5th International Congress of the Portuguese Notariat

Notary since 2006. Practised in the city of Maia between 2011 and 2022. Currently works as a notary in the municipality of Póvoa de Varzim. Graduated in Law in 2004 from the University of Minho and holds a Postgraduate degree in Law and IT from the same university. He suspended his legal practice to work exclusively as a notary.

With a strong interest and experience in new technologies, he founded two startups in the fields of document dematerialization with legal value preservation, digital identity management, and Fintech.

He was Vice-President of the Portuguese Chamber of Notaries from 2010 to 2011, President of the Young Notaries Association from 2007 to 2008, and has been President of the Portuguese Chamber of Notaries since December 2017.

Over the years, he has been a guest speaker at Conferences, Scientific Seminars, and Master’s Programs, covering topics such as “Electronic Evidence”, “Digital Identity”, “Digital Archiving”, and “Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing”.

Holds a doctorate in Law.

President of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Commission of the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation since 2022, and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law of Universidade Católica Portuguesa.

Between 2008 and 2014, he served as an adviser on Legal and Constitutional Affairs to the Office of the President of the Republic, and has been a consultant to the same Office since 2014.

He was Director of the Observatory on Migration.

Deputy Secretary of State and for Administrative Modernisation in the XX Constitutional Government.

He was a member of the National Council for Migration and Asylum and of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.

Rita Alarcão Júdice was born on 8 December 1973.

She holds a Law degree from the Faculty of Law of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisbon School (1997).

She was a partner at PLMJ law firm from 2013 to 2023, where she co-led the Real Estate and Tourism practice.

She has more than 25 years of experience as a lawyer in real estate law.

She is a member of the Executive Committee of Urban Land Institute (ULI) Portugal and an associate of Women in Real Estate (WIRE Portugal).

She was elected Member of Parliament for Coimbra in the 2024 elections.

She served as Minister of Justice in the XXIV Constitutional Government.

Ana Luísa Machado took office as Secretary of State for Justice in the XXV Constitutional Government on 6 June 2025.

She has chaired the Board of Directors of the Institute for Financial Management and Justice Equipment, I.P. (IGFEJ), since December 2024.

She was Chief of Staff to the Secretary of State for Justice in the XXIV Constitutional Government.

With more than 20 years of legal experience in administrative law, intellectual property, consumer law, and tax law, she coordinated the Legal Department of the Serralves Foundation.

She coordinated projects for Helpo, an NGO, in Mozambique, Brazil, and Portugal.

She graduated in Law from Universidade Católica Portuguesa in 2002 and completed a Master's in Legal and Administrative Sciences at Universidade do Porto in 2022.

She is from Porto.

David Figueroa Márquez is a distinguished Mexican notary and legal scholar. He holds a Law degree with honours from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM, 1974–1978) and a Doctorate in Law, also with honours, from the same institution (2008).

Since April 1988, he has served as Notary No. 57 of Mexico City, accumulating over three decades of professional practice.

Throughout his career, he has taught Civil Law, Family Law, Commercial Law, and Notarial Law at several of Mexico's most prestigious universities, including UNAM, Universidad Iberoamericana, Universidad Panamericana, ITAM, and Tecnológico de Monterrey.

At the national level, he served as President of the National Association of Mexican Notaries (2005–2006) and holds honorary positions within the Mexican notarial community.

Internationally, he has been a General Councillor since 2008 and, later, President of the American Affairs Commission of the International Union of Notaries (UINL), and member of the Steering Committee for multiple terms.

He currently serves as President of the International Union of Notaries (UINL) for the 2026–2028 term.

He has received numerous distinctions, including decorations from the notarial federations of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, and was recognised among the 300 most influential leaders in Mexico by Líderes Mexicanos magazine in 2007.

He is also the author of several legal articles published in Mexico and Peru.

Notary Dr Roland Wadge graduated from the University of Malta with a Doctor of Laws degree in March 1997. Over a notarial career spanning more than 29 years, he has played an active and influential role within the Kunsill Nutarili ta' Malta, the Maltese Notarial Council, for over twenty-seven years and indeed was also involved with Malta joining CNUE in 2004 where he was serving as the Council's Treasurer.

Dr Wadge first served as President of the Maltese Notarial Council between 2007 and 2011, during which time he was instrumental in promoting and achieving several important legislative reforms. These included the modernization of national notarial legislation, the introduction of regulations governing the examination of title, the implementation of compulsory professional indemnity insurance for notaries, and a substantial revision of notarial tariffs. These reforms significantly strengthened the standing of the notarial profession in the eyes of both the State and the public, while also contributing to greater legal certainty and professional accountability.

He also played a leading role in driving technological advancement within the Maltese notariat. His efforts contributed to the introduction of electronic tax payment systems in immovable property transactions and to the development and enhancement of various technological platforms used by notaries in the exercise of their profession.

