What were you doing before the MCL?
Before coming to Cambridge for the MCL program, I was working on my PhD in Corporate Law at the University of São while also practising at Mattos Filho, one of Brazil's top law firms. In the firm's Life Sciences practice, I dealt mostly with international agreements, large M&A transactions, and health-tech regulation. Prior to that, I finished my Bachelor of Law degree at the University of São Paulo and earned a graduate degree in management from Fundação Getúlio Vargas. I also had a keen interest in pro bono projects and previously led a year-long research project focused on indigenous people's rights in Brazil.
What were your impressions of the MCL?
In all honesty, the MCL was everything I expected - and a bit more. The MCL offered a distinctive approach to legal scholarship, blending academic rigor with practical, business-oriented teaching. As someone who had been practising law and conducting research before, this proved very beneficial. In fact, the program provides the advantages of small classes in the MCL-specific modules, along with the opportunity to participate in the year-long, denser LLM courses. The shorter MCL modules also allowed me to explore new areas of law that I had not previously delved into, such as international merger control and comparative corporate governance. Additionally, I was highly impressed by the events and seminars organized by the Centre for Corporate and Commercial Law, which provided a special platform to interact with scholars and professionals in the field.
More important, after almost two years of lockdown, I had an incredible time at Cambridge and made friends there that I am sure will last a lifetime.
What are your post-MCL plans and have they changed due to taking the MCL?
After the MCL, I resumed my PhD research and I am now focused on pursuing a career in academia, focusing primarily on corporate law and human rights. The MCL had a huge impact on my decision - not only because of how much I learned at Cambridge, but especially because it showed me how interesting (and fun!) teaching corporate law can be.
