A partner at Seruya & Melo, Sofia Seruya is a lawyer with consolidated experience in real estate, investment, international mobility, corporate law and litigation.

She advises private clients and high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), both national and international, on investments and mobility to Portugal, providing support on buying and selling property, structuring investments, residence and nationality.

She also has significant experience in civil litigation, with a particular focus on real-estate disputes — breach of contract, rights in rem and property disputes — providing strategic advice and court representation.

Since 2017, she led the real estate department at Martínez-Echevarría & Ferreira, driving the practice’s growth with a strong focus on foreign investment and on advising private clients and HNWIs.

She coordinated numerous acquisitions, sales and structuring of real estate assets in Portugal, and advised on Golden Visa investments and non-habitual resident regimes from the launch of each programme, providing integrated support across the entire investment cycle — from initial structuring to completion and formalisation.

She has taken part and spoken at international conferences on investment in Portugal, including events aimed at foreign investors.

She joined Martínez-Echevarría & Ferreira in 2013, where she developed a generalist practice focused on real estate, urban planning, foreign investment, corporate, banking and litigation.

Between 2009 and 2013 she was at Raposo Subtil e Associados, starting as a trainee lawyer across several areas, including corporate and litigation, and later practising in the credit recovery and banking litigation department.

She began her career in 2007 at a notary’s office, gaining direct experience in the formalisation of deeds, contracts and legal transactions.

She holds a law degree from the University of Lisbon School of Law and a postgraduate qualification in Legal Sciences from the Catholic University of Portugal. She has been a member of the Portuguese Bar Association since 2013.

She speaks Portuguese, English and French fluently, and also has a working knowledge of Spanish.