Introduction to Brazilian Law

Book excerpt: This is an updated edition of the only full-scale book in English on the law of a country that in recent years has emerged as a leading player on the world’s stage. Brazil’s markets have flourished as courts, legislators and a sophisticated legal elite have continuously adapted foreign rules to the country’s realities, giving Brazil a formidable edge in attracting foreign investors. Sixteen notable Brazilian authorities describe and analyse the laws, regulations and jurisprudence in all the major fields of legal practice and administration, paying detailed attention to such elements as the following: - the multiple interwoven sources of Brazilian law; - administrative agencies and procedures; - Brazil’s unique ‘social function of contracts’ principle; - corporate and related structures; - the new Brazilian civil procedure code and arbitration rules; - constitutional principles and judicial review; - fiduciary transfers and insolvency issues; - complex rules of criminal procedure; - mandatory succession rules; - labour law compliance; - private international law; and - taxation. Each chapter is followed by an up-to-date reference list of works both in English and in Portuguese. This book provides practitioners with information more than sufficient to navigate through any area of Brazilian law. Lawyers and scholars will find here an overview that will continue to be useful as a resource in facing and overcoming the challenges inherent in engaging with Brazil’s economy and legal realities.