What should I look for when hiring a real estate lawyer in Brazil

Foreign buyers should evaluate counsel on several objective criteria: demonstrated experience with international acquisitions and remote closings; bilingual communication in English and Portuguese; familiarity with due diligence, matrícula analysis, ITBI calculation, and cartório procedures in the target city; transparent fixed-fee proposals confirmed in writing; and independence from seller-side brokerage commissions.

Evaluation criteria

Effective property attorneys provide written due diligence reports with clear risk ratings, draft or review purchase contracts with conditions precedent protecting deposits, coordinate Hague Apostille and power of attorney logistics, and track property registration through matrícula update — not merely escritura signing. References from clients in your home country and verifiable OAB (Brazilian Bar Association) registration are baseline qualifications.

What effective counsel delivers

Initial consultations should clarify transaction stage, document requirements, estimated timelines, and fee structure without obligation to proceed. Buyers who engage counsel before signing any contract — rather than after discovering a title defect — consistently achieve safer outcomes when buying property in Brazil.