Rafael has regularly worked on legal opinions and other studies in the areas of administrative law, public procurement, public regulation and energy law. He has also provided legal advice in these areas to public and private entities, particularly in the infrastructure, energy, water, waste and transport sectors. He also has experience in administrative litigation and arbitration, particularly in disputes arising from the awarding and performance of administrative contracts for public works, concessions and the acquisition of goods and services.

Throughout his professional career, he has also provided legal advice on partnership projects between the public and private sectors, particularly in the areas of housing and town planning, and has acquired experience in drafting laws and regulations.

He is a member of the Centre for Studies in Public Law and Regulation (CEDIPRE) at the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra, where he was also a member of the Public Procurement Group and the Taxes & Contributions Observatory. He was a member of the Department of Advanced Studies in Energy Law, part of the Faculty of Law's Research Institute.

Before joining Garrigues, Rafael was a researcher at CEDIPRE (2016-2017), a legal adviser to the Municipality of Lisbon (2017-2019) and also a legal adviser at Lisboa Ocidental SRU - Sociedade de Reabilitação Urbana E.M., S.A. (2019-2020).

• Law Degree from the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra (2015).
• Master´s Degree in Administrative Law from the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra (2017).
• He attended post-graduate studies on Public Procurement and Administrative / Tax Litigation at the Centre for Public Law and Regulation Studies of the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra (2017).
• He also attended a course on energy performance contracts in an industrial environment, organized by Associação Portuguesa para a Eficiência Energética e Promoção da Cogeração - COGEN (2017).

He regularly lectures on the Postgraduate Course in Real Estate Law organised by the Private Law Research Centre of the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon.

He has been invited to speak at conferences and courses organised by the Centre for Public Law and Regulation Studies of the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra, particularly on public procurement issues.

• Member of the Portuguese Bar Association.
• Member of the Centre for Public Law and Regulation Studies of the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra.

• "The pre-contractual relevance of public works contracts' deadline" (co-authored with Lino Torgal), in Empreitada de Obras Públicas - Formação e Execução do Contrato (organized by Luís Verde de Sousa), AAFDL Editora, Lisbon, 2024.
• "Deadline extensions and term suspensions in the performance of public works contracts", in Empreitada de Obras Públicas - Formação e Execução do Contrato (organized by Luís Verde de Sousa), AAFDL Editora, Lisbon, 2024.
• "Notes on the legal framework applicable to works removed from the original scope and executed works rendered useless in public works contracts”, Revista de Contratos Públicos, n.º 31, Almedina, Coimbra, 2023.
• "Excluded contracts", in Comentários ao Código dos Contratos Públicos (organized by Carla Amado Gomes, Ricardo Pedro, Marco Caldeira, Tiago Serrão), Volume I, 5.ª edição, AAFDL Editora, Lisbon, 2023.
• "Deadline extensions and term suspensions in the performance of public works contracts", Revista de Direito Administrativo, n.º 3 Especial, AAFDL Editora, Lisbon, 2022.
• "Comment regarding the new legal framework on energy savings performance contracts" (co-authored with Lino Torgal), in Contratos Públicos: Presente e Futuro - Actas das III Jornadas de Direito dos Contratos Públicos (organized by Miguel Assis Raimundo), AAFDL Editora, Lisbon, 2022.
• "Considerations regarding the legal framework applicable to the public works contract in its design and build category foreseen in the Portuguese Public Contracts Code”, Revista de Contratos Públicos, n.º 25, Almedina, Coimbra, 2021.
• "Corruption Prevention Board's Recommendation on managing conflicts of interest in the public sector, of 8 January 2020", Newsletter CEDIPRE, n.º 11, 2020.
• "Exceptional legal frameworks and other provisions on public procurement introduced by Decree-Law 84/2019 of 28 June", Newsletter CEDIPRE, n.º 10, 2019.
• "Comment on decision C-216/17, from December 19th, 2018 of the Court of Justice of the European Union", Revista de Contratos Públicos, n.º 20, Almedina, Coimbra, 2019.
• "Achieving best value for money outside the framework-agreement under the new Portuguese Public Contracts Code", Revista de Contratos Públicos, n.º 19, Almedina, Coimbra, 2019.
• "Energy performance procurement in Portugal" (co-authored with Suzana Tavares da Silva), in Temas Relevantes no Direito de Energia Elétrica (organized by Fábio Amorim da Rocha), Tomo VII, Synergia Editora, Rio de Janeiro, 2018.
• Energy savings performance contracts: from the need for private discipline to the public sector energy performance contracts, Instituto Jurídico, Coimbra, 2018.
• "Comment on the decision of the South Central Administrative Court from August 30th, 2017, Proceedings no. 1512/16.0BELSB", Revista de Contratos Públicos, n.º 17, Almedina, Coimbra, 2018.
• "IMPIC/AdC's protocol: an example of inter-administrative collaboration", Newsletter CEDIPRE, n.º 8, 2018.
• "Legal aspects of energy services’ management contracts", in Direito da Eficiência Energética (organized by Suzana Tavares da Silva), Instituto Jurídico, Coimbra, 2017.
• "Energy efficiency in agriculture" (co-authored with Suzana Tavares da Silva), in Direito da Eficiência Energética (organized by Suzana Tavares da Silva), Instituto Jurídico, Coimbra, 2017.
• "A few legal impacts of a practical and legal/ financial analysis of commutative taxes" (co-authored with Mariana Coelho dos Santos and José Miguel Carmona), Cadernos de Justiça Tributária, n.º 15, CEJUR, Braga, 2017.
• "Energy efficiency in the agriculture sector in Spain", in Roteiro Jurídico-Comparado da Eficiência Energética (organized by Suzana Tavares da Silva), Instituto Jurídico, Coimbra, 2016.