OAB Nacional

The Order of Attorneys of Brazil 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. This number rose to 1,211,309 as of early 2021. 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."