Speakers

Rui Andrade is a seasoned lawyer with a career spanning over three decades, focusing on complex cross-border disputes and labor law. He holds a Law Degree from the University of Lisbon’s Faculty of Law and completed a post-graduation in Droit Communautaire de la Consommation at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. Currently, he lectures on Labor Law in the Advanced Management Program on Human Resources at the Catholic University Lisbon School of Business and Education.

Professionally, Rui joined Melo Alves Law Firm in 2024 as a partner, specializing in international labor, litigation, and arbitration. His work primarily involves sectors such as oil & gas, energy, natural resources, construction, real estate, and banking & finance. With over 30 years of experience, he has advised a diverse range of clients, including major corporations from the US, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Australia, Brazil, and various African countries. His expertise extends to handling pre-litigation and litigation disputes, as well as arbitration proceedings under UNCITRAL, ICC, LCIA, and ad hoc rules. Notably, Rui has represented key players in the oil & gas industry, including Sonangol, Angola's former national concessionaire.

Rui’s extensive experience includes over 25 years of managing litigation and arbitration matters in Sub-Saharan Africa (Angola, Mozambique, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinea-Bissau, and Cape Verde) and East Timor. He is an active member of several professional organizations, including the International Council for Commercial Arbitration, the International Energy Law Advisory Group, the MCN Neutrals Panel, the Portuguese Litigation Lawyers Circle, and the Portuguese Arbitration Association. Rui was also involved with the ICC-Paris Commission on Arbitration and ADR. He is admitted to the Portuguese and Timor-Leste Bar Associations.

Rui frequently speaks at international events on arbitration, particularly in Africa, and has written numerous articles on dispute resolution and arbitration. Before joining Melo Alves, he was a partner at Nabais, Perez, Galamba, Sternberg & Associados (1995–1999), headed the Office of the Portuguese Secretary of State for Consumer Policy (2000–2002), and was a partner and head of Litigation and Labour at Miranda Correia Amendoeira & Associados (2002–2015). He also led the Labour and Litigation and Arbitration departments at VdA – Vieira de Almeida & Associados (2015–2024).

His published works include legislative contributions such as the Law on Minimum Banking Services and the Law on Special Sales, along with books like ‘The Education of Consumers – Rights and Duties of Consumers’ (1997) and ‘Vocabulário de Seguros’ (2002).

Based in Lisbon, Rui Andrade is a highly regarded dispute resolution lawyer with significant expertise in Lusophone Africa. He is a trusted advisor for corporate clients from Portugal and other Lusophone countries, particularly in the energy and oil & gas sectors.