Como contratar um advogado internacional

Quando um brasileiro necessita assistência jurídica no exterior, uma série de dificuldades surgem, começando pelo problema da comunicação em idioma estrangeiro.

Após seguir pelos caminhos consulares e da defensoria pública no exterior, chega-se ao único meio efetivo para administrar a demanda juridica no exterior - a contratação de um advogado estrangeiro ou de um advogado internacional.

Este artigo tem o objetivo de apontar os caminhos disponíveis a obtenção de ajuda jurídica de um advogado no exterior:

1 - Fazer contato com a Repartições Consulares Brasileiras (Embaixadas e Consulados) presentes no país estrangeiro.

Os Consulados possuem serviços de assistência jurídica a brasileiros, que orientam sobre os seus direitos e deveres, além de prestar toda proteção e assistência aos brasileiros residentes ou em trânsito (turismo, negócios, etc.) dentro de sua jurisdição, independentemente da situação imigratória do brasileiro.

É importante observar que as Repartições Consulares brasileiras no exterior não podem interferir em casos de direito privado (disputas familiares, direitos do consumidor, heranças etc.), tampouco intervir junto as autoridades imigratórias e policiais estrangeiras.

Somente casos específicos, como prisões e óbitos são amparados por Consulados, o qual não se responsabiliza por auxiliar em qualquer questões diversas, como a contratação de advogados estrangeiros para a defesa de cidadãos brasileiros perante os Órgãos Judiciários no exterior. Para realizar contato com qualquer Consulado ou Embaixada Brasileira no Exterior, acesse:

Itamarary - Portal Consular: [1]

2 - Contatar a Defensoria Pública da União (DPU)
A Defensoria Pública da União oferece assistência jurídica gratuíta a estrangeiros no Brasil e a brasileiros no exterior em assuntos vinculados a asilo político, repatriação de brasileiros, assuntos derivados do direito de família (alimentos, casamentos, guarda de filhos) e a verificação da situação de brasileiros presos no exterior.


3 - Buscar Assistência Juridica em Associações de Proteção de Estrangeiros no exterior:
De fato, muitos países tem grupos de proteção a estrangeiros, ONG´s e outras associações que podem oferecer auxilio no estrangeiro. Neste caso, recomendamos uma pesquisa ampla na localidade, seja por meio da internet, contatos ou indicações de modo a obter referido suporte jurídico.

4 - Contratação (direta) de um Advogado no Exterior:

O advogado conhece as regras, leis e o Sistema Judicial e Policial operante em seu país.

Quando efetivamente habilitado a atender a causa em questão, este é o profissional que terá as melhores condições de orientar e administrar questões juridicas em sua localidade,

Você pode localizar um advogado habil no exterior pesquisando nas seguintes associações:

HG. Org [3]

ILO

Avvo: [5]

5 - Contratação de um Advogado Internacional

Os advogados internacionais atuam (a) diretamente, quando possuem licença para praticar a advocacia em mais de um País, (b) atuando em parceria com advogados no exterior.

A especialização do Advogado Internacional é a capacidade de diagnosticar previamente o caso, utilizando do seu conhecimento em Leis Estrangeiras, experiencias em demandas semelhantes e "network", ou seja, a rede de contatos, parceiros e associados que possui a disposição.

Este advogado viabilizará a contratação de advogados locais capacitados, preferencialmente com custos de honorários módicos e seguirá fiscalizando a atuação do advogado contratado perante o Judiciário Estrangeiro, fornecendo documentos e acompanhando regularmente os serviços contratados no exterior para que as ações judiciais prossigam adequadamente.

O advogado brasileiro também assume a incumbência de coordenar o pagamento de custas, multas, e honorários, do recebimento de valores auferidos no exterior e a posterior homologação de atos e decisões judiciais estrangeiras no Brasil.

Você pode consultar um advogado internacional através dos seguintes contatos:

International Lawyer Brazil

WikiHow

Site oficial

Maurício Ejchel

CORTE EUROPÉIA JULGA QUANDO COMEÇA O DIREITO DO ACUSADO DE FALAR COM O ADVOGADO

A Corte Europeia de Direitos Humanos ou Tribunal Europeu dos Direitos do Homem, foi criado em 1959 em Estrasburgo, tendo se tornado um órgão permanente em 01/11/1998.

