Family and succession: rights, responsibilities and property.

Arrangements for parental responsibilities should reflect the child's interests and individual circumstances. Residence, contact with parents and decisions of particular importance need clear rules, without assuming that one solution suits every family.

AGG Advogados helps define arrangements, prepare agreements or take the necessary court action. Proposals consider the child’s circumstances, the available information and each parent’s responsibilities. Arrangements for children should not be used as bargaining chips in property negotiations.

Child maintenance takes account of the child's needs and the means of those required to contribute, including the allocation of expenses. It is important to define what is due and how it will be provided, not merely an amount.

A change in circumstances may justify reviewing the arrangements; non-compliance raises a different issue. The agreement or decision, subsequent facts and supporting records are examined to prepare a variation or a response to non-compliance. Neither route amounts to a unilateral replacement of the rules in force.

AGG Advogados acts in parentage proceedings, examining the recognition, establishment or challenge of the relationship, its recording in the civil register and its effects on the family.

In child protection proceedings, support focuses on the rights of those involved and the grounds and scope of measures before child protection commissions or the courts. The best interests of the child or young person guide this work, which is distinct from proceedings concerning parental arrangements.

Dividing matrimonial property requires a distinction between common and separate assets, taking account of the matrimonial property regime and how they were acquired. Documentary title, payments and use of assets do not necessarily answer the same question.

AGG Advogados examines acquisitions, registration information, claims and debts, clarifying liabilities and amounts to be accounted for. An equal division is not assumed without assessing the property and the applicable rules.

An agreement between spouses about a debt does not remove the need to check the creditor's rights. Allocation of an asset and responsibility for its associated financing must be addressed consistently.

Determining who uses the family home is not the same as assigning ownership and does not automatically resolve its costs and liabilities. Housing arrangements must be considered alongside rights in the property and the relevant circumstances.

Advice on the division of property turns the legal position into specific terms: assets, values, liabilities and steps to implement the agreement or decision. Preparation is coordinated with formalisation and registration, rather than treating the division as merely signing a document.

AGG Advogados advises on recognition of a união de facto under Portuguese law and the consequences of its termination. Living together does not create a property regime equivalent to marriage.

The work examines evidence of the relationship, housing rights, acquisitions, each person's contributions and obligations assumed. Deciding what happens to property requires ownership and any claims between the parties to be established, without automatically applying the rules for dividing matrimonial assets.

Succession begins on death, but this alone does not establish who is entitled to what. The persons concerned must be identified, wills checked, and assets, rights and obligations established.

AGG Advogados assesses succession rights and organises the documents. Identifying heirs is distinct from distributing the estate: recognising who is entitled to inherit does not automatically allocate a specific asset to each person.

Accepting or disclaiming an inheritance requires consideration of the effects of that choice, the known estate and any steps already taken. This assessment should precede declarations or dealings with assets, without assuming that an inheritance consists only of amounts to be received.

Administration involves preserving assets, managing expenses and income, providing information and accounting to the other persons concerned. The powers of the cabeça-de-casal — the person responsible for administering the estate under Portuguese succession law — are distinct from the final allocation of the estate.

AGG Advogados assists with estate administration and the discharge of those duties. The practice also supports the person acting as cabeça-de-casal and may undertake that role where the circumstances of the succession allow.

Distribution brings together the composition of the estate, the rights of those entitled and the terms of allocation. Disagreements about assets, values, expenses or wills require the issue to be defined and supporting material assembled. One person's wishes do not bind the others.

Inventory proceedings provide a framework for distributing the estate where agreement is insufficient or the procedure is required by law. AGG Advogados acts in judicial and notarial inventory proceedings, observing the applicable jurisdictional rules. The work covers the persons concerned, the schedule of assets, liabilities, administration issues and responses to disputes, preparing for distribution and assembling the necessary evidence. Negotiation remains possible, but does not replace protection of rights within the proceedings.

Assets or persons in different countries require an assessment of the applicable law, the competent authorities and foreign documents. AGG Advogados handles international succession matters, coordinating the estate information and formalities before the authorities involved, without assuming that the location of one asset alone determines the entire succession regime.