Lawyer Monthly Magazine - September 2021 Edition

many stories of success and economic progress, not to mention the last and most important factor – sun, beaches and music festivals throughout the year. Do you expect to see any significant legislative developments regarding foreign investment in the near future? Yes. In 2019, there was a project in the portfolio to update the legislation related to the tourism and foreign investment sector, compiling it into a single code. Since the government has been adapting Cape Verdean legislation to new needs after the pandemic, we will certainly have new laws to motivate and attract more foreign investment. Carla Monteiro Founding Partner Carla Monteiro & Associados Entrance of Santa Maria, Garantia Building, 1st Left, PO Box No. 107, Santa Maria –Sal Island, Cape Verde T: + 238 2422510 | F: +238 2422550 E: cmonteiro@cmalex.net www.cmalex.net Can you tell us a little about your journey into law? Since I was a child, my dream was to be a lawyer. My grandfather was a proxy for most of his emigrant family and friends; he helped people who were illiterate or with little knowledge in drawing up letters, contracts or other documents, so from an early age I had contact with books and legal subjects. I studied law at the Universidade Clássica de Lisboa in Lisbon, Portugal, where the contact with full professors motivated me even more. I had the opportunity to do my training with a great lawyer, with whom I learned that being a lawyer is to be constantly studying and learning. What inspires you to deliver the best possible results for your clients? What inspires me to deliver the best possible results for our clients is definitely the desire to be useful and make a difference in people's lives. Which of your achievements would you consider the greatest of your career to date? I have already had some good achievements in my career, from integrating teams in major corporate operations such as being a jury in public tenders and providing advice in the preparation of national legislation, in addition to some victories in lawsuits with great national repercussions. However, I think the best achievement, which represents an international recognition of my work, was being called to be Vice President of the Specialized Commission for the Creation of the CPLP Economic Community Arbitration Center. What do you aim to achieve in the coming year? Our Office is working hard to be recognized internationally as a specialist in the field of foreign investment, particularly in the field of tourism, in which we provide advice to investors from the initial business feasibility study to its implementation and consolidation in the market. Carla Monteiro is the founder of Carla Monteiro & Associados and a member of the Bar Associations of both Cape Verde and Portugal. In addition to speaking Portuguese, English, French, Spanish and Italian, she is also the co-author of two real estate law guides. An interview with Carla... Carla Monteiro & Associados was formed in October 2008 through the partnership of Carla Monteiro and Portuguese lawyer Alexandra Pereira. Since then, the firm has since expanded to include several additional partners, lawyers and associates, delivering excellence in the fields of corporate, tax, insurance, real estate & tourism, litigation and foreign investment. SEP 2021 | WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM MY LEGAL LIFE - CARLA MONTEIRO 21