Throughout his career, Dr Wadge has been actively involved in the drafting, review, and consultation processes relating to various legislative initiatives and legal reforms. From an academic perspective, he has also served for a number of years as a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta, where he lectured primarily in the field of fiscal law.

In 2023, Dr Wadge was once again elected President of the Chamber till the end of 2025 and he became President of CNUE since January 2026. Over the years, and particularly during his presidencies, he has been deeply involved in international and national notarial affairs.

Holds a Law degree from Universidade de Lisboa, a Master's in Law from King's College, University of London, and an MBA in Management from AESE Business School.

Member of the Assembly of the Republic and Vice-President of the PSD Parliamentary Group. Elected member of the Superior Council for Information. Secretary of State for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (XXIV Constitutional Government).

Chair of the Compliance Commission of E-Redes (2023-2024). Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law of Universidade de Lisboa (2000-2007). Lecturer and coordinator of the Postgraduate Programme in Competition and Regulation at the Faculty of Law of Universidade de Lisboa – IDEFF (2021-2024).

Senior manager at Vodafone Portugal (2007-2013) and Legal counsel at Vodafone GmbH (Germany) (2010). Executive board member of ERSAR (2015-2021).

Member of the Board of the Sustainable Growth Platform (PCS) and of SEDES. Member of the Government's Strategic Programme for the Quality and Efficiency of Regulatory Acts. Elected member of the Senate of Universidade de Lisboa.

Published works include: Manual de Regulação e Concorrência (collective work, Almedina, 2024); A Blindagem da Empresa Plurissocietária (Almedina, 2002); Enciclopédia da Constituição Portuguesa (collective work, Quid Juris, 2013); Tratado de Lisboa Anotado e Comentado (collective work, Almedina, 2012); The Constitution Beyond the Treaties: Does European Constitutional Competition Law Exist? (Lambert Academic Publishing, 2014).

Hermínio José da Cruz Augusto Rodrigues, 54, was born and raised in Pataias, where he still lives. He studied Information Technology and Management at Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa.

He worked in hospitality as an entrepreneur until 1997, when he began his political career as a municipal councillor with portfolios including municipal works and the environment, municipal projects, management of industrial estates, property cadastre, and IT, among others. He also served as Vice-President of Alcobaça Municipal Council alongside Mayor Paulo Inácio for three consecutive terms between 2009 and 2021.

After 24 years in municipal office, he led the PSD list for Alcobaça Municipal Council, winning the last two local elections (2021 and 2025) with an absolute majority. He is also President of the Intermunicipal Council of the West Intermunicipal Community (CIM Oeste), a role for which he was unanimously elected on 20 November 2025.

Filipa Maia holds a Law degree from the Faculty of Law of Universidade de Coimbra (1990) and specialised in Registries and Notaries through a University Extension course at the same faculty. Between 1994 and 1995, she was seconded to the Civil Identification Services of Coimbra, where she coordinated the issuance of identity cards in the district, after training at the Judicial Police.

She served as a notary at the Public Notarial Office of Arganil between 1995 and 2005, and has been a notary in the same locality ever since.

In addition to her notarial practice, since 2017 she has been a member of the Supervisory Board of the Portuguese Chamber of Notaries and, since March 2017, has served as the Chamber's delegate to the European Affairs Commission of the Latin American International Union of Notaries (CAE/UINL). She is also a member of the International Notarial Cooperation Commission (UINL), having participated in the working group on "Powers of Attorney", whose report was presented at the UINL plenary session in Barcelona in 2019. In 2025 she was elected to the Board of Directors of UINL and in 2026 was appointed Vice-President of the CCNI of UINL.

Blandina Maria da Silva Soares was born on 7 September 1974.

Academic qualifications: completion of the first year of the Doctorate in Law at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Faculty of Law, Porto School, on 5 July 2021; postgraduate degree in Administrative Law at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Faculty of Law, Porto School, on 27 November 2018; Master's in Law — specialisation in Private Law Sciences — at Universidade do Porto, Faculty of Law, on 2 December 2015; Law degree at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Faculty of Law, Porto School, on 28 July 1997.

President of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Registries and Notaries, I.P. (IRN, I.P.) (2026); coordinator of the Mission Structure for the Expansion of the Simplified Cadastral Information System (2025-2026); permanent member of the advisory board of the Institute of Registries and Notaries, I.P. (2024); specialist adviser at the Office of the Secretary of State for Nature Conservation and Forests (2023-2024); permanent member of the advisory board of the Institute of Registries and Notaries, I.P. (2013-2023).

