Growing up, I’ve came with the idea that we are all destined to meet the one. The idea of making promises to find one another lifetime after lifetime just sounded so romantic to me! Even if I don’t believe in reincarnation, that thought always made me melt and daydream about this great love that I would at some point meet.
Until last week, when it suddenly hit me: Who was I when I made that promise? Who were they? Does it still make sense to even hold on to that binding commitment that we have made to each other – allegedly – lifetimes ago?
For me, a promise into the future meant security. Certainty. It meant being safe and relaxing into the known. I was protected! And isn’t that exactly what we are looking for when we enter into contracts?
However, where once I saw safety, I now saw a limiting constriction.
Who are we when we are making those promises? What are we creating when we are placing upon ourselves binding obligations to another?
Contracts place us in so many situations: marriage, jobs, transactions. If we are constantly evolving and changing, how do we go about it without being limited by the promises of our past self?
How do we transcend into the future to make commitments that are equally contributive to all parties involved throughout all the times?
Is that even possible? I don’t know.
What I know is, I am being invited into looking at contracts and promises in a whole new light. To seek balance between freedom, space for mistakes and the possibility of simply changing my mind. The notion that I should only commit to that which will create greater. Not only for me, but for everyone. To create bonds that will propel us to soar and thrive. To commit under promises that will not be a bondage, a source of control, but a space of respect and honoring of what we can create together: as a couple, business partners or commercial allies.
In that way; maybe, just maybe… all the promises we make to one another will always lead us to a greater tomorrow.
Although I have been talking about being a lawyer ever since I was 7 years old to my parents, when I actually joined Law School at 17, it came as a shock to our outer circle of friends.
“You’re so calm. You should do psychology”.
“Law School?! You should go for something more like you… Architecture or Veterinarian”.
Well, I carried that with me for all Law School and the first years of my career. Extremely lost and doubtful of my choices. I LOVE the law. I love the principles and values that guide society. However, somehow, my qualities as a person, specially being a people-pleaser didn’t match what people would perceive as a successful lawyer.
And I truly was. I used to place so much value on other people’s opinions as if they knew me better than I knew myself. I mean, so much so, my own choices tortured me for years, to the point I was always looking for a way out, which, ironically, only led me to become empowered and certain of the choices I made.
Your Job is to Win!
On my second year of Law School I stumbled upon this TV Show called ‘Shark’. It was about this “sleezy lawyer” who only cared about winning. And he said: “Your job is to win. Justice is God’s problem“.
Now… it sounds really bad, right?! To have that as a some sort of motto.
I was thrilled and shocked at the same time. As a people pleaser who valued honesty, transparency, fairness… being guided by nothing by your own self-interest was preposterous. On the other hand, not giving a f*ck about anyone else’s interest but your client’s was extremely liberating.
Most of my Law School I looked for careers such as Diplomacy, Judge… something that would allow me to consider all sides and ponder about what would be fair. However, as I progressed in Law School and internships, it was clear to me that the lawyer was the one with the biggest “burden”. We had to know and do it all: everyone’s role in the system, all the steps and procedures, make sure everyone was behaving well and following the law and, on top of it, make sure our client got what he wanted from the lawsuit.
I MEAN… that’s my mojo. My jam. Know it all, do it all, be on top of everything and come out winning. So, it was natural for me to choose this path because I love challenging myself and be the best at everything.
With time, and as I gained more experience – specially in such a tough field like Election Law fighting for politicians – that quote made more and more sense. I was fighting for my clients and my job was to win for them!
Mindset of a Bold-Attorney
Now… aspiring to be a bold-attorney is not for the faint of heart. Much less for the lazy.
We are constantly competing against ourselves, which means… we are our greatest and only enemy. Our first and most important task is to know all of our weakness and strengths. We do not want to ever be blindsided.
Great adversaries are our best friends. They’re not enemies (remember? We only have one). We L-O-V-E bold attorneys, specially when they’re on the other side. That’s a rising up opportunity knocking on your door! Next level sh*t.