Esta Corte Tribunal não é um órgão da União Européia sendo composto por 47 Estados Membros Europeus.

Sua missão é de verificar o respeito dos princípios da Convenção Europeia de Direitos Humanos. Ela só pode efetuar julgamentos contra os Estados que aderiram à Convenção.

A Corte Europeia de Direitos Humanos está julgando, mais uma vez, se o direito de falar com um advogado vale a partir do momento em que o suspeito é detido pela polícia. O tribunal europeu já tem jurisprudência dizendo que um acusado só pode ser interrogado na presença do seu advogado. Agora, os juízes terão de definir se a regra também se aplica quando há detenção sem interrogatório.

A reclamação foi levada à corte por um condenado à prisão perpétua na Bulgária. Ele alega que ficou preso preventivamente por três dias sem poder se comunicar com seu advogado. Em outubro do ano passado, uma das câmaras da corte entendeu que não houve violação de direitos do então acusado porque foi mantida a garantia de ele não se autoincriminar.

Agora, o caso vai ser julgado pela câmara principal da corte. Em julho, foram feitas as audiências iniciais. A decisão é tomada pelos juízes em reservado e ainda não há data prevista para ser anunciada.

COMPREHENDING THE LEGAL PRINCIPLES OF BRAZILIAN LABOR LAW

When a foreign worker provides services in Brazil the laws governing the contract are the laws of the country of origin or the laws of Brazil? This special article is about the foreign employment in Brazil and principles adopted by the Brazilian Labor Court on the demands arising from those relationships.

"The TST (Brazilian Supreme Labor Court) formally adopted the principle of "lex loci executionis" to regulate the labor relationships in Brazil." 

The policy of the Labor Court is that the legal work relationship shall be governed by the laws of the country were the services are delivered as specify the Statement of Precedent No. 207/TST stated by the Supreme Labor Court in April, 2012, with base on the vote of the Vice- President Minister Maria Cristina Peduzzi at the Process 93.2000.5.01.0019-RR-219000.

The summary embraced the principle of "lex loci executionis" claiming to be the legal relationship governed by the labor laws of the country where the services are effectively render and not the country of the worker´s previous hiring.

However inversely to this principle the Law No. 7.064/1982 allow a different rule for Brazilians working abroad.

Such law (previously limited to Brazilian employees of engineering companies working abroad), enable the Brazilian companies rendering service in another country to choose to enforce the labor legislation with more beneficial standards, as taxation, vacation periods, etc.

The legislature that came through the Law No. 11.962/2009 changed the wording of Article 1 of Law No. 7.064/82, extending such rights to be enforced over all workers employed in Brazil and transferred by their employers to provide services abroad.

"Recent jurisprudence have removed the application of Abstract No. 207 that indicated the prevalence of the principle of more favorable rule over the principle of territoriality," said the Minister Pedruzzi, adding that this trend has also been observed in the legal legislation from other countries.

- Non-Brazilians have the same rights as Brazilians when working in Brazil:

The remarkable growth of the Brazilian economy in the recent years attracted the attention of large numbers of non-Brazilians to work in Brazil. 

According to statistics from the Ministry of Justice (2014) there was a 57% growth in the number of foreign workers, reaching a total of 1.51 million in comparison to December of last year (2013).

It should be noted at this juncture, the increase in the flow of immigrants from other countries of South America, as Bolivians, Peruvians and Paraguayans, mostly without a college degree and who saw an opportunity to improve their living conditions in Brazil.

- What is the profile of the non-Brazilians who come to work into the country? 

A lot of young people have been trained and are in search of new experiences in smaller companies, which offers the opportunity for rapid growth. 

One cannot fail to mention illegal immigrants, which, despite this condition, constitutes a significant workforce laboring as street vendors, at the construction industry and in clothing manufactures, especially in the State of São Paulo, usually with low education and qualification.

