Rita Leandro Vasconcelos

Rita Leandro Vasconcelos is a lawyer whose professional activity has focused on competition law and European Union law.

In her years of practice as a lawyer, she has advised on restrictive practices cases in sectors as diverse as banking, infrastructure, transportation, electronic communications, pharmaceutical, professional orders, among others. Her professional experience also includes the design and analysis of distribution systems, the analysis of pricing and discount systems, and the conduct of competition law compliance programs. Also noteworthy is advising on complex mergers (including multi-jurisdictional notifications) in sectors such as air transport, energy, financial markets, highways, communications and consumer goods, among others, and state aid advice .

She also has experience of competition law litigation before the national courts and the Court of Justice of the European Union.

She was a lecturer at the School of Law of the University of Lisbon and collaborates very often in postgraduate and other courses at this University and at the Shool of Law of the Portuguese Catholic University. Also noteworthy is her activity at the Portuguese Association for European Law (currently Vice-President), the Portuguese Competition Lawyers' Circle, W@competition and FIDE - International Federation of European Law, in which she was part of the team that organized, in 2018, the XXVIII FIDE Congress.

She is a lawyer recommended by leading directories, such as Chambers, and has been awarded the “40 in their 40s” award by W@competition.

Counsel and lawyer at Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira e Associados (2003 – 2019).
Lecturer at the School of Law of the University of Lisbon (2001 – 2006).
Deputy to the Secretary of State of the Council of Ministers Presidency (2002).
Trainee lawyer at the Law Firm Castro, Pinho, Peres, Xavier – Sociedade de Advogados (2000 – 2002).
Trainee at the European Commission (Information Society) (2000).

Rita Leandro Vasconcelos, “Commitment Decisions: Is the Sky the Limit? Commentary to Judgment of the General Court (Eighth Chamber) of 15 September 2016, T-76/14, Morningstar, Inc. v European Commission”, Market and Competition Law Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, October 2017, pp. 195-212

Rita Leandro Vasconcelos, “Liberdade de Circulação de Capitais”, Enciclopédia da União Europeia, Eds. A. P. Brandão, F. Pereira Coutinho, I. Camisão, & J. Covelo de Abreu, Lisboa, Petrny Editora.

Rita Leandro Vasconcelos, “Remedies and Article 102 TFEU”, Competition Law Challenges in the Next Decade, Ed. Sofia Oliveira Pais, Peter Lang, Brussels, 2016, pp. 179-193

Rita Leandro Vasconcelos, “Consumidores, ressarcimento e clemência: um balanço equilibrado?”, Cidadania Europeia: Desafios e oportunidades, Universidade Católica Editora, Porto, 2015, pp. 373-394

Rita Leandro Vasconcelos , “Comentário ao acórdão do Tribunal de Justiça (Quinta Secção) de 12 de dezembro de 2013, Portgás – Sociedade de Produção e Distribuição de Gás S.A. c. Ministério da Agricultura, do Mar, do Ambiente e do Ordenamento do Território, C-425/12”, Anuário Português de Direito Internacional, 2013, 2015, Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros, pp. 373-392

Frederico Pereira Coutinho, Rita Leandro Vasconcelos, “Comentário aos artigos 244.º a 250.º do Tratado sobre o Funcionamento da União Europeia”, in Tratado de Lisboa Anotado e Comentado, Ed. Manuel porto e Gonçalo Anastácio, Almedina, Coimbra, 2012, pp. 844-903

António Vitorino, Rita Leandro Vasconcelos, “Portugal – The Area of Freedom Security and Justice, Including Information Society Issues”, Reports of the XXV FIDE Congress, 2012, Vol 3, pp. 531-554

Tiago Meireles de Amorim, Rita Leandro Vasconcelos, “Energia elétrica – Diretivas da Comunidade Europeia”, Revista do Direito da Energia do Instituto Brasileiro de Estudos do Direito da Energia, No. 1, 2004, pp. 113-124

Rita Leandro Vasconcelos, “A livre circulação dos advogados na Comunidade Europeia”, Revista da Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Lisboa, Vol. XLII, Nº 2, 2001, pp. 1205-1259

Member of the Portuguese Bar Association since 2002.
Member of the Portuguese Association for European Law.
Member of the Portuguese Competition Lawyers’ Circle.
Vice-President of the Portuguese Association for European Law since 2018.
Secretary-General of the Fédération Internationale pour le Droit Europeén (FIDE) (2017 – 2018).
Member of the team of W@competitioniberia since 2017.
Secretary-General of the Portuguese Association for European Law (2012 – 2018).
Secretary-General of the Portuguese Competition Lawyers’ Circle (2013 – 2014).

Recommended by leading directories, such as Chambers.

“40 in their 40s Notable Women Competition Professionals” in private practice (W@competition, 2019).

Winner of the Dr. João Lopes Cardoso Prize awarded to the best traineeship essays by the Oporto Regional Centre of the Portuguese Bar Association.

PhD, Competition Law, School of Law of the Catholic University (Porto).

Master of Arts in Economics for Competition Law, King's College London (2009).

Postgraduate degree in Economics for Competition Law, King's College London (2007).

Master degree in European Law, School of Law of the University of Lisbon (2004).

Diploma specializing in Competition Policy, INA (2004).

Degree in Law, School of Law of the Portuguese Catholic University, Regional Centre of Oporto (1998).

Portuguese (mother tongue), English (fluent), Spanish (fluent), French (good).

Rita Leandro Vasconcelos regularly intervenes in conferences, courses and postgraduate studies. In 2018 and 2019 we may highlight her intervention in the CAPDC 10 Year Conference, the first W@competitioniberia Conference, the Postgraduate Course in Competition and Regulation at the University of Lisbon and the training courses in competition law for judges at the Portuguese Catholic University (Oporto).