If you want to stay on top of the game, you have to know the insides and out of the rules and regulations. Leaders are rule benders (not breakers). Therefore, we must know when, what and how much to bend. The Law is our greatest asset. Work with it!
Whenever someone comes with information against you: always be suspicious. Our client is always right, until proven wrong. And even so, he suffered a great injustice. Keep fighting!
“NO” is your coach. Everybody wants to say no to you when you’re thinking outside the box or coloring outside the lines. EMBRACE IT! Sometimes, it takes some of them and some arguments won’t be enough to get them on your side. If it’s a “one rock at a time” kind of building. It’s ok.
Go outside the law. Go into the reasons of being for laws and rules. Learn to think and to argue, even (specially) when you know there’s a no or slight chance of it going your way. The fewer the chances, the harder you have to work. It’s an Art and you’re an artist!
Have fun and love what you do.
I cannot stress this enough. If you don’t enjoy your work. QUIT IT! If you don’t like your career. LEAVE IT!
I struggled so long with my career as a lawyer, which prompted me to go into several coaching classes and courses, self improvement seminars. They all brought me back to the Law.
The harder I tried to let go, the harder I fell in love with because it was all about changing my mindset and give myself the tools to actually create what I am creating now.
I’m not replicating anyone’s pathways. I’m forging my own. I have my own way of going about the Law. I trust my inner compass. I trust my devotion to knowledge, to justice and fairness. Regardless, I know who I’m fighting for. And that’s what makes me the great lawyer I am.
When I believe, when I know… when I MOVE with PURPOSE, I’m unstoppable. And that… is the signature trait of a bold lawyer.
Organização é TU-DO! Eu adoro trabalhar e ser produtiva, com a mesma intensidade que amo NÃO FAZER NADA!
Por querer fazer tudo logo e rápido, sou muito propensa ao burn out (esgotamento/estafamento) e isso faz com que eu repetidamente incorra na mesma lição de que cuidar da minha saúde mental, emocional e física é tão importante quanto produzir e trabalhar.
Um elemento CHAVE disso é a organização, em especial no controle de prazos pra cumprirmos todas nossas responsabilidades cotidianas.
No meu caso, uma técnica que uso pra tudo é engenharia reversa. Eu me planejo de trás pra sempre, partindo do meu objetivo e fazendo o caminho contrário. Isso cabe como uma LUVA no gerenciamento de atividades e prazos – em especial quando administramos muitos processos.
Isso ficou muito mais fácil com o PROJUDI, PJE pois temos um tempo de leitura para intimação que já nos permite uma programação e por isso, fica mais fácil cria uma espécie de Roteiro.
Análise Inicial & Planejamento
Passo 1: Ler a Peça ou Despacho
Passo 2: Análise de Complexidade e Estimativa de Tempo
Qual é o nível de prioridade dessa tarefa?
Como está sua disponibilidade de tempo?
Qual o nível de complexidade da peça?
Qual sua estimativa de tempo necessário para fazer essa petição?
Qual o seu prazo?
Será necessário fazer pesquisas?
Passo 3: Fazer Linha do Tempo
Passo 4: Programar no Calendário/Lembretes com Alarme
Tudo vai variar conforme suas demandas diárias, a velocidade com a qual você pretende conduzir o processo, o nível de complexidade da peça. Por exemplo, uma apelação demanda muito mais que Embargos de Declaração. Se você é mais experiente, talvez não precise de tanto tempo. Talvez queira cumprir o prazo o mais rápido possível e é um processo que tem urgência/prioridade no seu portfólio. Enfim…
Ilustração do Método
Tomemos como exemplo uma simples petição de manifestação nos autos de um Cumprimento de Sentença. Um dos corréus teve penhorado o valor total da obrigação solidária. A sentença não rateou os valores e por isso, ele questiona que deveria incorrer em tão somente no bloqueio de 50% do valor total, solicitando o desbloqueio do restante. O prazo para manifestação é de 15 dias e meu prazo final é 06 de julho de 2021. Como posso organizar isso?
