Gustavo and Vinicius met while working in the offices of Ministers at the Supreme Federal Court and began developing academic projects together, such as the research that led to the "Penal Observatory," which involved statistical and content analysis of the habeas corpus granted by the STF in recent years.
Gustavo returned to law in September 2021, following the retirement of Minister Marco Aurélio. In August 2022, Vinicius joined the professional project to establish a law firm bearing both their names and a shared goal: to offer technical and effective legal services based on consistent studies, real-world data, and solid practical experience.
Thus, the firm connects practical legal experience with the academic involvement of its partners, who are professors at universities at the undergraduate, specialization, master’s, and doctoral levels.
“I acknowledge, with satisfaction, that throughout the period in which he served in my Cabinet, occupying the position of Clerk, he stood out for his kindness in dealing with colleagues, carrying out assignmentes with dedication and singular proficiency, in contribution to the national legal system.”
Justice Marco Aurélio
“Dear Gustavo, I have recently reviewed your article “Racial discrimination” and found it most informative […]It is a creative and enlightening argument to explore the use of criminal law as an instrument for the promotion of human rights”
David Harris, Professor, Harvard
The firm also operates in the advisory field, aiming to guide the actions of individuals and legal entities through ongoing consultancy or the preparation of legal opinions.
Additionally, the firm is involved in preparing legal opinions for specific cases, where the academic background of the partners stands out, especially on topics related to their main areas of research and scholarly production. The legal opinion provides theoretical support for the work of partner firms or for inclusion in proceedings, offering legal solutions to the challenges faced.
We believe that precision starts with research. Therefore, we use jurimetrics in the preparation of our legal documents and consistently prioritize research. Gustavo Mascarenhas and Vinícius Vasconcelos are coordinators of the Criminal Precedents Observatory at IDP, a research group dedicated to analyzing, year by year, the criminal jurisprudence of the Supreme Federal Court. We bring this technical approach to all the work we engage in, always combining empirical research with doctrinal content, resulting in precise work.
The firm operates in a pro bono manner, without charging fees for consultancy or litigation, in situations involving human rights violations and serious illegalities committed against vulnerable individuals. Additionally, pro bono work is also provided in cases of significance for establishing legal precedents, especially as amicus curiae, on behalf of representative institutions. The pro bono service will be provided at the partners' discretion, with a decision made before the firm’s involvement in the case.
