Faculdade de Direito da Usp

What Faculdade de Direito da Usp does

Faculdade de Direito da USP (FDUSP), also known as SanFran or Faculdade de Direito do Largo São Francisco, is the oldest and most prestigious law school in Brazil, founded by Emperor Dom Pedro I on August 11, 1827, at the Convent of São Francisco in central São Paulo. It operates as a public faculty within the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) system, offering a five-year undergraduate law degree (Graduação) with approximately 2,500 students enrolled, alongside graduate (Mestrado, Doutorado), postdoctoral, and cultural extension programs. The institution is funded by Brazilian federal and state government allocations channeled through USP and does not charge tuition. Its academic portfolio includes research groups, the PET Direito tutorial program, academic journals (RFDUSP), the Museu da Faculdade de Direito, and the Departamento Jurídico XI de Agosto legal aid clinic founded in 1919.

FDUSP's core infrastructure includes the Biblioteca FDUSP, Brazil's first specialized law library with a 200-year collection of political-juridical documents, and the historic Prédio Histórico at Largo São Francisco, 95, complemented by the Salão Nobre (capacity >800). There is no proprietary technology platform; digital operations rely on third-party tools including Google Forms for administrative workflows, Sympla for event ticketing, and Spotify/YouTube for podcast distribution ('Justiça & Eleições', 'Liberdade de Cátedra', 'Projeto Memórias'). In August 2026, FDUSP launched a partnership with Jusbrasil providing all students free access to the Essential Plan and JusIA AI legal research, with Lawgorithm delivering AI literacy training.

Distribution is delivered through on-campus instruction (day and night classes), FUVEST vestibular recruitment (Brazil's most competitive entrance examination, with FDUSP-linked professor Gustavo Monaco serving as FUVEST's executive director), and international exchange via the CCinN-FD commission. Customer segments include undergraduate and graduate law students, postdoctoral researchers, working legal professionals via extension courses, and the general public via monitored visits, lectures, and the Universidade Aberta initiative. Revenue mechanics are government grant-funded rather than tuition- or fee-based, with the Fundação Arcadas supporting student welfare, the Adote uma Sala restoration program (18 rooms restored), and bicentennial infrastructure projects including the acquisition of the Palácio do Commercio and a new library building under construction at Rua Riachuelo.

Name

Faculdade de Direito da Usp

Legal name

Faculdade de Direito - Universidade de São Paulo

Website

https://direito.usp.br

Company type

Public

Founded year

1827

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Faculdade de Direito da USP is Brazil's oldest and most prestigious public law school, founded in 1827 within the Universidade de São Paulo, serving approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students through tuition-free legal education funded by the Brazilian government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

LLM & Post-JD Graduate Law Programs (EDAHAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Law Schools (e.g., Tax, IP, International, Trial Advocacy) (EDAHAIAF), Legal & Compliance (CLE, Paralegal CE) (EDAAALAB), University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA)

Keywords

• Legal education
• Undergraduate law degree
• Graduate legal studies
• Legal research
• Academic law journals

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo, São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Government Funding: As a public university unit, FDUSP receives funding from the Brazilian federal and state government through the University of São Paulo (USP) system. This covers operational costs, faculty salaries, and infrastructure maintenance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FDUSP delivers undergraduate and graduate legal education, academic research, and extension programs through Brazil's oldest and most prestigious law school. Founded in 1827 as part of the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) system, it operates a five-year undergraduate law degree program serving over 2,500 students, alongside master's, doctoral, and postdoctoral programs. The institution also operates Brazil's first specialized law library with a 200-year-old collection, a legal aid clinic (Departamento Jurídico XI de Agosto), extension courses, and academic journals.

Product overview

Faculdade de Direito da USP is Brazil's oldest and most prestigious law school, offering a unified five-year undergraduate degree program with approximately 2,500 students, complemented by graduate programs (master's and doctoral), academic journals, and the pioneering legal aid clinic (Departamento Jurídico XI de Agosto, founded 1919). The institution provides access to Brazil's first specialized law library (200 years old), operates a museum documenting legal history, publishes academic journals, produces podcast content on legal topics, and recently launched AI integration partnerships with Jusbrasil for student legal research. The academic portfolio includes research groups, extension projects like 'Mulheres e Tributação,' and the PET Direito tutorial program, all supported by a Bicentenary celebration program running through 2026-2027.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Graduação em Direito (Undergraduate Law Degree) Five-year undergraduate law degree program (Bacharelado em Direito) with approximately 2,500 enrolled students, offering comprehensive legal education across civil, criminal, constitutional, labor, and international law disciplines. Students enter through the FUVEST vestibular examination and choose between day and night classes with internship opportunities and scientific initiation.
• Pós-Graduação (Mestrado e Doutorado)

