Contracts that were not honored, improper charges, damages to be repaired, estates to be divided. Here you will see, in practice, how a civil case handled remotely works: what electronic court filing solves, when a video hearing replaces a trip to the courthouse and why notary costs and deadlines change from state to state. Then choose your state.
What still changes from one state to another are notary fees, set by a state table, the rules of the local Court of Justice Inspectorate (Corregedoria-Geral de Justiça), the organization of judicial districts and the structure of the Special Civil Courts. These differences are real and affect timing and cost. That is exactly why each state has its own page here.
Law practice in Brazil covers the entire national territory. Registration with the OAB (the Brazilian Bar) allows a lawyer to work in any state, and supplementary registration is only required when the lawyer practices habitually in another state section, under art. 10, §2, of the Brazilian Bar Statute. In practice, geographic distance is not, in itself, a legal obstacle.
Hearings followed the same path. CNJ Resolution 354/2020 regulated procedural acts by videoconference, and the "100% Digital Court", created by CNJ Resolution 345/2020, allows entire cases to proceed without in-person attendance in the courts that have adopted the model. The power of attorney can also be signed digitally, under art. 105, §1, of the Code of Civil Procedure.
Electronic court filing changed the rest. Since Law 11,419/2006, and today with PJe and equivalent systems in practically every court, filings, documents and deadlines are handled entirely online. Counter filing is no longer the rule, and no one needs to be physically near the courthouse to follow a case.
Want to know the firm and the team's work in this area? See the Civil Law page on the CK Advogadas website (in Portuguese).
The route is defined according to the documents, the client's goal and the particulars of the specific case.
Registry costs, inspectorate rules and the organization of judicial districts change from one state to another. Each state page gathers what applies to your region.
The state pages for this area are in Portuguese.
Clear information to understand possibilities, deadlines and next steps before deciding.
When the breach has already happened, the order matters: formal notice, a deadline to cure and only then court action. This sequence resolves some cases without litigation and, when it does not, builds proof that the other party was properly notified.
Most contract disputes could have been avoided in the drafting. A poorly described object, a deadline with no defined consequence, a disproportionate penalty, an unsuitable venue and no rule for termination are the most frequent sources of litigation. Reviewing a contract costs a fraction of what it costs to litigate it later.
In consumer matters the deadlines are even tighter. Art. 26 of the Consumer Protection Code gives thirty days to complain about a defect in non-durable products or services and ninety days for durable ones, counted from delivery or from the discovery of the defect. Claims for damages caused by a consumer accident expire in five years, under art. 27. Checking the deadline is always the first thing to do.
The most expensive mistake in Civil Law is rarely legal: it is delay. The general rule in art. 205 of the Civil Code is ten years, but art. 206 sets much shorter periods for common situations, such as three years for civil damages claims and five years for liquid debts stated in a written instrument. Once the period expires, the right still exists but can no longer be enforced.
Moral damages are not presumed from any annoyance. Courts separate everyday inconvenience from actual harm to personality rights, and documentation of the episode, with dates, ticket numbers and messages, is what supports the claim. Gathering that evidence before filing is worth more than any sophisticated drafting.
Civil liability arises from arts. 186 and 927 of the Civil Code: whoever causes damage to another, by act or omission, must repair it. In practice, the discussion is almost never about whether the rule exists, but about three elements: conduct, damage and the causal link between them.
Out-of-court probate, provided for in art. 610, §1, of the Code of Civil Procedure, is faster when capable heirs agree. CNJ Resolution 571/2024 broadened this route: the new art. 12-A of CNJ Resolution 35/2007 now allows probate by public deed even with a minor or incapacitated heir, provided that the division is made in undivided shares and the Public Prosecutor's Office agrees.
Postponing probate has a cost. Besides the risk of a penalty on the ITCMD (state inheritance tax) in several states, the assets remain in the deceased's name, which prevents sale, financing and regularization. The transfer tax is a state tax, with its own rate and rules in each state.
The Consumer Protection Code creates its own regime: strict liability of the supplier, a possible shift of the burden of proof when the claim is plausible or the consumer is at a disadvantage, and nullity of abusive clauses. Identifying whether the relationship is a consumer one completely changes the strategy.
Filing a complaint through official channels before going to court strengthens the case. Service ticket numbers, screenshots of conversations and written answers build a record that the other party will hardly be able to contradict later.
An organized process, with clear communication from the first contact.
Send a summary of the case and tell us your city and state.
The team indicates which records are needed for the initial analysis.
Once the situation is understood, the applicable options are presented.
With its office in Cabo Frio - RJ, CK Advogadas combines legal work, accessible communication and individual follow-up. The online format makes it possible to serve clients in other states without losing the closeness needed to understand each situation.
The team assesses preventive, out-of-court and judicial options, always considering the documents, the risks and the goals presented by the client.
About the firm (in Portuguese)General answers to help with an initial understanding. Definitive guidance depends on the analysis of the specific case.
See the other areas when your situation involves more than one legal front.
In civil matters, reading the contract or the history usually points to the route in the first conversation.
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