Law office · Coimbra, Portugal

We defend your rights.
We support your decisions.

Legal advice and representation for individuals and businesses in Portugal, including matters involving Cabo Verde and Brazil.

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An approachable team, ready to help with personal and business matters.

From criminal defence and business law to estate planning and family matters, we combine legal rigour with clear, personal advice. We also handle matters involving Portugal, Cabo Verde and Brazil.

Who we are
A law firm based in Coimbra, practising mainly in Portugal.
What we do
We advise and represent individuals and businesses in criminal, civil, commercial, employment, family, inheritance, administrative and immigration matters.
How we work
We understand the case, assess the evidence and risks, explain the options, and define a strategy tailored to the client's objectives.
How we work
Areas of practice

Each area requires specific questions.

Explore common questions, useful documents and guidance for an initial assessment in each area.

01 / Defence and representation

Criminal Law and
Regulatory Offences

Assistance to victims and defence of defendants, from crime reports to trial and appeal, including administrative offences.

 02 / Family Law

Family and Children Law

Divorce, division of assets, parental responsibilities, maintenance, child protection and adoption.

 03 / Estates and inheritance

Inheritance and Estates

Identification of heirs, estate inventories and distribution, wills and estate planning.

04 / Employment matters

Employment Law

Contracts, disciplinary procedures, dismissals, workplace accidents and labour disputes.

05 / Creation and innovation

Intellectual Property

Trade marks, business identifiers, patents and copyright.

 All areas

Consult all
areas of practice.

Fourteen practice areas, with practical information for an initial assessment.

Facts, documents,
deadlines and decisions.

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Team

Legal experience with a multidisciplinary perspective.

Get to know the team
Lawyer and founder

Dr. Maria Manuela Nunes Ferreira

A Portuguese and Cape Verdean lawyer whose multidisciplinary practice includes matters involving Portugal, Cabo Verde and Brazil.

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Legal professional

Dr. Mariana Duarte

Legal research, document management and case preparation.

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Solicitador (Portuguese legal professional)

Dr. Antonio Torres Mendes

Support with legal acts, procedures and documentation within the scope of a solicitador’s professional role.

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Lawyer

Dr. Isis Spencer

Natural da ilha do Sal, Cabo Verde, licenciada em Direito pela Universidade de Coimbra.

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Lawyer

Dr. Rafael Capparelli Tonetti

Assistance with Portuguese nationality applications and legal matters involving Portugal and Brazil.

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Meet the team and learn about their experience, areas of work and approach. 01 / 03
Client testimonials

What our
clients
say.

5,0

Public reviews.
No guarantee
of future results.

Check reviews on Google

“Alongside their technical expertise, what sets this firm apart is the care and dedication they bring to each matter.”

Nalangela SitoeReview given 2 weeks ago

“A high-quality service marked by professionalism, rigour and expertise. I particularly valued their availability and attention throughout the process.”

Marco AnesReview given 2 weeks ago

“Excellent service from a highly professional and capable law firm. I would recommend them without hesitation.”

Tatiana NevesReview given 2 weeks ago

“They answered our questions with competence and showed transparency and dedication from the first contact.”

Miguel NetoReview given 3 weeks ago
Training and internships

Legal training
with real-world experience.

Curricular placements, specialist training and exposure to different legal cultures.

Testimonial from Pilar Guimarães
Testimonials / Portugal

Pilar Guimarães

Pilar Guimarães shares her experience of learning in Portugal.

Testimonial from Giovanna
Testimonials / Brazil

Giovanna

Giovanna shares her experience of learning in Brazil.

Laura's testimonial
Testimonials / Bern, Switzerland

Laura

Watch Laura's testimonial from Bern, Switzerland.

Elias's testimonial
Testimonials / Venezuela

Elias

Watch Elias's testimonial from Venezuela.

Monica's testimonial
Testimonials / Portugal

Monica

Watch Monica's testimonial from Portugal.

Training / internships

Learning Law
in the context of legal practice.

Discover academic partnerships, programmes, and internship opportunities.

See training and internships
Press and publications

Books, interviews
and legal contributions.

A collection of the team’s publications and contributions to legal debate.

Doleira: Support in Portugal
Video

Doleira: Support in Portugal

Dr. Maria Manuela Nunes Ferreira appears in the documentary ‘Doleira: The Story of Nelma Kodama’ in her professional capacity as a lawyer.

Fundamental Private Security Legislation
Book

Fundamental Private Security Legislation

Manuela Nunes Ferreira · Rei dos Livros.

A conversation with Dr Isis Spencer
Interview

A conversation with Dr Isis Spencer

Watch the full interview “Entrevista com Dra Isis Spencer - Cabo Verde”, published on the MNF Advogados channel.

Press and publications

See other publications.

Explore the books, interviews, and legal contributions of the team.

View all publications
MNF Worldwide

Based in Portugal. Connected with Cabo Verde and Brazil.

See our Coimbra office and how to contact us about matters involving Praia and São Paulo.

Map with the location of the Coimbra office Coimbra São Paulo Praia
Request for contact

Tell us the essentials.

Tell us the type of matter, your next deadline and how you would prefer us to contact you. We will check availability and potential conflicts of interest before proceeding.

Privacy

Update: October 8, 2026. This policy covers the website and the private area of Maria Manuela Nunes Ferreira Advogados, RL (MNF).

