Proletariado jurídico: a precarização dos advogados associados nas sociedades advocatícias

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the precarization of work among associate lawyers in Brazil, who carry out their activities in law firms, based on the hypothesis that this particular category performs fragmented, specialized work affected by the deregulation of social legislation, following the logic of post-Fordist work models in the context of the productive restructuring of capital. The research adopts a qualitative approach, utilizing participant observation and semi-structured interviews to understand the working conditions, hierarchical relationships, and the socioeconomic and subjective impacts of this type of employment. The study highlights how the flexibilization of labor relations, the commodification of the legal profession, and the expansion of legal education have contributed to the intensification of precarization in the legal market, based on a theoretical framework grounded in the sociology of work and the Marxist theory of value. Although formally autonomous, associate lawyers face subordination, exhausting work hours, and a lack of labor guarantees, creating a scenario of exploitation that reflects the neoliberal dynamics of deregulation and flexible capital accumulation. Finally, the dissertation addresses the segmentation of the legal profession, the hierarchies within law firms, and the impacts of precarization on the subjectivity of professionals.