Official UK Government Listing
A UK FCDO-listed English-speaking law firm in Brazil
ZS Advogados Associados appears on the service the UK government publishes so British nationals abroad can find a lawyer who works in English. This page explains exactly what that listing confirms, what it does not, and how to check it for yourself.
Last reviewed 28 August 2026 · Zachariah Zagol, OAB/SP 351.356
What is the FCDO’s “find a lawyer abroad” service?
The find a professional service abroad service is run by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. It exists so that British nationals overseas can find local professionals who are able to help them in English — lawyers, but also notaries, translators and funeral directors. For each listed lawyer the service publishes the firm’s name, its areas of legal expertise, the regions it serves, an address, and a link to the firm’s own website.
The FCDO is precise about how those lists should be read, and it puts the statement in front of you before it will show you a single name:
“The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office does not accept any liability to any person or company for any financial loss or damage suffered through using these service providers or from the use of this information or from any failure to give information. Our non-exhaustive lists are not recommendations and should not be treated as such.”
Read that carefully, because it does two things at once. It removes any suggestion of endorsement — the lists are not recommendations and should not be treated as such. And it tells you the lists are non-exhaustive, which means capable firms are missing from them. A listing is a verification channel, not a ranking and not a seal of approval. The rest of this page keeps to that distinction.
What the listing means — and what it does not
Being listed tells a UK national one genuinely useful thing before they ever pick up the phone: this is a real, admitted Brazilian law firm that can work with them in English, found through a channel they already trust. Here is the plain reading, in both directions.
| The listing confirms | The listing does not |
|---|---|
| ZS Advogados is admitted to practise law in Brazil and has confirmed to the FCDO that it provides services in English. | Constitute a recommendation or endorsement by the UK government. The FCDO says so explicitly. |
| UK nationals can find and reach the firm through an official government channel rather than an ad or a directory. | Guarantee any outcome in your matter. No lawyer, listed or not, can promise a result. |
| The firm appears alongside other lawyers in Brazil, filterable by area of law and ordered by proximity to a location you enter. | Mean the list is complete. The FCDO describes its lists as non-exhaustive — good firms are missing from it. |
| The entry carries the firm’s own contact details and website, so you can approach it directly. | Replace your own checks. You can and should verify any Brazilian lawyer on the OAB roll yourself. |
Why this matters if you are a UK or US national in Brazil
Finding a lawyer you can trust in another country is hard, and it is one of the places where foreigners are most often taken advantage of. You are usually doing it under time pressure — a property deal, a visa deadline, an inheritance, a company that has to be incorporated before something else can happen — inside a legal system you do not know and, often, in a language you do not read. An official listing narrows that gap. It gives you a starting point that has already been through a government channel, and a firm set up to explain Brazilian law to you in your own language rather than leaving you to translate it.
It does not, and should not, end your own diligence. The FCDO tells you that itself. What it replaces is the worst version of the search: a paid ad, an unverified directory, or a name passed along in an expat group with no way to check whether the person is admitted to practise at all.
US nationals get the benefit too. The FCDO service is a British channel, but the same firm that meets its English-language and qualification bar handles US–Brazil work day to day, including the reporting side — FBAR and FATCA among it — that catches out a lot of Americans holding assets abroad.
How to verify all of this yourself
A firm that asks you to take its credentials on trust is asking the wrong thing. Everything on this page is checkable from two independent public sources, and neither takes more than a few minutes.
1. The FCDO listing
The service is a step-by-step form rather than a fixed page, so there is no single permanent link to any one firm’s entry — including ours. That is a quirk of how the FCDO built it, not something to route around. Here is the exact path:
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Open the service
Go to the FCDO’s "find a professional service abroad" service and choose lawyers as the service type.
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Choose Brazil
Select Brazil from the country list.
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Leave the location blank
The location field is optional. The FCDO’s own hint reads: "Leave blank for an alphabetical list of all lawyers for the whole country." Entering a city instead orders results by proximity to it.
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Select the areas of law
Tick "Select all" to see every listing, or filter by a specific area — the options are Bankruptcy, Corporate, Criminal, Employment, Family, Health, Immigration, Intellectual property, International, Maritime, Personal injury, Real estate and Tax.
