women account for about 20 percent of Brazil's attorneys. In addition. more than 50 percent of the country's law students are women. According to Dr. Silva. many of these women come from wealthy fami· lies and will not practice law upon gradu-
ation. Dr. Silva's law practice centers
Dr. Jose Buzelle. an attorney in Mato Grosso.
•
,
11
An inmate in solitary confinement.
primarily on the complaints of sugar cane cutters and those employed to produce methyl alcohol (methanol), many of whom are unionized. (Methanol is produced by 400 plants in Brazil to fuel 73 percent of the country's automobiles.) Although she handles some workers' compensation matters. most of her cases concern wages. Wilson Mendes. an attorney in sao Paulo. the largest city in Brazil. said that the outlook for young attorneys in Brazil is not good. Since graduating from the University of sao Paulo law school four years ago. Mendes has struggled to find employment. He currently works part-time as an English teacher and for a financial firm which offers unsecured consumer loans to low-income persons. Despite successfully passing an examination to become a financial officer for a public agency. Mendes has waited two years for a job offer. One Brazilian attorney suggested that lawyers in the U.S. earn as much in one month as Brazilian lawyers make in a year. Attorneys in Brazil usually receive a fee of 10 percent of the value of the matter handled. according to Antonio Duenhas Monreal. an attorney in Mirand6polis. sao Paulo. rather than a fee based on any hourly rate. This may vary from zero to 20 percent. The percentage fee arrangement is used in all cases. whether they are labor. real estate or tax cases. (Dr. Palacios. a tax attorney. said tax attorneys in Brazil handle primarily tax controversies and engage in little or no tax planning.) As Brazil struggles to leave the Third World. their legal system is slowly evolving. With the transition from military to civilian rule the country entered into a democracy. Now a proposed new constitution promises to strengthen individual rights. The Brazilian people must develop greater respect for and confidence in their government. their courts and. most importantly. their law. The lawyers interviewed suggest there is hope. but it will just take time. 0
FOOTNOTES
Drs. Maria Jose Da Silva and Rubens Palacios, attorneys in Ara~atuba, sao Paulo. lSOIArkansas Lawyer/October 1987
fEn.
1
See Wright & Dessin, Torture in Brcuil (1986 ed.) glish translation of Brasil: Nunca Mai•. ]
2
The author wishes to thank the many translators who assisted in the various interviews in Brazil. Most of the tralUllators were exchange sludents. All of them were extremely helpful and friendly. How· ever, due to the difficulty of the legal concepts, the author apologizes for any inaccuracies which may have resulted because of the differences in Ian· guage and practice.