WE DEFEND THOSE WHO BUILD. WE PROTECT WHAT MATTERS.
EVERY CASE IS TREATED AS IF IT WERE THE ONLY ONE.
Three decades of legal experience dedicated to defending our clients' interests.
Successions,
Inheritances and Estates Divison
Legal support in inheritances, division of assets, wills, estate administration and succession disputes, with a focus on asset protection, defence of heirs and legal regularization of the succession.
Need legal support?
Get in touch with our team for clear, rigorous legal support tailored to your case.
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The Experience Behind Our Practice
Over 30 Years of Consolidated Experience
With more than three decades of legal practice, we combine strong legal knowledge, extensive practical experience, and a mature understanding of the challenges faced by businesses, individuals, and investors.
Rigorous Legal Expertise with Close Client Support
Every case is handled with attention to detail, technical precision, and strategic focus, ensuring personalized and close support throughout every stage of the process.
International Presence and Coordinated Legal Assistance
Through a network of strategic partnerships across Portuguese-speaking and European markets, the firm provides coordinated legal support for both national and international matters and operations.
Succession, Inheritance and Estate Division
The area of inheritance, estates, and partition governs the transfer of assets on death, covering the identification of the heirs, the interpretation and validity of wills, the make-up of the estate, the partition of the assets, and the resolution of disputes between heirs.
At Armandino Lopes Advogados, we provide legal advice on inheritance, estates, and partition to individuals, families, heirs, the head of the estate, and anyone with an interest in inheritance matters, supporting them from the initial review of the estate through to its regularization, partition, and, if it comes to it, litigation. In Portugal, the Civil Code holds the heart of the inheritance regime, with rules on intestate succession, succession by will, forced heirs, the legal reserve, the acceptance and refusal of an inheritance, inventory proceedings, and partition.
Our work in this area includes the formal recognition of heirs, recognition combined with the registration of estate assets, out-of-court and court-supervised partition, probate (estate administration) proceedings, the division of real property, bank accounts, and other assets, disputes among heirs, the role of the estate administrator, estate debts, the adjustment of prior lifetime transfers to ensure equal distribution among heirs, equalization payments between heirs (owelty), wills, will contests, the assignment of an heir’s interest, and the title regularization of assets transferred at death.
In many cases, properly setting out the estate and each interested party's rights is decisive in avoiding disputes, delays, and loss of value. In certain situations, the "Balcão Heranças" allows the heirs to be formally confirmed, the assets registered, the partition carried out, and the assets allocated to the heirs to be registered in their name.
If you are looking for legal support in inheritance, estates, and partition, our team offers careful, strategic guidance in situations that are often marked by real personal and family sensitivity. The death of a family member can give rise not only to an emotionally demanding process but also to complex legal questions involving the identification of the heirs, the administration of the estate, the inventory of assets, the handling of undivided property, debts, earlier gifts, the rights of the surviving spouse, and the partition of real estate or business assets.
The passing of a family member can not only lead to an emotionally demanding process but also to complex legal matters related to the identification of heirs, estate administration, asset recovery, handling of undivided assets, debts, prior donations, rights of the surviving spouse, and the division of real estate or business assets.
In these situations, having a lawyer alongside you can be decisive in securing legal clarity, preventing disputes, and protecting the financial interests at stake. The formal confirmation of heirs together with registration can also be requested by the head of the estate or by someone legally representing them.
As a law firm based in Guimarães with established experience in property, family, real estate, tax, and litigation matters, we provide legal advice in inheritance and partition with a focus on regularizing the succession, protecting the family's assets, and defending the heirs' rights.
We work both in consensual situations and in scenarios of conflict, whether to prepare partitions and agreements or to handle inventory proceedings, the challenging of inheritance rights, or disputes over the estate's assets. For anyone who needs an inheritance and partition lawyer, we offer close, technically rigorous support at every stage of the succession, from the initial review through to the partition and the registration of the assets.
Legal intervention in this area is particularly relevant where there are real estate assets, shareholdings, family businesses, bank accounts, undivided estates, wills, heirs in dispute, or issues relating to forced heirs.
The Civil Code protects forced heirs, namely the spouse, descendants, and ascendants, through what is known as the unavailable share or legal reserve, of which they cannot be deprived by the wishes of the person leaving the estate. This means that a will cannot always dispose freely of the entire estate, and it is essential to look case by case at its validity and its reach.
