Three years ago, leaders at some of Brazil’s top law firms got together to discuss a serious shortcoming: the severe underrepresentation of Afro-Brazilians in the legal profession. More than half of Brazil’s 210 million inhabitants self-identify as Black, yet Afro-Brazilians accounted for only 2% of lawyers at the country’s largest firms.

In 2019, nine Brazilian law firms formed the Legal Alliance for Racial Equity, with the goal of increasing the number of Afro-Brazilians in the legal field. One of those firms, Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr e Quiroga Advogados, has focused on recruiting Black law students as interns whose mentorship by partners is closely monitored by human resources to ensure a sense of belonging. Mattos Filho has selected 33 Black law students to participate in its mentorship program so far, while also growing the firm’s ranks of Black lawyers to more than 20 compared with just two Black lawyers on staff three years ago. Firm managing partner Roberto Quiroga says clients are already asking for tips on how they, too, can hire more Black professionals. “We know that when it comes to racial equity in the country, there is a long way to go, but Mattos Filho remains focused on the purpose of building a more just and egalitarian society,” Quiroga said.