Desembargador extravagante en Bahía entre 1609 y 1617. Schwartz no especifica algunos de los cargos de Bravo, y apunta: 'Bravo was a native of Viana do Castelo. He received a bachelor's degree from Coimbra in 1598 and entered royal service as juiz de fora of Monçäo in 1600. Bravo served in Brazil as desembargador extravagante for six years and returned to Portugal in 1617, where he served first on the High Court of Oporto and then on the Casa de Suplicação. By 1628 Bravo had proven his worth in these offices and on a number of special assignments of a judicial nature. The crown therefore placed him on the cámara of Lisbon as a vereador on June 1628. In 1632 Manoel Jácome Bravo was awarded a benefice in the Order of Christ and in that same year was appointed keeper (guarda-môr) of the Torre do Tombo . Philip IV's. advisers included him in a secret report drawn up in the late 1630's for the Viceroy of Portugal, Dona Margarida, but at that time he was quite sick. He was considered dependable by the Spanish faction in Portugal. (SCHWARTZ, 1973, pp. 86-87). 

Según Marcos G. Sánches, estuvo desempeñando el cargo de desembargador extravagante en Río de Janeiro hacia 1612 y comunicó a Luis de Sousa, hijo de Francisco de Sousa, la extinción de la "Repartição Sul", de la que el hijo de Francisco seria "gobernador". En Rio funcionó como un auténtico "visitador" entrando en conflicto con las autoridades locales y acabó siendo excomulgado por el prelado de Rio, Aborim, según Sanches.