Registrar at the Civil, Property and Commercial Registry Office of Arouca (2009-2013); at the Property Registry Office of Vila Nova de Famalicão (2007-2009); at the Civil, Property and Commercial Registry Office of Alijó (2007); of Paços de Ferreira (2006-2007); at the Property and Commercial Registry Office of Baião (2004-2006); of Lousada (2003-2004); at the 1st Property and Commercial Registry Office of Santa Maria da Feira (2002-2003); notary at the Notarial Office of Cabeceiras de Basto (2002); deputy registrar at the Property and Commercial Registry Office of Santa Maria da Feira (2001-2002).

Lecturer on postgraduate programmes in Registries and Notaries at Universidade Lusíada, Porto, between 2017 and 2022 and in 2025; at the Instituto Superior de Ciências Empresariais e do Turismo (ISCET), Porto, between 2017 and 2022; at Universidade Lusíada, Lisbon, in 2021; at Universidade Lusófona, Porto, between 2022 and 2025; at the Centro de Estudos Notariais e Registais (CENoR), Coimbra, between 2022 and 2025; and on the postgraduate programme in Real Estate Law at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, between 2024 and 2025, and in Lisbon, between 2024 and 2025.

Trainer in registry and notarial matters for registrars, notaries, lawyers and solicitors; member of working groups on the European Succession Regulation, within the European Judicial Network in Civil and Commercial Matters, chaired by the European Commission, held in Brussels (2015-2016 and 2017); member of the Working Group on Rural Property (2021-2023); jury member for the VI (2019), VII (2020), VIII (2021), IX (2023) and X (2024) public competitive examinations for the award of the title of notary.

Speaker at international congresses, conferences and seminars, particularly on Registry Law, the Simplified Cadastral Information System and the Single Property Desk, the Legal Framework of the Property Cadastre, Anti-Money Laundering and European Regulations; author of the Annotated Property Registry Code (2007 and 2009) and co-author of the manual Os Regulamentos Europeus - Impacto na Atividade Registal (2020).

Aristides Marques is National Director of Identification, Registries and Notaries at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights of the Republic of Angola. He is a registrar and holds a postgraduate degree in Registry and Notarial Practice Law.

He has experience in registry and identification systems and knowledge of CRVS–ID integration. He participates in administrative modernisation and digital transformation initiatives, with an interest in interoperability, data protection and digital inclusion, and takes part in technical forums on legal identity and sustainable development.

Holds a Law degree from the Faculty of Law of Universidade de Coimbra. Postgraduate degree in Business and Labour Law from the Faculty of Law of Universidade de Coimbra.

Practised law on an exclusive basis for more than 20 years. From 2011 to 2016 she was a member of the Superior Council of the Bar Association of Cape Verde. From October 2017 to November 2019 she served as President of the Bar Association of Cape Verde. From January 2018 to November 2019 she was First Vice-President of the Union of Portuguese-Speaking Lawyers (UALP).

From October 2018 to July 2021 she was a legal adviser in the Office of the Minister of State, Parliamentary Affairs and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and Minister of State. From March 2020 to late 2021 she was Second Vice-President of the Federation of Portuguese-Speaking Lawyers (FALP). From July 2021 to July 2024 she was National Director of Public Administration of Cape Verde. Since September 2025 she has been Director General of Registries, Notaries and Identification of Cape Verde.

Hélder Romano Cruz Vieira was born on 30 December 1966 in Bissau. He holds a Law degree from Universidad Central de Las Villas Santa Clara (1992), completed a University Extension course in Registries and Notaries at Universidade de Coimbra (1995-1997), and trained as a Property, Commercial, Vehicle and Land Registry registrar (1998-2003) and Civil Registry registrar (2003-2007).

At the Ministry of Justice, he served as Inspector General (2007), adviser to the minister (2014-2015), registrar of the Central Registries (2015-2016 and 2022-2023), and Director General of ICRN (2018-2022). He worked as a registry registrar between 1998 and 2023.

He was also Director of Road and Land Transport at the Ministry of Transport and Communications (2008-2014). Since 2018 he has held the position of Director General of Civil Identification, Registries and Notaries of Guinea-Bissau.

Arnaldo Jamal de Magalhães has served since 2025 as National Director of Registries and Notaries at the Ministry of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs of Mozambique.

In 2005 he was assigned to the Commercial Registry Office, now known as the Legal Entities Registry Office. He successfully completed the senior Registrars and Notaries course in 2006, and was subsequently assigned to the Second Civil Registry Office of Maputo City until 2008, serving as Civil Registry Registrar.

From 2008 to 2013 he was assigned to the First Notarial Office of Maputo City as a notary. From late 2013 to 2025 he worked at the Notarial Office of Matola City as notary and director of the same office. In 2025 he was transferred to the Civil Registry and Legal Entities Office of Matola as registrar and director of that registry office.

