The fact is that, with the new laws, with the confidence Mr. Lauro had in me and with the support of Mr. Sampaio, work in the criminal area became intensifying. The work in the civil area taught me a lot and was important to me to have more extensive training. The demand in the criminal field was growing, and soon afterwards, it took over 100% of my time.
I always felt a good criminal lawyer had to work with every type of case. That was how I applied for court appointed attorney positions. I worked in several cases in the criminal courthouse and enrolled to argue before the 1st Jury Court. For me, the jury court has always represented the highest embodiment of criminal law. There is no real and complete criminal lawyer who has not worked there.
I always loved playing soccer, although my talent for the British sport was quite limited. It was playing soccer that I met Leandro Falavigna, an intern in the tax department at Demarest. As the criminal area was growing and I needed an intern, I asked Leandro to work with me. Overcoming the resistance of Demarest, Leandro accepted and changed area. One case in particular left a mark on us in our first stage. It was the case of the aunt of Mr. Antônio Carlos Vianna de Barros, the partner responsible for the labor area at Demarest. Aunt Nica was a praiseworthy woman who lived in Ipauçu. A strong hardworking woman, Aunt Nica worked at a public elementary boarding school and was adored in the quiet town in the State of São Paulo. She devoted much of her 85 years to educating children throughout the area, whose parents had no means to support them. Aunt Nica was murdered by a former student from the school where she used to work. While she slept, she was asphyxiated and stabbed several times. The crime shocked the small city of Ipauçu and the trial had to be relocated to Ourinhos, because of the public commotion that the crime caused. Leandro and I participated in the jury trial as assistants to the prosecution. We returned victorious to São Paulo, and the defendant was convicted to 21 years in prison.