A prioridade é baixa, pois tenho outras atividades mais urgentes que precisam ser cumpridas antes. A peça é simples e não demandará muito tempo, por isso estimo que um intervalo de uma semana é suficiente.
Nossa linha do tempo (engenharia reversa) é:
protocolo na data final;
revisão da peça um dia antes (veja dica final 2);
rascunho com um intervalo de dois dias (veja dica final 3);
pequisa de jurisprudência, doutrina e legislação dois dias antes do primeiro rascunho;
esboço de teses e relatório;
leitura da petição da parte contrária.
Se você não sabe por onde começar…
Em especial quando é algo que eu não sei nem por onde começar, ler a peça e fazer um relatório é FUNDAMENTAL! Quando não sei o que fazer, me dá um certo pânico e isso foi algo que desenvolvi com o tempo – hábito de início de carreira!
Qual o pedido da outra parte?
Quais os seus argumentos?
Isso já delimita e me dá uma noção de qual será meu primeiro passo, por isso, são sempre as primeiras atividades de qualquer roteiro meu.
Melhor Aplicação da Técnica
Essa técnica é especialmente maravilhosa pra contratos volumosos. Já tive contratos mensais com grandes empresas e e assessoria jurídica a município, em que atuamos em todas as demandas do cliente. Essa engenharia reversa foi TUDO pra mim na atuação desses contratos, em especial por me permitir ter espaço na agenda pra LAZER – exercício, meditação, tempo com a família. Enfim, tudo aquilo que é importante para sermos bons profissionais e termos uma vida plena.
Dicas Finais
Se você está começando ou não tem tanta experiência, sempre tente se antecipar, acompanhar o processo, ver o despacho antes mesmo da publicação. Assim, você pode fazer tudo com muita calma.
Se você trabalha sob supervisão, ajuste o intervalo se sua peça precisa ser revisada por seu superior e já informe desde o início quando você pretende submeter a peça para revisão e qual o prazo final quando o fizer.
Entre o esboço e a revisão, tenha um espaço suficiente para refrescar a mente e analisar a peça com outros olhos. Naturalmente, quanto mais complexo e maior seu prazo, maior será esse intervalo.
Inclua tempo na sua rotina pra cuidar de você, pois quanto melhor sua bateria e estado mental, mais fácil e claro tudo será. Deixe um espaço pra cultivar seu bem-estar. Nossos clientes são MUITO importantes, mas sua prioridade é você. Quanto mais feliz e saudável estivermos, melhor os atenderemos!
Equilíbrio é tudo, disciplina é chave e organização é fundamental.
I’m going to admit… I’M OBSESSED. After sitting down and making a very serious and to the minute schedule of my life so I can fit in 6h of daily study (for each hour of class I require around 3h to prepare and go through the material).
Since school is online, study groups last semester was a TOTAL FAIL. I tried my best but all the different time zones make it almost impossible to find good common study time. That’s when I found ‘Study with Me’ videos on YouTube.
I’ve also watched many study techniques that were super helpful and I’ve been trying them to see what works best for me. On my Brazilian Law School, I used to transcribe every class, use outlines and practice exercises.
However, my Masters of Law program is in the US has a total different way of going about it – not to mention a different legal system (common law x civil law). So… IT’S BEEN A JOURNEY.
Here are my favorite videos and I wish it will contribute to you as much as it did for me.
STUDY WITH ME VIDEOS
This was the first channel I ever stumbled upon while looking for Law Students. I love the vibes!
My current favorite. I don’t remember how I found James. He’s so authentic and inspirational!I love his discord server.
I mean… I LOVE THE VIEW!
BOSS VIBES!
I’m obsessed with this table!
STUDY TIPS
I loved this video. Specially because I’m also a fan of prepping one day earlier for class! Takes off the stress.
