Press Release
Project Incluir Direito wins Innovare Award
Lefosse is part of the initiative to promote a more diverse and inclusive legal environment
Incluir Direito project is the winner of the 18th edition of the Innovare Award in the Advocacia category. The initiative encourages the participation of afro-descendant professionals in legal practices in Brazil. The award was released today, December 7th.
Lefosse is among 27 law firms that sponsor the project, which is organized by CESA (Center for the Study of Law Firms). The idea originated in 2016 after a survey by CESA among its members found that only 1% of black lawyers were in the most important positions in law firms the country.
“The project fosters an environment in law firms that is increasingly diverse and inclusive, supporting the development of legal careers by black and mixed-race professionals. Diversity allows the analysis and application of the law under different and broad perspectives”, explained Aloizio Lima, who is a partner at Lefosse, advisor at CESA and one of the coordinators of the Incluir Direito Project.
In addition to hiring and getting people into the job market, the sponsoring firms provide legal interns with career development and growth.
By 2021, Lefosse has already hired 17 professionals within the Incluir Direito Project. This year alone, three of these young people were promoted: one of them went from a legal intern to a legal assistant, another from legal intern to legal assistant and the third is already working as a lawyer.
Rodrigo Junqueira, managing partner at Lefosse, stresses the importance of the initiative and its alignment with the firm’s culture. “We believe in diversity, inclusion and respect as guiding values for each relationship established here. We remain committed to building an increasingly plural environment.”
Through Lefosse Plural, the firm promotes and supports equality between people from different races, people with disabilities (PCD) and gender equality. The firm was the first signatory on the Letter of Commitment for Racial Equality by the Afro-Brazilian Institute of Higher Education (Afrobras). It is also part of the Legal Alliance for Racial Equity – a partnership between FGV Law and the largest law firms in the country to promote racial equality in the legal profession. In addition, Lefosse joined the ‘10 Company Commitments to the Promotion of LGBTQIA+ Rights’ and in 2019 received the ‘Chambers Diversity Inclusion’ award by Chambers and Partners.
About Lefosse Advogados
Lefosse Advogados is a full-service law firm that offers specialized consultancy in all legal practices. The firm has a substantial amount of experience in sophisticated legal services in national and international business. Lefosse employs more than 300 professionals in the legal body and is recognized in the main rankings and global legal awards such as Chambers Brazil 2021, The Legal 500 and Elite Office 2021 by Latin Lawyer. Lefosse’s business is built on diversity and our professionals have extensive experience in strategic markets. The firm adopts a multidisciplinary practical approach in the areas of law.
Practices: Corporate and M&A, Capital Markets, Tax, Banking and Finance, Private Equity, Compliance, Real Estate, Wealth Planning, Restructuring and Insolvency, Dispute Resolution and Arbitration, Labour, Competition and Antitrust, Tech, Data Protection and IP, Anti-Corruption and Regulatory Investigation, Environmental, Public Law and Regulation, Corporate Penalty, Energy and Infrastructure, Investment Funds and Oil and Gas.
