Comparison
Read two legal systems against each other
Because every portal follows the same fifteen-section outline, the comparison is genuinely like-for-like rather than a collage of whatever each government happens to publish.
Select up to six documented jurisdictions
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| Attribute | ArgentinaReviewed | BrazilReviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Legal familyIdentical | Civil law | Civil law |
| System of governmentIdentical | Federal presidential republic | Federal presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Argentine Nation | Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil |
| In force since | 1853 | 1988 |
| Capital | Buenos Aires | Brasília |
| Official languages | Spanish | Portuguese |
| Currency | Argentine peso (ARS) | Brazilian Real (BRL) |
| Population | 46,000,000 | 217,000,000 |
| Division of powers | Federal. Twenty-three provinces plus the autonomous City of Buenos Aires retain all powers not delegated to the nation (Article 121). Substantive civil, commercial, criminal and labour law is federal and uniform, but each province legislates its own procedure and runs its own judiciary — an inversion of the United States allocation. | Presidentialism with a bicameral Congress and an assertive judiciary; the STF hears direct actions of unconstitutionality brought by defined institutional applicants. |
| How law is made | Bills may be introduced in either chamber, by the executive, or by citizen initiative. One chamber acts as chamber of origin and the other as revising chamber; insistence rules resolve disagreement. The President may veto in whole or in part, and Congress overrides with two-thirds of both chambers. Necessity-and-urgency decrees are permitted but excluded from criminal, tax, electoral and party matters, and must pass a bicameral committee. | Bills pass both chambers, with the initiating chamber reviewing amendments; the President may veto in whole or part, and Congress may override in joint session. |
| Legal profession | A five-to-six-year law degree followed by mandatory registration with a provincial or city bar association, which holds disciplinary power. The Colegio Público de Abogados de la Capital Federal governs practice in Buenos Aires. There is no separate bar examination; enrolment follows the degree. Notaries (escribanos) are a distinct numerus clausus profession with exclusive competence over real estate transfers. | Law graduates must pass the OAB examination; membership of the Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil is mandatory to practise. |
A comparison table flattens nuance by design. Where a difference matters to a decision you are making, open both portals and read the section in full — the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.