What is a solicitador ?
WHAT IS A SOLICITADOR ?
A STRANGE PROFESSION IN PORTUGAL
What is a solicitador?
You’ve come across this word while looking for legal support in Portugal, and you’re wondering how it differs from a lawyer (advogado). A solicitador (solicitadora for a woman) is a profession specific to Portugal, with no exact equivalent in English — which is why we keep the Portuguese word rather than force an approximate translation that would be misleading.
What a solicitador does
A solicitador handles specific legal and administrative matters: drafting and filing deeds, representing clients before certain courts for non-contentious or lower-complexity cases, property purchase formalities, straightforward inheritance matters, and enforcement procedures. This is a fully qualified legal professional, trained and registered with their own professional body — not a lawyer’s assistant.
How it differs from a lawyer
The line between a solicitador and an advogado (lawyer) mainly comes down to the type of case and the court level: a solicitador can represent a client before certain courts for simple or non-contentious matters, but a complex case, a dispute before higher courts, or a serious criminal matter falls to a lawyer. Many solicitadores specialise in property and inheritance, where their work is both competent and often more affordable than a general-practice lawyer.
When to consult a solicitador
For a straightforward property purchase, an inheritance with no dispute among heirs, or a legally structured but non-contentious administrative matter — exactly the kind of situation an expat most often runs into when settling in Portugal.
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