When working in the country, the foreigner shall have the same labor rights of an employee native of Brazil, as 13th salary, vacation, Social Security rights, among others. Also worth mentioning the standard journey of eight hours per day or 40 per week, with one day off, preferably on Sundays.

There are numerous decisions by the Labor Court, in which foreigners claim the recognition of rights under the employment relationship, but it is not unanimous.

The Third Chamber of the Superior Labor Court ruled that the Brazilian Labor Court has jurisdiction over the action of an Argentine engineer who worked for years concomitantly in Brazil and Argentina. Dismissed after 23 years working as a contractor in a company on the area of telecommunications with subsidiaries in Brazil, the engineer asked for recognition of employment and the several rights arising from this type of labor contract. But he had this requests denied at the first and second instances.

Another case, judged by the Sixth Class of TST in September 2006, opened an important precedent. A Paraguayan illegally working in Brazil, won the right to be recognized as a formal employee after exercising the function of electrician for 17 years in a local small company. The rapporteur Minister Horacio de Senna Pires, granted the worker's appeal based on constitutional principles and the Mercosul Protocol of Cooperation, which provides equal treatment among those born in countries that have signed the pact (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), in their respective territories. Article 3 of the Protocol provides that "citizens and permanent residents of one of the States Parties shall enjoy the same conditions of citizens and permanent residents of another State Party, as well to free access to the Courts in the jurisdiction of that State for the protection of their rights and interests".

- Legal requirements to work in Brazil

As in any country there are legal requirements for non-Brazilians work in Brazil and it could not be different.

It was Law No. 6.815/80, regulated by Decree No. 86.715/81 that defined the legal status of these workers in the country and created the National Immigration Council (CNI) -Organ of the Ministry of Labor and Employment responsible, among other elements, for the formulation of immigration policy and coordination of the work activities in the country.

The CNI establishes and directs the granting of work permits for foreigners who intend to stay provisionally or permanently.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues a consular authorization to be registered in the passport - a "visa", allowing the worker to enter, work and remain in the country.

The visa (temporary or permanent) is the first obligation to be observed by those who enter in the country on a cultural vacation, business, as an artist, athlete, student, scientist, radio correspondent, newspaper, television or agency foreign news, among others. By the other hand, the permanent visa is specifically granted for those who wish to permanently reside and work regularly in Brazil.

Since 2006 there was an increase in the number of work permits issued for foreign workers. This is due (according to Paulo Sergio Almeida, former general coordinator of Immigration at the Ministry of Labour and Employment) to the increment of investments in Brazil, mainly in the sectors of industry, oil, gas and energy.

"There is crescent demand for the coming of professionals specialized in supervision and implementation of the most sensitive performances in the deployment of equipment and technology transfer," Almeida said in an article published on the website of the MTE. 

However, this specialized professional are required to prove their qualification and / or experience, which should be done at the Ministry of Labor and Employment, through the presentation of diplomas, certificates or declarations provided by educational institutions.

A new criteria for the authorization of these professionals work with temporary visas were established by Resolution No. 64 of 09.13.2005 of the National Immigration Council. According to this resolution, to demonstrate the qualifications or experience the candidate will needs to demonstrate experience of a 2 (two) years alternately in the performance of mid-level profession, with minimum education of nine years or one year experience in the exercise of high level profession.

- Liability over underpaid work

São Paulo Labor Court has dismissed a civil suit filed by the Public Ministry of Labor (MPT) against exploitation of workers via underpaid salaries. A prime example was the action filed by MPT São Paulo in February 2012 against a large retail store for exploiting workers - mostly.

This was the first civil suit on "slave labor" involving foreigners in urban facilities in Brazil. The SP-MPT requested, the Labor Court of São Paulo to advance relief (immediate suspension of this practice), plus punitive damages to the collective of workers worth £ 5 million, to be reverted to the Fund of Workers Assistance (FAT). By the present time the civil action was not dismissed.

A BBC special program reported the situation of a group of 25 foreigners working in the factory of a giant commodities producer in the Federal District, who worked in the poultry slaughter by halal method that were living in poor conditions of accommodation in company. The MPT and the Ministry of Labor conducted inspections to investigate those allegations of mistreatment. But the case of this factory repeats in several other Brazilian States.

