Project details
Year: 2021 – 2026
Role: Coordinator
Description: Incluir Direito is an affirmative action and professional development initiative established in 2016 by the Centre for the Study of Law Firms (CESA) to address the underrepresentation of Black professionals in Brazil’s legal sector. The project emerged after research commissioned by CESA revealed that Black professionals represented less than 1% of lawyers, partners, and interns in Brazilian law firms.
At the University of São Paulo Law School (USP), the initiative supports Black undergraduate law students admitted through racial quotas, helping bridge the gap between access to higher education and equitable opportunities in the legal profession. Through partnerships between universities, law firms, and civil society organisations, it seeks to overcome structural barriers to professional inclusion. In 2021, I joined the project’s USP branch as an executive coordinator, working alongside Professors Sheila Christina Neder Cerezetti and Flávio Roberto Batista, and colleagues Regina Stela Correa Vieira and Camila Torres Cesar.
At USP, the project offers complementary training in strategic communication, racial relations and law, corporate workplace practices, and career development. Activities include professional mentoring by practising lawyers, English or French language courses, CV preparation, interview simulations, networking opportunities, and participation in recruitment processes at partner law firms. Students also receive financial assistance to purchase professional attire for job interviews.
Impact: During my tenure as coordinator, the initiative at USP benefited 104 Black law students, giving them access to professional training, networks, and opportunities designed to help them enter the legal profession. More than 70% of our students left the project hired by a law firm, and 15% refused job offers to pursue other paths (e.g., international exchange programs).
Incluir Direito has received significant recognition for its contribution to racial equality and diversity in Brazilian legal practice. Its distinctions include the Latin Lawyer Diversity Initiative Award (2018), the São Paulo Municipal Human Rights and Diversity Seal (2021–2022), the 10th Dr. Benedicto Galvão Award from the São Paulo Bar Association’s Racial Equality Commission (2021), and the 18th Innovare Award in the Advocacy category (2021).
The project’s achievements demonstrate the importance of complementing university affirmative action policies with sustained initiatives that expand access to professional networks, training, and employment opportunities for historically underrepresented groups.