Paulo Valério interviewed about police officers practicing law

The newspaper Público interviewed Paulo Valério, lawyer at VFA and candidate for President of the Portuguese Bar Association (OA) in 2022, regarding a complaint submitted to the OA about two Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP) officers—both holding the rank of chief—who combine their roles in the PSP’s Legal Affairs Office with practicing law. Furthermore, these officers also present themselves (solely) as lawyers on social media platforms like LinkedIn.

On the matter, Paulo Valério clarified:
“The [OA] statute does not allow police officers in this case to practice law privately,” emphasizing that publicizing their services on social media is irrelevant since “they cannot operate in the market.”

You can read the full article here.