The Postgraduate program of the Law School (PPGD) of the University of São Paulo (FDUSP), linked to the Pro-Rectorate of graduate studies of USP (University of São Paulo), was established in 1970, through the then Professor Miguel Reale’s decree gr n.1.211, dated June 15 and it has been in uninterrupted activity, since 1971. It is the oldest Law Post–graduation Program in operation in Brazil, after the reformulation of the “Parecer Sucupira”, (Sucupira Opinion) in 1965.
Over its almost 50 years, it has founded and disseminated the postgraduate studies in Law in Brazil and many of its graduates participated actively in the foundation of several Postgraduate Programs in our Country, which highlights its function of contributing to the formation of a qualified staff in any of the different legal professions. It is, therefore, a breeding ground for teachers and Legal researchers, either by its seniority or by the good quality of its academic career production.
In this sense, the Program follows the pioneering Law School from the University of São Paulo (USP), which was founded on August 11, 1827, located, since then, in the Largo de São Francisco, in the old center of the city of São Paulo, which is about to celebrate 200 years of existence. Its creation was contemporary with the Olinda Faculty of Law, in the State of Pernambuco and has brought to Brazil, the geopolitical heart for Brazilian legal studies, which were then concentrated in the University of Coimbra, in Portugal. From that initial milestone, the Legal knowledge was spread, forming cadres to make up the Brazilian legal and political strata, as well as other Law Schools have been created in the Country, at the various levels, such as the Law School, in Rio de Janeiro, in 1882 (current UFRJ), in Minas Gerais, in 1892 (current UFMG), in Pará, in 1902 (current UFPA), in Ceará, in 1903 (current UFC), in Paraná in 1912 (current UFPR) and in Paraíba, in 1949 (current UFPB). Currently, 05 out of the 11 Associate Justices of the STF were students or have now teaching links with USP Law School and with the PPGD.
In spite of all their traditions, both the PPGD and the Law School (USP) are bang up to date, producing knowledge, towards solving national problems, within the wide range of the legal science, related to their areas, lines and research projects.
It is a very relevant Program in the national scene, due to its historical importance and the up –to–date studies, as it was recognized by CAPES, that assigned a score 6 in the last four-year period, which was the highest score awarded in the Area, throughout the entire history of the assessment.
In the national scene, the Program follows the same prominence attributed to the Law School in the national rankings, such as the Ranking Universitario da Folha (RUF), which placed it 10th in Brazil.
It is also worth mentioning the prominence of the USP Law School in the international scene, as it is shown by the QS World University Ranking by Subject 2020, which has ranked the USP Law School as the 47th best law school in the world and ranked the 2nd best in Latin America, after the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile (UC/Chile).
