Raquel Ferreira Vieira joined VCA in September 2026 as a Senior Associate in the Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Department. She advises clients on civil and commercial litigation, with a particular focus on family and succession law.
Before joining VCA, Raquel was a Senior Associate at Miranda Alliance, within the Public Law department, advising national and international companies on public contracts, environmental and administrative matters in Portugal and Angola. She previously spent several years at AVM Advogados Legal Network, first as an Associate and later as a Senior Associate, handling civil and corporate litigation, including contracts, family and succession law, and insolvency matters, having started her career at Garrigues, in the Litigation and Arbitration Department, and at Galp Energia.
Alongside her legal practice, Raquel has been an Assistant Professor and more recently an Invited Associate Professor at the Lisbon Law School of the Portuguese Catholic University since 2020, where she teaches Family Law, Filiation and Parental Responsibilities, as well as, more recently, Succession Law and other courses in the field of Civil Law. She is also a junior researcher at the University of Porto School of Law, where, in addition to obtaining her Law degree and Master’s degree, she completed her Ph.D. this year with distinction. Her dissertation focused on surrogacy, a topic to which she has dedicated her research over the past five years.
Raquel has a particular interest in family and succession law and has lectured and published on surrogacy and related topics, as well as on international arbitration. Her academic and professional background gives her a distinctive perspective on litigation involving family and succession matters, combining courtroom experience with in-depth legal research.
Practice Areas
Dispute Resolution and Arbitration
Education
PhD in Law – Faculty of Law, University of Porto (2020–2026)
Master’s in Private Law – Faculty of Law, University of Porto (2015)
Law Degree – Faculty of Law, University of Porto (2013)
Professional Associations
Portuguese Bar Association
Languages
Portuguese, Spanish and English
Publications
– “O Estatuto do Cuidador Informal: quo vadis?”, Jornal da Comunidade Científica de Língua Portuguesa “A Pátria” (March 2021)
– “The bilateral Investment Treaty between Portugal and Angola: The Story of a difficult but successful birth” (co-authored), Young Arbitration Review – YAR (July 2020)
– “Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards in Angola and Mozambique”, Young Arbitration Review – YAR (October 2019)
Speaking
– Guest Lecture on Surrogacy, 3rd Postgraduate Course “The New Law of Children and Young People – Prof. Guilherme de Oliveira”, Faculty of Law, University of Coimbra (November 2025)
– Guest Lecture on Surrogacy, 2nd Postgraduate Course “The New Law of Children and Young People – Prof. Guilherme de Oliveira”, Faculty of Law, University of Coimbra (November 2024)
– Examiner, Master’s Thesis Defense of Miguel Henrique Coelho Gomes, Faculty of Law, University of Porto (November 2024)
– Speaker, Summer School on Surrogacy, School of Law, University of Minho (July 2024)
– Speaker, Conference “Justice, Equality and Gender in the Family”, Legal Institute, Faculty of Law, University of Coimbra (March 2024)
– Speaker, Annual Workshop on Innovation and Pedagogical Sharing, University of Porto (January 2014)
