Brazilian lawyers adopt network-based work as 72% operate autonomously

A demographic study titled ‘Perfil ADV’, conducted by the Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) for the Federal Council of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB), reveals that 72% of Brazilian lawyers work as autonomous professionals. The study, which surveyed 20,885 professionals between August 2023 and May 2024, found that 45% of these autonomous lawyers operate exclusively in the countryside and 51% work from home.

This high rate of autonomy presents operational challenges, particularly regarding legal proceedings in distant jurisdictions. To address the difficulty of managing cases without physical branches or large teams, the ‘legal correspondence’ model is gaining traction. In this model, lawyers hire colleagues established in other cities to perform hearings, diligences, and protocols on their behalf.

The scale of the legal workload is significant; according to the National Council of Justice (CNJ) ‘Justiça em Números’ report, 40.9 million new cases were registered in 2025, with 75.5 million ongoing actions. Priscila Pinheiro, CEO of the platform Correspondente Dinâmico, noted that autonomous professionals must manage clients, deadlines, and documentation often without a support team, making remote partnerships essential for expanding service capacity without the costs of physical infrastructure.