I LOVED his highlighting tips + notes tips. Changed how I did it!
I’ve been loving this to study the Rules and Codes!
Overall amazing tips with different techniques. First time I heard of Anki + Active Recall!
Practice is HUGE! It’s how I passed the Bar Exam in Brazil! Loved this.
Há alguns anos, eu fiz uma promessa a mim mesma. Não importa aonde eu estivesse, se fosse no inferno, estaria na Presença de Deus. Talvez tenha sido o primeiro momento em que eu entendi que não importa onde eu estivesse fisicamente, conquanto, minha mente ou consciência estivesse em paz. Foi um momento muito importante, pois passei a observar mais meus pensamentos, discernir o que realmente era meu e direcioná-los da maneira que pudesse. Foi também quando aprendi a estar comigo sempre, não importanto quão “feio” era um sentimento que eu estivesse tendo, eu podia abraçar e aceitar pelo que eu estivesse passando e esse é o primeiro passo para mudar qualquer coisa.
Embora não tenha chegado onde almejo, já não lido com ansiedade, falta de clareza. Aprendi que uma prece, uma oração, uma meditação muda MUITA coisa. Aprendi a cultivar minha alegria. Quer as pessoas ao meu redor o fizessem também ou não. Não preciso estar limitada às condições em que me encontro e posso sim, buscar mais pra mim.
Em Janeiro de 2021 me registrei na State Bar of California – Ordem dos Advogados da Califória. É o primeiro passo de ALGUNS… mas só essa pequena vitória já me deixou super feliz!
A inscrição foi bem mais simples do que imaginava:
Fiz a Inscrição no site da State Bar of California. Informações e formulário aqui. Informei todos os meus dados, enviei documentos digitalizados e paguei cerca de R$ 1.200,00 (mil e duzentos reais).
Solicitei uma Certidão a Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil – Seccional Rio de Janeiro, via e-mail. Paguei R$ 60,00 (sessenta reais). A certidão atesta o tempo em que estou inscrita nos quadros (desde 2008, como estagiária), que estou em dias com a anuidade e que nunca sofri nenhuma disciplina.
Recebida a Certidão via correio, solicitei a uma Tradutora Juramentada – que encontrei através da Junta Comercial do meu Estado – que fizesse a tradução do documento. Ela pediu que a Certidão fosse Apostilada (R$ 55,00) e me cobrou R$ 200,00 (duzentos reais) pela tradução.
Apostilei a cópia da Certidão Original, pois não tinha como reconhecer a Assinatura do Secretário Geral da OAB/RJ aqui em Roraima. Ao todo, gastei R$ 70,00 (setenta reais) no Cartório da minha cidade.
Enviei a documentação via FEDEx. Custou R$ 354,00 (trezentos e cinquenta e quatro reais) e demorou HORRORES. Eles me deram um prazo até 31 de dezembro (coletado dia 23 de dezembro). Quando entrei em contato para saber como estava, o pacote sequer havia circulado. Tiveram que abrir um procedimento interno. PÉSSIMO! Não recomendo. Eu enviei só a cópia apostilada e a tradução.
Enviei a Certidão Original via EMS dos Correios por R$116,00 (cento e dezesseis reais). O prazo que eles deram em relação ao FEDEx foi maior, mas mais chegou mais rápido em Los Angeles do que a FEDEx que custa quase 3x mais.
Registro foi revisado e aprovado.
E agora?
Bom, meu próximo passo é fazer o exame chamado Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE).
É um exame de Responsabilidade Profissional, como se fosse a prova de ética – que não sei como está hoje, mas, quando fiz em 2010, consistia em 10 questões junto com as demais todas do Exame da Ordem (que eram 100 questões de múltipla escolha).
Esse MPRE tem 60 questões, mas 10 são só um “teste”. Não conta como ponto!
Honestly, I think it’s so lame to talk about the “bad” things that happened to me. I was always the kind of person to not want to burden others with my problems. And then, I’ve realized I’m stealing people’s opportunity to get to know me.
