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Joana Galvão Teles
Partner
Joana Galvão Teles joined the firm in 2005 and became a non-equity partner in 2025. She is a member of the litigation and arbitration department and the international arbitration team, acting in domestic and international arbitrations, mainly concerning corporate and contractual disputes in different sectors of activity, such as construction, infrastructures, energy, corporate, commercialisation of goods, etc., with arbitration seats located in different countries (Lisbon, Luanda, Maputo) and under different laws.
In addition to her work as a lawyer, she has also acted as an arbitrator in international arbitration.
She also has extensive experience in complex litigation in various sectors of activity, such as banking, corporate, commercial, construction, energy, infrastructure, insurance and transport.
Joana holds a PHD in law, on procedural law/arbitration, with a PHD thesis on “Waiver of procedural fundamental rights in arbitration: the particular case of the right to challenge arbitral awards in international arbitration”. Joana is Guest Professor at NOVA School of Law of “Direito das Pessoas e da Família” for the second-year undergraduate students, is co-coordinator of the knowledge Centre of Nova Dispute Resolution Forum, as coordinator of the area of Commercial Arbitration and is Deputy Director of Revista Themis.
She organises and participates as lecturer in several courses at Nova School of Law and at the Faculty of Law of the Catholic University of Portugal (UCP), as well as speaking at various national and international conferences and seminars on arbitration.
She is a member of the Council of the Commercial Arbitration Centre of the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Centro de Arbitragem Comercial da Câmara de Comércio e Indústria Portuguesa – CAC-CCIP), the Deontology Council of the Portuguese Arbitration Association (APA) and the Management Committee of the Concórdia Arbitration Centre. She was Chairman of the CAC-CCIP Future Commission for 2022-2024.
Education
Law degree (Faculty of Law, Nova University of Lisbon, 2005). Postgraduate Studies in Arbitration (Faculty of Law, Nova University of Lisbon, 2009). Intensive course for arbitrators (Lisbon Commercial Association Arbitration Centre, 2013). Advanced Seminar in Arbitration (ICC, 2013). PhD in procedural law, in particular on arbitration (Faculty of Law, Nova University of Lisbon, 2025).
Languages
Portuguese and English.
Memberships
Portuguese Bar Association (admitted in 2008). Portuguese Arbitration Association (admitted in 2010). Member of the Council of the Commercial Arbitration Centre of the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Centro de Arbitragem Comercial da Câmara de Comércio e Indústria Portuguesa – CAC-CCIP) since 2022, of the Deontology Council of the Portuguese Arbitration Association (APA) since 2019/2020, and of the Management Committee of the Concordia Arbitration Centre since 2019/2020. Spanish and Ibero-American Arbitration Club (Club Español e Iberoamericano del Arbitraje). Member of the Lusophone Arbitrators Club.
