further in the training it provides though its training centre, PLMJ Excelentia. It signed new cooperation protocols with leading universities and launched the Brighter Legal Futures Programme, a social responsibility project to support law students in difficult financial circumstances in Portugal and in the Portuguese-speaking countries of Africa. PLMJ's achievement in being named 'Law Firm of The Year: Iberia 2015' confirms its position of leadership among Europe's most recognised law firms. It also follows the award received in April 2014 when the Chambers Europe Awards for Excellence named PLMJ 'Law firm of the Year' in Portugal.