The Professor's Story

Arnoldo Wald actively takes part in the conception, development, and consolidation of the theory on the application of inflation adjustment (correção monetária) in Brazilian law, contributing to the topic in academic, legislative, and case-law settings.

After graduating from the Faculdade Nacional de Direito at the Universidade do Brasil (now UFRJ), Arnoldo Wald founds the firm in Rio de Janeiro.

At the age of 24, he earns his doctoral degree with the thesis "A cláusula de escala móvel" (The Sliding Scale Clause), under the supervision of San Tiago Dantas.

Arnoldo Wald is appointed Prosecutor General of Justice of Guanabara by the State Governor, Negrão de Lima, remaining in the position until 1967, a period during which he stepped away from legal practice.

At the age of 34, he earned the title of full professor of Civil Law at the then Universidade do Estado da Guanabara, today the Faculdade de Direito at the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). That same year, he was awarded the Medal of Military Legal Merit, granted by the Superior Military Court.

After stepping down as Prosecutor General of Justice, Arnoldo Wald is invited to represent the State of Pará on the Federal Council of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB), then headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, a position he holds until 1986 and which allows him to take part in the discussions surrounding the drafting of the preliminary bill for the Civil Code, coordinated by Prof. Miguel Reale and enacted into law decades later, in 2002. Around this time, Arnoldo Wald returns to the firm and begins to focus his professional career on private practice, alongside his academic work. From this decade on, he becomes involved in numerous prominent corporate and banking disputes. He also actively contributes to the introduction of leasing into Brazilian law, drawing on his experience with French law from the period when he had taught in Paris, years earlier.

In the early 1980s, Arnoldo Wald takes part in his first international arbitration. The dispute is seated in Paris, and the firm assists the Brazilian company Brasoil (a Petrobras subsidiary) against Libyan state-owned companies, in a controversy over the excavation and construction of water wells in Africa. This takes place roughly two decades before the enactment of the Brazilian Arbitration Act, when this method of dispute resolution was still very little known and practiced in the country.

Arnoldo Wald serves as rapporteur of the legal opinion approved by the full Federal Council of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) on the Civil Code Bill.

Arnoldo Wald is appointed chairman of the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) by the Minister of Finance, Maílson da Nóbrega, a position he holds for two years, during which he once again steps away from the firm. Leadership of the firm is taken over by two of his sons, Alexandre Wald and Arnoldo Wald Filho.

He returns to teach, as a visiting professor of Comparative Law, at the Faculdade de Direito de Paris II, at the invitation of the president of the Association Henri Capitant, Roger Houin, chair of Commercial Law, and of the lawyer and professor of Banking Law Michel Vasseur. During his new stay in the French capital, he becomes friends with Philippe Fouchard, a leading authority on international arbitration, who inspires him to delve deeper into this method of dispute resolution, still little known in Brazil at the time and whose spread benefited significantly from his contribution.

The firm's headquarters is moved to the city of São Paulo, due to the concentration of financial institutions' headquarters in the capital. The team has around 20 lawyers, a large size for the time.

Arnoldo Wald serves as rapporteur of the commission responsible for drafting the preliminary bill of the Writ of Mandamus Act, which gave rise to Lei nº 12.016/2009.

He earns the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Paris II, awarded to those who have distinguished themselves in a singular way through their outstanding contribution to their field.

Arnoldo Wald is appointed by the Minister of Justice as chairman of the commission responsible for the preliminary bill of the Limited Liability Company Act, which gave rise to Lei nº 12.441/2011.

Arnoldo Wald receives the Collar of Merit from the Public Prosecutor's Office of the State of Rio de Janeiro.

Arnoldo Wald, as Brazil's representative on the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), successfully defends, before the Federal Supreme Court (STF), the constitutionality of the Brazilian Arbitration Act, in 1997. This is a landmark ruling that dispelled the doubts undermining the practice of arbitration in Brazil, thereby enabling its effective spread throughout the country.

The second work in tribute to Arnoldo Wald is published, coordinated by professors Diogo Leite de Campos, Gilmar Ferreira Mendes, and Ives Gandra da Silva Martins.

Arnoldo Wald receives the title of Emeritus Associate of the São Paulo Bar Institute (IASP), in recognition of the significant services rendered to the Institute, the legal profession, the study and advancement of Law, and the better administration of Justice.

Arnoldo Wald receives, from the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) at the national level, the Sobral Pinto Medal, for his notable legal career in defense of democratic freedoms.

The prestigious publication Latin Lawyer grants Arnoldo Wald the Lifetime Achievement award, for more than six decades at the forefront of the legal profession.

In recognition of the services rendered to Brazil in the legal field, Arnoldo Wald receives the Barão de Ramalho Award from the São Paulo Bar Institute (IASP).

A collective work, coordinated by Arnoldo Wald and Selma Ferreira Lemes, is published celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Brazilian Arbitration Act, analyzing the history, legislation, scholarship, and case law related to the institute.

Professors Fabio Ulhoa Coelho, Gustavo Tepedino, and Selma Ferreira Lemes coordinate the launch of the 3rd publication in tribute to Arnoldo Wald.