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• JusbrasilcoreTechnology or Integration · 5 August 2026Partnership providing FDUSP students with free access to Jusbrasil's Plano Essencial platform, offering legal database and AI-powered research tools. Students receive individual accounts with non-quota students getting one-year access and quota students (cotistas) receiving access until graduation. The partnership includes AI literacy courses through Lawgorithm.
• Fundação ArcadascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Arcadas Foundation supports the Faculty through various initiatives including the Projeto Memórias (oral history project), student programs, and infrastructure projects like the Adote uma Sala restoration program.
• UNESCO ChaircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Cátedra UNESCO at FDUSP represents an academic chair designation for research and cooperation in specific areas of law.
• Academia Brasileira de Letras (ABL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMeeting with ABL President Merval Pereira to propose joint actions for celebrating the Bicentenary of Legal Courses. Proposals include special ABL session at FDUSP and collaborative book projects. Many ABL members are alumni of FDUSP including Álvares de Azevedo, Castro Alves, and Celso Lafer.
• Instituto Norberto BobbiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitute dedicated to disseminating the multiple dimensions of Norberto Bobbio as a major 20th-century thinker. Organizes publications and events about Bobbio's work including the book 'Escritos sobre fenomenologia e filosofia existencial'.
• Editora ContracorrenteminorOthersPublisher partnership for academic books including works on constitutionalism, phenomenology, and philosophy of law.
• Instituto Brasileiro de Direito e Economia (IBDRE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with IBDRE for the Frente de Pesquisa em Concessões, Parcerias Público-Privadas e Infraestrutura research group focusing on concessions and public-private partnerships.
• Museu Paulista da USPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for organizing exhibitions about the 200-year history of legal courses in Brazil and the contribution of FDUSP to Brazilian nation-building. The partnership aims to create accessible museum exhibitions.
• International Partner UniversitiesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVarious international cooperation agreements and exchange programs managed through the CCinN-FD commission (Comissão de Cooperação Acadêmica Internacional), enabling student and faculty exchanges with universities worldwide.
• FUVESTcoreOthersFDUSP relies on FUVEST (Fundação Universitária para o Vestibular) for student recruitment through the vestibular entrance examination, the most competitive in Brazil. Faculty professor Gustavo Monaco serves as FUVEST's executive director.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Yale Law School: A top-tier global law school with strong emphasis on academic and intellectual rigor. Comparable to FDUSP in producing influential legal scholars and jurists, though operating at a much larger institutional scale.
• Harvard Law School: The most prestigious law school globally and a leading institution in legal education and research. A global benchmark that FDUSP is measured against, though with significantly larger scale, resources, and global reach.

Direct peers

• FGV Direito São Paulo: The São Paulo law school of Fundação Getúlio Vargas, a leading Brazilian private institution with strong emphasis on business and economic law. Competes directly with FDUSP for top students, particularly those interested in corporate, economic, and public policy law.
• PUC Rio Law School: One of Brazil's most prestigious law schools, located in Rio de Janeiro as part of the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro. Directly competes with FDUSP for top Brazilian law students through its traditional law program and serves similar career-oriented legal professionals.
• Insper Direito São Paulo: The law program at Insper, a leading São Paulo private institution focused on business, law, and public policy. Targets similar student demographics as FDUSP with a more interdisciplinary and technology-oriented legal education approach.
• UFMG Faculdade de Direito: The law faculty of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, one of Brazil's top public universities. Directly comparable to FDUSP as a prestigious federal public law school with strong research tradition and traditional legal education model.
• UFRJ Faculdade de Direito: The law faculty of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, one of Brazil's oldest and most respected public law schools. Directly comparable to FDUSP as a prestigious federal public university law school with similar heritage and public funding model.
• PUC Minas Direito: The law school of Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, a major private Brazilian university. Competes with FDUSP for top students across Brazil, offering traditional legal education with strong professional preparation focus.

Regional players

• University of Buenos Aires Law School: Argentina's premier public law school, comparable to FDUSP as a leading Latin American public university law faculty. Operates in a different national market but serves as a regional benchmark for traditional legal scholarship and training.
• UNAM Facultad de Derecho: Mexico's largest and most traditional public law school at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Comparable to FDUSP as a top Latin American public university law faculty with deep historical roots and significant national influence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/de_usp
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9NDadXSLFH3kjaDLl9-9WQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/fdireitousp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/faculdade-de-direito-da-usp
• Instagraminstagram.com/faculdade_de_direito_da_usp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Faculdade de Direito da Usp