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People

José Manuel Caldeira

José Manuel Caldeira

Founding and Senior Partner, SAL & Caldeira Advogados, Lda.

José Manuel Caldeira is a lawyer, partner responsible for legal consultancy services in various areas, including legal advice to the Government of Mozambique. He has led or participated in the drafting of various Mozambican laws and regulations, including the Land Law and its regulations, the Mining Law and its regulations, environmental regulations related to mining, the Petroleum Activity Law, amendments to the Code of Civil Procedure, the Telecommunications Law, the Bankruptcy Code and regulations on road finance. He has extensive experience in the institutional reform of the Mozambican public sector, including the judiciary and other institutions. Advice and drafting assistance in a variety of legal reform contexts. Extensive experience in institutional reform, including the judiciary and other State and municipal institutions. Extensive experience in labour related issues, including litigation, arbitration, tax and contracts.

Professional Qualifications

  • Advice and drafting assistance in a variety of legal reform contexts. Assignments included land law and regulations, mining law and environmental legislation related to mining, roads financing law, telecommunications law, postal law, insolvency law, labour law and the code of civil procedure.

  • Legal advice on a broad range of questions to private sector clients, including oil & gas, mining, banking, telecommunications, corporate and insolvency;

  • Legal advice with respect to privatization and foreign investment law;

  • Legal advice to the Government of Mozambique in relation to institutional and legal framework of the water sector;

  • Legal advice to the Government of Mozambique in relation to private sector participation in the electricity sector;

Prior Experience

  • Senior Partner at SAL & Caldeira Advogados, Lda. - Practising attorney - Handles a broad range of legal matters, dealing with questions of Mozambican corporate law, financial law, environmental law, oil & gas, infrastructure law and privatisation law. Extensive practice in the field of legal reform on behalf of various ministries and agencies of the Government of Mozambique, 1992 to present.
  • Magma - Minas Gerais de Moçambique - General Director - a State-owned mining company. Responsible for all aspects of company operations, with specific focus on the restructuring and privatisation of various mining units, 1989-1992.
  • Ministry of Mineral Resources - Legal Advisor - Advisor to the Minister, with specific responsibility for legislative reform, planning for the business reorganisation of the sector and co-ordination with other Ministries and their respective programs of legal reform, 1987-89.
  • Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos, E.P. (National Hydrocarbons Company of Moçambique) - Deputy Director - Responsible for all legal affairs of the company, including the negotiation of petroleum exploration contracts and tax advice (including reform proposals) in relation to the petroleum sector, 1986-87.
  • Maputo City Court - Judge of the Civil Section of the busiest civil court in Mozambique, with the largest and most diverse commercial litigation docket. Responsible for adjudication of cases, 1984-85.
  • Ministry of Mineral Resources - Legal Advisor - Advisor to the Minister, with specific responsibility for the legal affairs of the Ministry, 1983-84.
  • Mecanagro, E.E. - General Director - Administered a state-owned distribution and service company for agriculture equipment in Mozambique, 1979-1983.
  • Director - Appointed by the Government of Mozambique as a director of various state-administered companies in the fields of metallurgy and the distribution of industrial equipment, including Maquinag, E.E., Codauto, E.E., and Dima E.E., 1977-79.
  • Santos, Marques & Silva, Ltd. in Maputo, agents for industrial equipment - Head of the Accounts Department, 1974-77.

Education

  • Eduardo Mondlane University, Degree in Law (1980)
  • Accountant, Instituto Comercial da Beira (1971)

Recognition

  • Ranked Senior Statesperson, on General Business Law in Chambers Global, 2024.
  • Ranked Senior Statesperson, on General Business Law: Dispute Resolution in Chambers Global, 2024.
  • Ranked in IFLR 1000, Highly Regarded Lawyer 2023.
  • Ranked in Legal 500, Leading Lawyer 2023.

Memberships

  • Admitted to the Mozambique Bar (founding member) (1994)
  • Chairperson of the Mozambique Association Jurists
  • Member of the "Ordem do Rio Branco", Brasil
  • Member of Consuls Association in Mozambique
  • Honorary Consul of Iceland in Maputo