May 19 is the Day of the Law Student and, in commemoration, we interviewed our partner Nelson Raimundo de Figueiredo, from the labour area, who started at the firm as a trainee/student.
BTLAW - What led you to study law?
Nelson: I have always liked reading. And the will to do justice weighed heavily.
BTLAW - During your training and practice as a trainee, how did you choose to specialise in labour law?
Nelson: As a trainee, I worked in the civil and labor areas. The option to focus more on the labour area came naturally, due to the emergence of opportunities and demands.
BTLAW - In your assessment, what are the main challenges a law student faces?
Nelson: The main challenges are (i) reconciling studies with work and (ii) remuneration with tuition fees.
BTLAW - You began your career at Barcellos Tucunduva as a trainee and you are currently a partner in the labour law department, where you have been working for 38 years. How has this trajectory been?
Nelson: As an intern, I worked in the civil and labor areas. After graduating and already enrolled in the OAB as a lawyer, I assisted several partners in different areas for months. When a lawyer left to work for a client's in-house counsel, an opportunity arose for me to take over a client portfolio of my own (civil and labor areas). As I became the only one to handle labour matters, I decided to continue my career, and today I am one of the partners in this area.
BTLAW - And what motivated you to stay in banking rather than exploring other offices?
Nelson: Welcoming, learning, support, internal and client trust, gratitude and especially the pleasure of working here from day one.
Throughout your career at Barcellos Tucunduva, what were your main contributions to the office?
Nelson: In addition to having contributed to the consolidation of the labour area as one of the firm's references, I consider myself, as the oldest former trainee here, an example to students and young lawyers: study, keep up-to-date, "wear the shirt" and believe in your potential, because opportunities may be closer than you can imagine.
BTLAW - What do you perceive as evolution currently, in general terms in the legal market, in relation to the time when you were a trainee?
Nelson: With the near extinction of physical processes and the advancement of the digital world, today legal knowledge is not enough. One has to know the client's "business", allied to a good technological training.
BTLAW - How do you see the new batch of law professionals? Are there differences in young people today to when you were a student?
Nelson: As a student, I believe I read more, reflected more. Today, in an increasingly virtual environment, some "solutions" are found almost instantly, without much reflection. I understand this as an intellectual prejudice.
BTLAW - What would you say to a law student nowadays?
Nelson: As I said before, study, update yourselves, "wear the shirt" and believe in your potential, because opportunities may be closer than you can imagine.
We thank our partner for the inspiring interview and look forward to collaborating with the education of future law professionals!
