José Luís da Cruz Vilaça has been the partner in charge of European Union Law, Competition and Foreign Investment at Antas da Cunha Ecija & Associados, Sociedade de Advogados, Lda. since January 2025.

He has a degree in Law and a Master's in Political-Economic Sciences from the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra, and a PhD in International Economics from the University of Paris I - Panthéon Sorbonne.

He has been a lecturer or guest lecturer (Political Economy, Community Law, Competition Law) and has given lectures at numerous Portuguese universities (Coimbra, Católica and Nova de Lisboa, Lusíada de Lisboa) and foreign universities (USA, England, Brazil, France, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg). He has published around 200 articles and books in Portuguese and foreign publishing houses.

He was a Member of Parliament and a member of the Portuguese Government between 1980 and 1982. As Secretary of State for European Integration, he led the negotiations for accession to the European Communities in 1981/82.

After Portugal joined the European Economic Community, between 1989 and 1995, he served as Advocate General at the Court of Justice and was the first President of the Court of First Instance of the European Communities (now the General Court of the EU). Between 2012 and 2018 he was a Judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union, where he was elected President of the Chamber.

As a lawyer, he was a founding partner and coordinator of the European Law and Competition department at PLMJ - Sociedade de Advogados. In 2019, he founded Cruz Vilaça Advogados.

He has extensive experience in European Union law and competition law, as well as issues related to the European Convention on Human Rights and the protection of fundamental rights.

In 2002-2003, he chaired the Commission that prepared the Review of Competition Legislation and the Statutes of the Competition Authority.

He was President of the International Federation of European Law (FIDE) and the Portuguese Association of European Law (APDE), and is currently President of the Portuguese Association of Energy Law (APDEN) and the Association of Former Members of the Court of Justice of the European Union.

He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the NOVA University Foundation and the Board of Trustees of the Bissaya Barreto Foundation.

He was Chairman of the Disciplinary Board of the European Commission and of arbitration and conciliation committees at the European Investment Bank.

He holds several distinctions, both Portuguese and foreign, including the Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator and the Grand Cross of the Order of Public Instruction, the rank of Officier de la Légion d'honneur (France), the Grand-Croix de l'Ordre Grand-Ducal de la Couronne de Chêne (Luxembourg) and the Gran-Croce dell Ordine di Merito della Republica Italiana.

Recognized by Chambers and Partners since 2007, he was awarded the category of Senior Statespeople in 2024. He has also been distinguished by The Legal 500.