If according to the Presidency of the Republic's Writing Manual (Law No. 9.394/96 - Guidelines and Bases of Education), only scholars who complete a doctoral degree by defending a thesis are considered doctors, so why are lawyers, judges and prosecutors treated with the title of doctor?
The title of doctor was granted to lawyers in 1827 by Dom I. According to the law, this title is awarded to those with a bachelor's degree in law who are capable of practicing law in accordance with the requirements, i.e. only those who pass the OAB Bar Exam are considered lawyers. In this case, the title of doctor becomes a pronoun of address and not an academic title.
The first university to grant the title to its graduates was the University of Bologna, in Italy, around the 12th century AD.
Curiosity:
In 1827, when two law courses were established in Brazil, one in Olinda and the other in São Paulo, it was determined that the title of doctor would be conferred on lawyers who obtained a bachelor's degree and subsequently defended a thesis. However, only those who worked in the profession and defended a thesis would be called doctors. Those who only completed the course would only be considered bachelors.
However, having to ask a lawyer whether or not he had defended a thesis and practiced his profession, in order to know whether or not he could be called a doctor, was a factor that generated a lot of discomfort for individuals. As a result, every student who graduated from law school went on to obtain the title of doctor, which became a tradition and continues to this day.