Another unit of this giant commodities producer, located in the municipality of Parana State was processed by the Ministry of Labor of Parana through civil action in the Labor Court which granted an injunction banning the work of 30 Muslims working as outsourced manpower to perform halal slaughter.

According to prosecutors, outsourcing - as made by the Group of Halal Slaughter - is irregular because the slaughter of animals is the core activity of the company.

Finally, companies interested in using non-Brazilian in the execution of its activities in Brazil should seek detailed information about the local legislation in order to properly calculate the costs, taxes and other rights incident over wage as per the Brazilian Labor Law.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mauricio Ejchel

Expert in International Law, Civil, Commercial Planning and Labor Law, Mauricio Ejchel holds a Bachelor of Law Degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of the State of São Paulo in 1994 and is partner at the law firm MF Ejchel Advocacy. As a consultant lawyer provides legal consultancy to domestic and foreign companies, and is also an experienced litigation attorney pleading before the Brazilian Courts in a considerable number of lawsuits and providing services in a wide ranges of location thru partner offices in several regions in Brazil and abroad.

CORPORATION STRUCTURES ADMITTED IN BRAZIL

The Brazilian Civil Code of 2002 (Articles 1039-1092) admits the following corporate formats for a company established and operative in Brazil:

• Private Limited Company (LTDA) – Limited Liability Company is the most common format of society used in Brazil. These company format must be composed by a minimum of 02 (two) partners (individuals or companies – both national of foreigners) who are jointly and severally liable to the companies obligations up to the amount (subscribed and paid) corresponding to their shares of the Social Capital of the company.

• Corporation or Joint Stock Company (S/A) – (Law nº 6.404/76) - The Corporation is a legal entity of private law consisting by two or more shareholders, in which the Social Capital is divided into nominal shares of equal values, which are free for negotiability. The responsibility of the shareholder is merely to the issue price of the shares subscribed or acquired. The Corporation can be classified as open capital or closed capital. Article 4^th of the Corporation Law distinguishes them: "For the purposes of this law, the company is open or closed if their social statute admits or not the trading of shares in the securities market." The open is one in which the securities (shares, debentures, participation certificates etc.) are admitted to trading on the stock exchanges or over the counter market and should therefore be registered and have their securities registered with the CVM (Commission Securities), while closed does not issue marketable securities.

• Simple Limited Commandite Company – A society with different responsibilities for each partner, who can be unlimitedly responsible or partially responsible for company’s obligations.

• Limited Commandite Company by Shares  - (Law nº 6.404/76 and articles 1090-1092 of the Brazilian Civil Code of 2002) – A society in which the Share Capital is divided into shares, and the shareholders respond only by the amount subscribed or purchased, with administrators (that must necessarily be a shareholder) with subsidiary liability, unlimited, joint and several, due its social obligations. The director is appointed for an undetermined time in the constitutive act and its responsibility is subsidiary and unlimited forward to the obligations of the company.

• Society in Collective Name - All shareholders shall be necessarily individuals and joint and several responsible for any obligations of the company, up to their Social Capital participation.

• S.P.E. – The special purpose entity (SPE) is a business company whose activity is very limited, and in some cases has given life term usually used to isolate financial risk of the activity, or to a specific venture, incorporation, etc.

There are also some specific structures of companies focused in small ventures:

• M.E.I. - Individual micro entrepreneur (LC nº 123/2006) - annual revenues of up to R$ 120.000,00 reais.

• M.E. - Micro company - annual revenues of up to R$ 900.000,00 reais.

• E.P.P. – Small business company (LC nº 139/2011) - annual revenues of up to R$ 14.400.000,00 reais.

• E.I. – Private entrepreneur (single shareholder) – no limitation in regard of revenues, the private entrepreneur is liable towards any company debts with his own individual patrimony.

• EIRELE - Individual Limited Liability Company (single shareholder) – This corporate is similar to EI, but unlike it the EIRELI private entrepreneur responds only until the subscribed capital stock of the Company. Minimum registered capital stock of 100 times the minimum wage (aprox. R$ 7.500,00 reais).