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 | ColombiaReviewed | BrazilReviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Legal familyIdentical | Civil law | Civil law |
| System of government | Unitary presidential republic | Federal presidential republic |
| Constitution | Political Constitution of Colombia | Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil |
| In force since | 1991 | 1988 |
| Capital | Bogotá | Brasília |
| Official languages | Spanish | Portuguese |
| Currency | Colombian peso (COP) | Brazilian Real (BRL) |
| Population | 52,100,000 | 217,000,000 |
| Division of powers | Unitary but markedly decentralised. Thirty-two departments and the Capital District have elected governors, mayors and assemblies with taxing and spending powers, and indigenous territories exercise their own jurisdiction under Article 246, but legislative competence stays with the national Congress. | 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 need four debates, two in each chamber, in successive committee and plenary stages within a single legislature. Statutory laws on rights must clear the Constitutional Court before promulgation. Amendments proceed by act of Congress over two consecutive ordinary sessions, by referendum, or by constituent assembly; the Court may strike an amendment down for substituting the Constitution rather than reforming it. | 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-year degree, a period of practice or a monograph, and a professional card (tarjeta profesional) issued by the Consejo Superior de la Judicatura, which also disciplines lawyers. Advocacy in most matters requires a licensed abogado, but the tutela is a deliberate exception: it may be filed by anyone, in writing or orally, without a lawyer. | 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.