Order of Attorneys of Brazil

Order of Attorneys of Brazil
Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil
AbbreviationOAB
Formation18 November 1930; 93 years ago (1930-11-18)
TypeBar association
HeadquartersBrasília, Federal District
Location
  • Brazil
Membership
1,337,651 practising, 1,413,330 total (2023)[1]
Official language
Portuguese
President
José Alberto Simonetti
Websitewww.oab.org.br

The Order of Attorneys of Brazil (Portuguese: Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil, OAB) is the Brazilian Bar Association. Founded in 1930, it is responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in the country. Its national headquarters are in Brasília, Federal District. The OAB has 1,065,304 lawyers (2018).[2] This number rose to 1,211,309 as of early 2021.[3]

Its early origins are found on a private institution founded in 1843. Graduates in Law from university who wish to act on behalf of clients before a Court of Law must register at the Order of Attorneys of Brazil. Only those who are duly registered can provide legal consultation and appear before the Court. It is an organization independent from the government, but it has some public powers, which include disciplinary action over its members. The Federal Constitution of Brazil considered advocacy an essential activity for the maintenance of justice, and Art. 133 provides that "The lawyer is indispensable to the administration of justice and is inviolable for his acts or manifestations in the exercise of his profession, within the limits of the law."[4] Furthermore, the institution has sui generis qualities, since it is not linked to any control by the government, nor by the courts of auditors, as understood by the Supreme Federal Court externalized in 2006.[5][6][7]

  1. ^ "Quadro da Advocacia". Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  2. ^ "OAB | Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil | Conselho Federal". www.oab.org.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2018. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  3. ^ "OAB | Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil | Conselho Federal". www.oab.org.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2021-02-20. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  4. ^ "Portal STF Internacional". www2.stf.jus.br. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  5. ^ "Notícias STF :: STF - Supremo Tribunal Federal". www.stf.jus.br. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  6. ^ "Notícias STF :: STF - Supremo Tribunal Federal". www.stf.jus.br. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  7. ^ "Notícias STF :: STF - Supremo Tribunal Federal". www.stf.jus.br. Retrieved 2021-03-03.