Data controller and contact details

MNF is the controller for the processing it determines. Contact mnfadvogados@gmail.com or write to Rua Simões de Castro, n.º 132, 1.º Esq., 3000-387 Coimbra, Portugal. You can use this address for privacy requests; it does not identify a formally appointed data protection officer.

Data we use

A request may include your name, email address, phone number and message. The private area also processes login details, approvals and security logs. Our team reviews requests and checks availability and conflicts of interest. An initial review may involve pre-contractual steps you have asked us to take. We may rely on legitimate interests for security and abuse prevention, subject to your rights. Legal and professional duties have their own legal grounds. We use consent for optional analytics, not as a blanket basis for all processing.

Public forms in the current version do not confirm delivery to a receiving service. Do not treat a success message as proof that we received your request; confirm it by email or phone. Do not send health information, criminal-case information, documents or another person’s data until we provide a suitable channel. If we take on a matter, we will provide specific information about purposes, legal grounds and confidentiality.

Service providers and international transfers

Neon provides database and authentication services; Resend handles access notifications. Optional analytics through PostHog and Google Tag Manager require configuration and consent. YouTube and Google Maps receive technical information when you use their services, including requests for YouTube thumbnails. These providers may process your IP address and other data needed to deliver their services.

Hosting and supplier access may involve other countries. Before any further transfers, MNF must confirm destinations, contracts and the safeguards required by law, such as adequacy decisions or permitted contractual guarantees. We do not assume that every provider or destination has equivalent authorisation. You can ask us about recipients and safeguards using the contact details above.

Retention and security

We retain data only as needed for the relevant purpose, legal and professional duties, and the defence of legal rights. MNF still needs to confirm retention periods for each category; this policy does not invent them. You can ask which period or criterion applies to your data. Access to the private area requires authentication and approval. No system offers absolute security. We assess incidents and notify authorities and affected people when the law requires it.

Your rights and applicable jurisdictions

Where applicable, you may ask for information, access, rectification, erasure, restriction or portability, object to processing, or withdraw consent for future use. MNF may ask you to verify your identity and explain limits imposed by other duties. Under the GDPR, the usual response period is one month, subject to a lawful extension. Under Brazil’s LGPD, a complete declaration confirming processing or granting access is due within 15 days. Other requests follow the deadlines in the applicable law.

In Portugal and the EEA, the GDPR and Portuguese law may apply. Brazil’s LGPD applies when its legal criteria are met. In Cabo Verde, the personal-data regime includes amendments made by Law No. 121/IX/2021. Depending on jurisdiction, you may complain to Portugal’s CNPD, Brazil’s ANPD or Cabo Verde’s CNPD, or seek a court remedy. The site does not make solely automated decisions with legal effects. We do not deliberately collect children’s data; requests involving children require a separate assessment.

Cookies

Update: October 8, 2026. Cookies and local storage can store preferences and enable website functionality.

Essential

The private area uses the session cookie mnf_session, configured to last up to eight hours. Your browser stores your choice in local storage mnf-cookie-choice-v1 until you remove or change it. Closing the notice does not mean you consent to optional analytics.

Analytics and Advertising

PostHog and Google Tag Manager load only after you accept optional analytics and we complete the required configuration. PostHog does not record sessions or automatically capture form entries; it keeps data in memory. The configured events cover navigation and contact actions, not form-field values. Advertising storage, user data and personalisation remain denied in Google Tag Manager. We must review this notice and your choices before enabling new tags, cookies or advertising.

External Content

YouTube thumbnails load from YouTube and may disclose technical data, including your IP address. Playing a video may allow YouTube to store data on your device. Google Maps and YouTube have their own privacy policies. Your choice on this site does not control cookies set by those services.

Change your choice

You can reject optional analytics and still use the main site. Use the button below to reset your choice and reopen this notice. You can also clear browser storage, although this may end your sessions.

Terms

Update: October 8, 2026. These terms apply to the use of the MNF website and do not replace a service agreement.

Information and contact

This site provides general information, not a legal opinion or a promise of results. Check whether the information is current and relevant before making decisions. Sending a request or receiving approval for an account does not create a lawyer-client relationship. We accept matters, fees and terms only after the team has completed its checks and reached an agreement with you. Call MNF if a deadline is urgent: the website is not an emergency service and cannot guarantee a response before a procedural deadline.

Site use and private area

Do not use the site for fraud, unauthorised access or unauthorised disclosure. Keep your login details secure and tell MNF about suspicious access. The team may restrict access for security reasons, legal obligations or breaches of these terms, following a proportionate assessment. Do not send sensitive documents unless we ask you to.

Content and Third Parties

Text, trademarks and images belong to their respective owners. Reuse requires permission or a legal exception. Testimonials describe individual experiences and do not promise similar results. A link to another site does not mean MNF endorses all its content; external services have their own terms.

Liability and rights

MNF aims to keep this site accurate, but it may contain errors or become unavailable. These terms do not exclude liability that the law does not allow us to exclude, or restrict mandatory consumer or data-protection rights. The scope and jurisdiction of each service depend on the matter and the professionals authorised to provide it.

Portuguese law provides the general framework for this site, without overriding mandatory rules from other jurisdictions or the authority of a competent court. These terms do not impose an exclusive court that would conflict with those rights. We identify changes by version date. Continued browsing does not, by itself, create consent to new uses of data.

Testimonial

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We will check availability and any potential conflicts of interest. We will respond through your chosen channel. Until the team expressly confirms acceptance, the matter has not been accepted and no lawyer-client relationship exists.