Yes, I’m super happy and joyful. I can brighten anyone’s day. I am not always like that. Some people look at me and make all sorts of assumptions. How easy I have it. And I do! I’m not going to lie. That isn’t to say I haven’t gone through things in my life.
Sexual abuse, betrayal, depression, feeling lost, anxiousness, being ghosted by someone I was really in love with. I mean, it goes on.
For a while, all of that put me in a cage. I just wanted to be kept safe and secure from any pain. And you know what I’ve learned? It sucks!
Closing yourself of to the world… makes you miss out SO MUCH in life!
I don’t know if it is like this to everyone, but for me… it was really hard to not let that all change me for good. I was so scared of going out into the world again. I was afraid something or someone would steal my joy, so I became very protective of myself. “Ok, let’s go out. But trust NO ONE!”
It took me years to learn… some – most – or all of the things that “people do to you” have very little to do with you. So, it’s not your fault. I’ve blamed the abuse I’ve suffered as a kid on myself FOR YEARS! I mean… really. A 7 yo seduced a grown man? In my head, yes!
I’ve learned that’s very little I can understand about people, but I can know myself. I can’t change others, but I can leave. I can’t demand anything from people, but I can take care of myself. I don’t have to depend on anyone. I can rely on myself and be grateful when I meet people who are willing to respect my boundaries.
I used to be so afraid of… surrendering. Feeling things as deeply as I feel them. Be intensity I truly be… because of my experiences in the world. However, if I conform to it, nothing will ever change. If am not who I am… who will be? Who else can take this part that I was casted by God with but me?
We are irreplaceable. People are irreplaceable. Maybe saying people are is a lie someone told because they were trying to protect their hearts – like I was – and then all the others who were also trying to protect their hearts – like I was – replicated this and tried to turn it into a truth.
But a lie will never be true. As many times as you repeat it.
There’s not another you in the world. And so, if you’re not standing up for yourself, and being who you truly be… then the world will never receive the gift you came to give it. We will never live in the world touched by you, because you didn’t allow yourself to be exposed to it. Isn’t that sad? A world where you aren’t?
Luckily, there’s always tomorrow. There’s always another day. And there is always a crazy one… a misfit… to tell you… whatever you are, whomever you be. You’re precious! Don’t let the world change you, instead… change it by being you. That’s the gift I’ll be asking for this Christmas.
As I finished listening to one of my favorite seminars – Abraham-Hicks – this Mother Theresa quote came along… slightly different from the one by Mr. Keith.
Authors aside. This prompted me into pondering on what might have been the biggest shift to my well being: doing the best that I can regardless.
I make it NO secret that I am a perfeccionist in recovery. And as a good friend told me, the things we were, we might easily be again. So, I’m mindful about this.
I’m grateful for how my search for unatainable perfection pushed me further. It made me ambitious, focused, disciplined, perseverant.
On the other hand, it made me insecure, doubtful, anxious. Can I have all the good stuff without the bad? Taking step by step, I’d say yes!
As a lawyer, our actions affect people’s life directly. It’s a huge responsability. I’m not going to lie… for many years, my desire was to just give up and go do something else. Something easier. I’m glad I didn’t.
Not being a quitter may have exhausted me sometimes, but has also made me face myself in order to become better than I was. And a big part of it was stopping thinking about what others were thinking about me.
There’s a huge danger in measuring ourselves by the others or measure others by ourselves.
Much – if not all – of my negative emotions were all based on comparison! It’s like that Einstein quote:
Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.
The second part of it was giving my best. Always! Regardless if that was not enough or too much for anyone else. AND LOOK! This wasn’t exactly easy for me. I LOVE TO WIN! I also love to please people and be celebrated. I’m a little vain, if we’re calling it like it is!
Adjusting to people getting threated/intimated while also achieving the high expactations I had for myself was… a marathon!
So… I gave it all up.
