Saturday, October 07, 2006

3,5 million new laws in Brazil since 1988

I hardly have time to keep my "Brazilian Arbitration Law" blawg, so, I have decided not to post anything else here anymore. But this 3.5 million number deserves a posting.

Brazilian newspaper Valor Econômico recently reported that 3.510.804 bills have been passed into law in Brazil during the last 18 years (since the entering into effect of the 1988 Brazilian Federal Constitution). This number includes Federal, State and City laws. The survey was made by the Brazilian Institute of Tax Planning.

If you read Portuguese and want to check this out, click here (you may need to register).

UPDATE: Another report mentions that during the last 18 years, the Brazilian Consitution received 58 amendments. Another impressive number!

Monday, July 10, 2006

The Case Docket of the Brazilian Supreme Court

According to information available at the website of the Supreme Court of the United States, the Court’s current caseload totals more than 7,000 cases on the docket per Term.

According to an official announcement made by Chief Justice Ellen Gracie, the Brazilian Supreme Court ("STF") has decided exact 55.512 cases from January to June, 2006, including judgments on appeals and cases disposed of, and unpretentious interlocutory orders (despachos interlocutórios) and information requests made to the STF. You got that right: 55.512 cases!

The case docket of the STF is out of all proportion, to say the least.

By the way, regarding those over 7,000 cases on the docket of the Supreme Court of the United States:

• plenary review, with oral arguments by attorneys, is granted in about 100 cases per Term;
• formal written opinions are delivered in 80–90 cases; and
• approximately 50–60 additional cases are disposed of without granting plenary review.

If you can read in Portuguese, please click here for the STF's official announcement.

You can learn a more about the Brazilian judicial system and the STF here.

First Posting

This is the first posting of BrazilianLaws. My purpose with this blog is simple: to provide and share information of interest for foreign lawyers on Brazilian law, in the English language.

I will concentrate my postings on aspects related to corporate and commercial law, as well as those legal aspects related to technology and IP law. But I will be also making general comments on Brazilian law practice, the legal profession in Brazil, and the Brazilian court system.