Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Faculty of Law

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University of Rio de Janeiro School of Law
Faculdade de Direito da UFRJ.jpg
Former names
National Faculty of Law
TypeLaw school
Established1891; 130 years ago (1891)
Parent institution
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
DeanCarlos Alberto Pereira das Neves Bolonha
Academic staff
100-150
Students3,018
Undergraduates2,981
Postgraduates57
Location
Rio de Janeiro
,
Rio de Janeiro
,
Brazil

22°54′26″S 43°11′26″W / 22.9072°S 43.1906°W / -22.9072; -43.1906Coordinates: 22°54′26″S 43°11′26″W / 22.9072°S 43.1906°W / -22.9072; -43.1906
Websitewww.direito.ufrj.br

The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Faculty of Law (Portuguese: Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)), also known as the National Faculty of Law (Portuguese: Faculdade Nacional de Direito), is a law school located in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Founded in 1920 through the merger of two private law schools dating from the 1880s, it is the third oldest law school in Brazil, after the University of São Paulo Faculty of Law and the Federal University of Pernambuco Faculty of Law, both founded in 1827. It is also the largest public law school in Brazil, with an enrollment of around three thousand students.

Its alumni include some of the most distinguished legal scholars and public officials of Brazil, and members of the Supreme Court like (1945–1969), (1949–1974), (1951–1961), Nunes Leal (1960–1969), (1974–1986), (1975–2003), and Marco Aurélio Mello (1990–present).

The Faculty is located in the palace once dedicated to the Duke of Arcos, in which the Brazilian Senate met from 1826 to 1924.

History[]

The National Faculty of Law of UFRJ is the result of the merger in 1920 of two private schools, the and the . It was a long–held dream of prominent citizens such as and others, who dreamed of creating a private law school. With the establishment of the republic and the creation of a free educational system, Mendes de Almeida called on former supporters of the idea and, with new members, worked for the establishment of , which eventually became the National Faculty of Law.

The creation of the National Faculty of Law, through the merger of the two private colleges, represented an end to the monopoly of legal education, which until then was the nearly exclusive province of the Faculdade de Direito do Recife in Olinda, and the Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo. The founding of the National Faculty of Law added much–needed diversity to the nation's legal education.

The National Faculty of Law, together with the and the , became in 1945 the basis for a new university, the University of Brazil. During that period the faculty's library was created, the college's magazine "A Época" was launched, the Literary Guild and the Law Journal were created, under a committee formed by , , , and Afrânio Peixoto.

In the 1930s, the National Faculty of Law experienced memorable public contests for remarkable teachers, such as (sociology). The class of 1937 was especially noted for graduates such as , and Evaristo de Moraes Filho, who became professor in Labor Law and Sociology with his thesis on Auguste Comte.

In the 1940s the National Faculty of Law transferred to its current building, during a period marked by strong student mobilization (especially as resistance to the Estado Novo). Notable recruiting drives continued, bringing young lawyers to the Chairs of the Faculty, such as San Tiago Dantas and .

The 1950s consolidated the reputation of the National Faculty of Law. In 1955, the inaugural class of San Tiago Dantas, entitled "Legal Education and the Brazilian crisis", attracted much attention. At that time, San Tiago presented new guidelines for the legal education and criticized legal teaching methods of the time, defending the case system as opposed to the text system, and also argued that an interdisciplinary approach to Law was more suitable to modern times.

In 1960, the Brazilian capital moved to Brasília, and the process of federalisation of higher education began, with UFRJ as a part of it. With the coup of 1964, the National Faculty of Law faced some consequences, but the CACO – Centro Acadêmico Cândido de Oliveira (the faculty's students' union) fought against the military regime.

In the 1970s, the National Faculty of Law went through a deep crisis, characterized by the carrying out of only a few entrance examinations and a gradual reduction of faculty staff. The 1980s were also marked by crises and obstacles in entrance drives.

In the 1990s, there were some initiatives, such as curriculum changes, the rearrangement of departmental structure and the creation of a center for community outreach, including a Special Court, an office of the Ombudsman, and a center for legal practice.

Since the end of 2009, following the election of a new directing board, the National Faculty of Law has been going through deep changes in academic and structural matters, aimed at improving the school's quality and reputation.

Notable alumni[]

Members of the Supreme Court[]

Arts[]

Scholars[]

  • San Tiago Dantas, legal scholar
  • Heleno Fragoso, criminal lawyer and legal scholar
  • Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, historian, literary critic and journalist
  • , chancellor of the University of Brazil, member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
  • , legal scholar, historian, literary critic, member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
  • , legal scholar, historian, sociologist, member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
  • , legal scholar, writer, member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
  • Celso Furtado, economist, member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters

Politics and diplomacy[]

  • , governor of the State of Guanabara (1971–1975) and the State of Rio de Janeiro (1979–1983)
  • Carlos Lacerda, governor of the State of Guanabara (1960–1965)
  • Osvaldo Aranha, diplomat, politician, governor of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (1930), ambassador to U.S. (1934)
  • Ronaldo Sardenberg, diplomat, politician, ambassador to the United Nations (2003–2007), minister of Science and Technology (1999–2002)
  • , diplomat, politician, Senator for the State of Amazonas (2003–2011)
  • , mayor of São Paulo (1945–1947)
  • , governor of Paraná (1982–1983)
  • , governor of Bahia (1955–1959)
  • , governor of Piauí (1963–1966)
  • , governor of Alagoas (1979–1982), mayor of Maceió (1989–1990)
  • , Minister of Education (1950–1951) and (1959–1960), member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
  • , Minister of External Relations, member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
  • , member of the Brazilian Imperial Family
  • Roberto Mangabeira Unger, Minister of Strategic Affairs (2007-2015)
  • , General Council of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Sports[]

External links[]

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