The Firm

When we started practicing criminal law, twenty years ago, the criminal law practice was undergoing a transition period. Traditional criminal law, based on the protection of individual legal rights, such as freedom, life and property/assets, was then beginning to interact with economic criminal law.

Criminal law, as then practiced in Brazil, was focused on individuals, whether victims or perpetrators of crimes against other individuals.

In view of this characteristic, the criminal law practice, as opposed to the practice of civil and commercial law, was always conducted by boutique law firms, in which a small number of lawyers handled directly the cases brought by their clients.

By the end of the 80’s, however, criminal law practice was already expanding to other horizons. New laws, aiming at the protection of collective interests and rights were enacted. The practice of criminal law was no longer concentrated solely on personal and individual injuries, but rather also on damages to collective interests such as the environment, the financial system, the free competition etc.

Economic criminal law rises. Criminal conducts are attributed to administrators and employees of large corporations. Corporations are also the object of investigations and their administrators are often charged with crimes.

It was in this context that our practice developed. We experienced traditional criminal law practice and witnessed the rise and development of economical criminal law practice, acting in many of the largest cases involving crimes of an economic nature in Brazil.

The lesson we learned from our journey is that the challenge in modern criminal law practice resides in understanding the demands and the business of corporations, without loosing sight of the personal nature of the defense. To understand the company and its necessities without forgetting that, ultimately, the charges always befall on a human being.

To be technical without being mechanical.

This is the challenge we propose to overcome.