The Public Defender's Office of the State of São Paulo turns 20 on Friday (9), established as a key institution for access to justice, yet facing criticism for corporatist practices and administrative centralization.
The Public Defender's Office of the State of São Paulo, responsible for free legal assistance to those unable to afford lawyers, celebrates 20 years of existence on January 9, 2026. Born from mobilizations by over 400 social movements and human rights activists, the institution emerged as an innovation to democratize justice, with mechanisms like an external ombudsman and social participation, as discussed in meetings held in places like the Center for Human Rights and Popular Education in Campo Limpo.
Over the two decades, the Defensoria has expanded its reach across the state, handling over 30 million cases from 2007 to 2025, with 2.6 million in the last year alone. It has become a model for other states, acting in areas such as human rights, housing, health, and police violence. Examples include a 2021 action to vaccinate prisoners against the coronavirus, a 2023 suit to facilitate legal abortion access, and 2025 judicialization of evictions in the Moinho favela.
However, internal tensions mark the anniversary. Under the management of Luciana Jordão, appointed in 2024 by Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos), a bill approved by the Alesp in August 2025 created the Gade (Structural Demands Advisory Group), which sets parameters for collective actions. Critics, like FGV Direito SP professor Luciana Gross, see this as centralization that reduces the autonomy of specialized nuclei and weakens dialogue with social movements. "The Defensoria makes a difference in São Paulo today, but we perceive a strong growth of a corporatist spirit," says Gross.
The bill also establishes 140 new positions and compensations for difficult conditions, with a financial impact of R$ 36.9 million in 2025, R$ 99.2 million in 2026, and R$ 169 million in 2027, within a total 2025 budget of R$ 1.4 billion. The institution has 848 defenders and has expanded benefits like quinquenios and leaves, which Enap researcher Rafael Viegas criticizes as emulating immoral practices from other careers.
Other controversies include an April 2025 rule requiring chief authorization for media interactions and interruptions of YouTube meeting streams, sparking clashes like that between ombudsman-general Camila Marques and deputy defender Bruna Simões: "I chose not to respond to the ombudsman-general because she said she doesn't dialogue with me," Simões stated.
The Defensoria denies loss of autonomy and states that changes address growing demand, investing in technology and training. "The biggest challenge is to preserve this foundational spirit and the bond with social movements," warns Marques, stressing the need for innovation without barriers to justice access.