Silvestre Lima d'Apresentação, a São Tomé and Príncipe citizen, is Director General of Registries and Notaries (DGRN). He holds a Law degree and a Master's in Law from the Faculty of Law of Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Porto. He completed the Aptitude Course for the Judicial Studies Centre (preparatory course for the CEJ) and is a registered lawyer (currently suspended) with the Portuguese Bar Association (Porto), holding a professional licence.

He began his professional career in 1989 as a teacher in basic and polytechnic education, during which time he promoted the creation of several associations and served as President of the Federation of Youth Associations and Organisations (FAOJ). In parallel, in 1997 and 1998, he served as representative of the UNESCO Club in São Tomé and Príncipe. Between 2016 and 2018, he held the position of Director of the Migration and Border Service (SMF).

Notary of Castellbisbal (Barcelona), holder of the Distinguished Cross of First Class of the Order of San Raimundo de Peñafort.

Director General of the Æquitas Foundation of the General Council of Notaries of Spain. Permanent Councillor of the International Union of Notaries (UINL). Representative on the Justice and Disability Forum.

Member of the Human Rights Institute of the Argentine Notarial University.

Anabela Gonçalves is Associate Professor with Habilitation at the School of Law of Universidade do Minho. She is also a member of the Scientific Council of the School of Law, a member of the Commission for the Undergraduate Law Programme, a member of the Steering Committee of the LLM in European and Transglobal Business Law, and Director of the Master's in Transnational Business and Digital Technologies Law, in association with Universidade de Santiago de Compostela.

Since 2014 she has been appointed as an expert of the European Commission to evaluate funding projects submitted under the JUSTICE programme, including projects in the field of judicial cooperation in civil matters, and was appointed by the European Commission to the Expert Group for the Review of Regulation No. 2201/2003 on jurisdiction and the recognition of decisions in matrimonial matters and matters of parental responsibility. She is currently also a member of the European Research Council as an evaluator, by appointment of the European Commission. In March 2026, she was appointed to the expert group for the review of Regulation (EU) No. 1215/2012 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (Brussels I bis) and to the expert group on SLAPPs.

Areas of interest: Civil Law (contract and tort law); Private International Law; International Civil Procedure; Judicial Cooperation in Civil and Commercial Matters; Data Protection; Medical Law.

Manuel Curado is a tenured professor at Universidade do Minho, particularly in Ancient Philosophy and Philosophy in Portugal, and has obtained several other qualifications, including National Defence Auditor (Ministry of Defence, Lisbon) and the Senior Public Administration Management Course (INA/Universidade do Minho). He holds a doctorate with outstanding honours from Universidade de Salamanca, having previously obtained a Master's in Philosophy from Universidade Nova de Lisboa and a degree in Philosophy from Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Lisbon).

He has delivered more than 300 lectures in many countries, from Moscow, Russia (MGLU and MGIMO), to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (National Library and Brazilian Academy of Philosophy), and was an Erasmus Professor in Padua, Italy. He was a TEDx speaker.

He is the author of several books, including the first critical edition of an eighteenth-century manuscript written by the Portuguese physician Dr Isaac Sequeira Samuda, a colleague of Sir Isaac Newton at the Royal Society of London (As Viríadas do Doutor Samuda, Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra, 2014). Alongside his philosophical work, he promotes editions of classics of the Portuguese language, such as D. Francisco Manuel de Melo (Primeiro Tratado de Cabala, Círculo de Leitores, 2018), Teixeira de Queiroz (Obra Completa, 3 vols. Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda, 2020-2027), and João da Rocha (A Sabedoria da Paciência e Angústias: Edição Crítica, Câmara Municipal de Viana do Castelo, 2021), because he sees in them signs of a philosophia perennis.

He also re-edited the Memória sobre um Projeto de Pasigrafia (1800) by Rear Admiral José Maria Dantas Pereira, having promoted knowledge of this pioneer of the utopia of the perfect language and universal machine translation since the 1990s. He re-edited the philosophical psychology and logic works of Edmundo Curvelo, as well as his unpublished writings (Obras Completas de Edmundo Curvelo, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 2013; Um Génio Português: Edmundo Curvelo (1913-1954), Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra, 2013). He served on several ethics committees and set out his bioethical thinking in the book Saúde e Cyborgs: Cuidar na Era Biotecnológica (Edições Esgotadas, 2019).

He is a corresponding member of the Brazilian Academy of Philosophy (Rio de Janeiro), a member of the Platonic Academy of Brasília (Brasília), an associate member of the Centre for Biomedical Law (Universidade de Coimbra), an associate member of the Global Studies Centre of Universidade Aberta, and an integrated member of the Centre for Ethics, Politics and Society (Universidade do Minho). In November 2016, he was decorated by the Navy of the Federative Republic of Brazil with the medal "Amigo da Marinha do Brasil".