Now, I’ll celebrate myself, before and despite anyone else. I will give my best – yes! – but not to the point of exhaustion and depletion. I won’t think I’m lazy if I need rest. I won’t think I’m antisocial if I’m just in need of personal alone time. It’s whatever I require.
And mostly… whether I’m not enough or too much for others… I’ll always fully be myself and do the best that I can. As a daughter, sister, student, lawyer, friend and whatever else.
Is that not enough for you? That’s ok. You’re free to go get what you require!
Is that too much for you? That’s ok. I’m free to be everything that I am.
Life is too precious and truly… it passes you by like you can’t imagine. But if we make the most out of each moment, if we’re at a point not too busy to look back, we’ll be happy and proud to know we have given the best we could. At every breath and every moment.
Ever since my first Access Consciousness class in 2016, I’ve always wanted to participate on the Creative Edge call – a monthly subscription with a leading edge conversation on consciousness.
Yesterday, I was on my first call and WOW! I can say it was a culmination that just opened up to SO MUCH MORE. What a gift it is to be aware of the Land of Possibilities, the land beyond time, this month’s theme.
When COVID started, I chose to participate int he 14-Days with Dr. Dain, then the 14 Billion Days Years with him. And from that, the Frack it! week that launched me into space.
I dived deep into seeking the tools to create whatever I perceived was possible and that took me to… Sarah Grandinetti and her ‘My First Date With The Future’ class.
THEN… I took control of the rocketship.
Everything is changing in a speed that has never been before and everything is becoming clear like NEVER before, really. And I’m so grateful for all the people I’ve met on this journey with Sarah. All the people that TRULY have my back, giving me the TOOLS and awareness so that I can choose whatever will create more in my world.
It’s a place from functioning I’ve never experienced before. It all started with a conversation about choosing. Then, moved into acknowledgment… and here, everything started to dynamically shift! YES, THAT IS THE POWER OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT. And I’ve realized how hard it is for me to acknowledge myself and my capacities and how much that limits my world.
I’ve always had big dreams. At one point, I honestly thought they were impossible. That turned all the lights off in my world. I’m happy I’ve learned how to turn them on again. And this time, I’m not doing it alone.
Choosing everyday… the land of possibilities and actualizing them with the ackonowledgment of everything that I am.
Special thanks to Sarah, Kathy, Yolanda, Marco, Cady, Vitória, Kate, Anna, Hope and all the PCC Crew. ADORE YOU! ❤
Hoje tive minha primeira aula OFICIAL do meu Masters of Law na Loyola Law School. Confesso que a primeira semana de orientação acabou comigo.
Eu CHOREI de felicidade, ri, estava extremamente entusiasmada, fiquei assustada. Tive que tirar uma power nap entre uma aula e outra e CLARO, perdi uma orientação porque… né?
Estou MUITO, muito feliz… extremamente grata por tudo e por todos, mas especialmente, por mim mesma. Grata por nunca temer tomar passos, por mais que meus sonhos e alvos pareçam tão distantes ou difíceis. Eu SEI que nada é impossível.
Esse é um dos muitos passos que estou dando na criação do futuro que eu desejo pra mim, que EU sou capaz de perceber, é possível, é atingível. Sou extremamente sortuda por ter tantas pessoas ao meu redor que me celebram, que me encorajam e que, sim duvidam de mim, pra que eu possa olhar e dizer: “você não sabe o que eu sei!”.
Mesmo aqueles tentam nos desmotivar, nos fazer parar – COMO SE FOSSE POSSÍVEL NÉ? – são extremamente contributivos. Você reconhece isso? Eu desejo que sim. E desejo que você nunca deixe de tentar ou escolher algo por ter ouvido algum dia de alguém que você “sonha alto demais” porque…
Pessoas que são loucas o suficientes pra pensar que podem mudar o mundo são as que mudam.
Steve Jobs
De uma criadora de realidades que ainda não existem pra outro…. TAMO JUNTO!
Paula Camila Pinto 