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Accept the disclaimer, then read the results
The FCDO asks you to acknowledge its liability statement before it shows the list. The results screen gives each firm’s areas of expertise, the regions it serves, an address and a link to its own website.
Open the FCDO service and check for yourself
2. The Brazilian Bar (OAB)
Every lawyer practising in Brazil holds a public registration number, and the Bar publishes a national roll that anyone can search. Confirm Zachariah Zagol’s standing under OAB/SP 351.356, and co-founding partner Karina Peres Silvério’s under OAB/SP 331.050, on the OAB national lawyer register. This is the check worth doing on any Brazilian lawyer you are considering, listed or not.
About the firm
ZS Advogados Associados
A bilingual (English and Portuguese) boutique firm in Presidente Prudente, São Paulo. It is led by Zachariah Zagol, an American-born lawyer who is the first American admitted to the Brazilian Bar (OAB/SP 351.356) by way of the Exame de Ordem. He holds an LL.M. in International Law and Real Estate Law from USC Gould School of Law, has practised in Brazil for more than eighteen years, and is a native English speaker. Co-founding partner Karina Peres Silvério is registered under OAB/SP 331.050.
The practice concentrates on the work international and expatriate clients actually need: immigration and residence, real estate purchases and due diligence, estate planning and probate, and cross-border US–Brazil matters including company formation.
Rua Vicente Furlanetto, 765 — Jd. Rio 400, 19053-250 Presidente Prudente/SP
+55 18 3908-1653
·
contato@zsassociados.com
Common questions
Is ZS Advogados endorsed or recommended by the UK government?
No. The firm is listed on the FCDO’s "find a professional service abroad" service, which the UK government publishes so British nationals overseas can locate lawyers who work in English. The FCDO states that its lists are non-exhaustive, that they are not recommendations and should not be treated as such, and that it accepts no liability for the services provided. The listing confirms that this is an admitted Brazilian practice that has told the FCDO it works in English, reachable through an official channel. It confirms nothing beyond that.
How do I find an English-speaking lawyer in Brazil through the UK government?
Open the FCDO’s "find a professional service abroad" service, choose lawyers, then choose Brazil. The location field is optional — leaving it blank returns an alphabetical list of all listed lawyers for the whole country, while entering a city orders the results by proximity. You then pick the areas of law you need and acknowledge the FCDO’s liability statement before the list appears. Each entry shows the firm’s areas of expertise, the regions it serves, an address and a link to its website.
Can the firm help US citizens, not just UK nationals?
Yes. The FCDO service is a British government channel, but ZS Advogados acts for both UK and US clients. For Americans that includes cross-border US–Brazil work and the US tax-reporting considerations — FBAR and FATCA among them — that apply to US citizens holding assets abroad. The firm’s founding partner is American-born and a native English speaker.
How do I verify that Zachariah Zagol is a licensed Brazilian lawyer?
Every lawyer practising in Brazil holds a public OAB registration. Look up OAB/SP 351.356 on the Brazilian Bar’s national roll at cna.oab.org.br, which lets anyone confirm a lawyer’s name, number and standing. The firm’s co-founding partner, Karina Peres Silvério, is registered under OAB/SP 331.050 and can be checked the same way.
What areas of law does ZS Advogados handle for foreign clients?
Immigration and residence, real estate purchases and due diligence, estate planning and probate, cross-border US–Brazil matters, and company formation — in English or Portuguese.
Does being on the FCDO list mean the firm is the only option, or the best one?
Neither. The FCDO describes its lists as non-exhaustive, which means capable firms are absent from them, and it does not rank or rate the firms it lists. The right use of the list is as a starting point that has been through an official channel — then you do your own checks on qualification, language, relevant experience and fees before you engage anyone.
This page is general information about a public government listing. It is not legal advice and it does not create a lawyer–client relationship. Inclusion on an FCDO list is not a recommendation or endorsement by the UK government, and the FCDO accepts no liability for the services provided. No outcome in any legal matter can be guaranteed. If any detail shown on the FCDO service, or on this page, is incorrect or out of date, please tell us so we can have it corrected.
Speak to the firm in English
If you are a UK or US national with a legal question in Brazil, you can write to us in English and reach a lawyer directly — no translator, no intermediary.