Lawyers and Solicitadores Join Forces Against Unlicensed Legal Advisers, Urging Residents to Check the Register Before They Pay
The bar association and the solicitadores' body launch "Tem de estar em Ordem", a campaign against illicit legal practice with a site linking both official registers. Here is how to check an adviser and what the law says.
Portugal's two legal professional bodies are asking residents to check a simple thing before they pay anyone for legal help: is that person actually registered? The Ordem dos Advogados (OA, the bar association) and the Ordem dos Solicitadores e dos Agentes de Execução (OSAE, the body for solicitadores and court enforcement agents) present a joint campaign against procuradoria ilícita, the crime of practising law without being entitled to, on Monday 2 November.
The campaign is called "Tem de estar em Ordem" ("It has to be in order"), under the slogan "Não basta parecer profissional" ("Looking professional is not enough"). The OA's event page says it is presented at 15:00 at the Loja do Cidadão (citizen's shop) in Laranjeiras, Lisbon, with the OA's president, João Massano, attending.
What the two Ordens announced
At the centre is a new website, temdeestaremordem.pt, which sends visitors straight to each Ordem's official register search. The joint press release warns that a convincing social media presence or an attractive advert is no proof of qualification. It says registration brings guarantees an unregistered adviser cannot offer: technical training, ethical duties, professional liability insurance and disciplinary oversight. Posters and other material will appear online, through institutional channels and at public service counters.
The two bodies also gave Lusa figures, reported by Notícias ao Minuto. The OA carried 501 illicit practice cases over from 2025 into 2026: 358 still under preliminary review or investigation and 143 with judicial or consumer protection bodies. The OSAE received 19 reports in 2025 and 33 so far in 2026, and has filed 12 criminal complaints across the two years.
What the law says
The rules are in Lei n.º 10/2024, in force since 1 January 2024, which replaced the older Lei n.º 49/2004. Representing someone in court (mandato forense) is reserved to lawyers and solicitadores. Legal advice may also be given by notaries and enforcement agents, and by law graduates, who must hold professional liability insurance. Anyone else who carries out these acts for other people as a business commits procuradoria ilícita, punishable by up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 120 days. Prosecution depends on a complaint, which the victim, the OA or the OSAE can file. Advertising legal services without being entitled to provide them is a separate offence, with fines of 500 to 2,500 euros for individuals and 1,250 to 5,000 euros for companies.
What it means for you
Immigrants often pay for help with residence permits, nationality applications and appeals, so it is worth checking before you hand over money or documents:
- Lawyers: search the OA register at portal.oa.pt/advogados/pesquisa-de-advogados. The OA's PodAdvogar directory also lets you search by area of practice, including immigration and nationality.
- Solicitadores and enforcement agents: search the OSAE register at osae.pt/pt/pesquisas.
- If you cannot find the person, the campaign site advises contacting the relevant Ordem directly. If you have been harmed, you can complain to the police or the Ministério Público (public prosecutor), and the Ordens can file a complaint themselves.
If cost is the obstacle, there are free and subsidised routes. Our report on how to find a lawyer or get legal aid explains how, and the OA now staffs free legal advice sessions for immigrants in 17 councils.