Situations where legal support is essential
Death of a family member requiring administration of the estate
Soon after the death, it may be necessary to identify the heirs, understand what the estate is made up of, and set the first steps of the regularization in motion.
Formal confirmation of heirs
This step formally identifies who the heirs are, and it is a central building block in many estates.
Confirmation of heirs together with registration of assets
Where the goal is not only to identify the heirs but also to register the assets of the undivided estate, this combined route can be especially useful.
Partition of the estate
When the heirs wish to divide up the assets, rights, and obligations of the estate, the partition needs to be properly structured in legal terms and correctly formalized.
Partition of inherited property
Allocating real estate to one or more heirs calls for a sound legal framework and, as a rule, the proper registration of the assets transferred.
Head of the estate and estate administration
Running an undivided estate and representing the interests of the succession can raise sensitive questions around administration, information, and accounting.
Inventory proceedings and wills
Where the parties cannot agree, where assets need to be identified, or where the inheritance situation is more complex, it may be necessary to bring inventory proceedings. If there is a will, it needs to be looked at for its validity, its interpretation, its compatibility with the legal reserve, and its effect on the partition.
Assignment of an heir's share
When an heir wishes to assign their share, it is essential to look at the applicable rules and the effects on the estate and on the other interested parties.
Registry regularization of inherited assets
After the succession or the partition, it is important to make sure the assets are registered in the name of the estate or of the heirs to whom they have been allocated.
In-Person or Online Legal Support
Do you need legal support?
Schedule a consultation with our firm and receive clear, professional guidance tailored to your case.
About Us
More Than Three Decades of Strategic Legal Practice
Armandino Lopes Advogados is a law firm headquartered in Guimarães, with offices in Porto and Maputo, founded in 1995. With more than three decades of activity, the firm combines consolidated legal experience with an international outlook, advising businesses, private clients, and investors in Portugal and across Portuguese-speaking markets.
Our practice covers Civil, Tax, Administrative, Commercial, Employment, Insolvency and Corporate Restructuring, Family, and Foreign Investment, with particular expertise in tax litigation and the defense of companies before the Tax Authorities and Social Security.
Through a network of partnerships with law firms in Lisbon, Vigo, Madrid, Paris, Luanda, São Paulo, Macau, Los Angeles, Boston, and Chicago, we provide our clients with coordinated legal assistance across the markets where they operate or intend to invest.
This international positioning is further strengthened through collaboration agreements with professors and academics from Universidade Portucalense, the Faculty of Law of the University of Porto, the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon, and the Catholic University of Porto, maintaining a close connection to academia and leading legal scholarship.
Rigor, proximity, and results. That is what defines us.
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Sectors of Activity
A Rigorous Legal Approach, From Assessment to Representation
1.
Assessment
We begin by understanding the facts, reviewing the documentation, and identifying legal risks, relevant deadlines, and the full scope of the situation.
2.
Strategy
We define the most appropriate approach for the case, based on the client’s objectives, the applicable legal framework, and the best way to protect their interests.
3.
Action
We handle the matter with technical rigor, whether through negotiation, contract drafting, document regularization, dealings with public authorities, or litigation proceedings.
4.
Ongoing Support
We keep the client informed and supported throughout every stage of the process, with close communication, clarity, and a focus on achieving a legally sound solution.
In-Person or Online Legal Support
Rigor, experience and confidentiality
Schedule a consultation with our firm and receive clear, professional guidance tailored to your case.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is inheritance law?
It is the area of law that governs the transfer of assets on death, including the identification of the heirs, the validity of wills, the make-up of the estate, the partition, and the rights of the successors.
What is an estate?
It is the body of assets, rights, and obligations that passes on death to the heirs or other successors, under the rules set out in law.
Who are the forced heirs?
They are, in particular, the spouse, the descendants, and the ascendants, who are protected by law through the legal reserve, also known as the unavailable share.
Who can help with inheritance and partition matters?
ï‚·A lawyer experienced in inheritance, inventory, partition, real estate, and disputes between heirs can guide you through these matters with rigor and strategic insight. Armandino Lopes Advogados provides legal advice in this area with a focus on regularizing the succession, protecting the family's assets, and defending the heirs' interests.