The Brazil Area of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society held an inspiring area conference in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, during the weekend of August 23 -24, 2024. The two-day event kicked off with a visit to the open house for the Salvador temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, followed by a tour of the beautiful historic coastal city. The formal program Friday was held in the Bar Association building under the direction of Odacyr Prigol, Brazil Area Chair, and Liliam Cavalcanti, Chapter Chair of the Brazil Salvador Bahia Chapter.
The program emphasized the importance of religious freedom and human dignity for all and featured speakers from the Brazilian government and judiciary. Speakers included a labor judge from Bahia, Dr. Aloisio Cristovam, as well as Dr. Christiane Gurgel, the Vice President of the OAB, Bahia Bar Association. The conference was also attended by the Women Lawyers Commission and the Special Commission to Combat Religious Intolerance from the Bahia Bar Association.
David Garner, JRCLS International Chair, sent a pre-recorded message about the importance and mission of the Society, and Dean Brockbank spoke about his personal experience of religious liberty and its significance.
JRCLS members from across Brazil attended the conference, including members from the states of Bahia, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco and Paraná to attend. Dean Brockbank, Area Legal Counsel for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Nancy Van Slooten, Associate Area Legal Counsel, also attended.
As an integral part of Brazilian chapters is service to their fellow men, conference participants visited the Tereza Cristina municipal school where children from less privileged families attend. JRCLS members talked with the children about setting goals, entrepreneurship, and the importance of education and professional training. JRCLS participants also shared their own life journeys and how decisions they made since elementary school impacted their life. The children were inspired by the members’ testimonials on how studying law made a difference in their lives and the lives of their families and the community.
On Saturday evening, attendees were given the opportunity to return to the temple open house and, at the invitation of Dr. Cristovam, 30 local judges toured the temple. The tour visitors were interested and engaged as they learned of the important work performed in the temple, with many lingering at the tour to ask more questions.
The conference was a tremendous success, not only in raising the profile of the Law Society in Brazil but also strengthening the leadership of the Brazil Chapters.
About the Author
Cynthia began her legal career in the Department of Justice Attorney General Honors Program. She was a longtime Adjunct Professor at Southwestern University School of Law, where she taught for 18 years. She also frequently lectures on corporate immigration, and as a thought leader in the industry she has written numerous articles on business immigration law matters. She has chaired the Practicing Law Institute’s (PLI) Annual Immigration Symposium for more than a decade.
As a senior leader at Fragomen and a member of the Worldwide Executive Committee, Cynthia helped grow the firm into the largest immigration law firm in the world. She excelled at building global programs for multinational organizations, allowing them to move their talent around the globe. Cynthia led many initiatives at her firm, including serving as the Managing Partner of the firm’s Silicon Valley practice for over 16 years where she built and led an all-minority women leadership team. She also served on the firm’s worldwide Executive Committee for many years and created and lead the firm’s I-9 Service Center. Cynthia is enthusiastic about mentoring and growing people.
Cynthia is a frequent speaker and has received numerous awards and recognitions. Cynthia has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, Who’s Who Legal, Super Lawyers, and is AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell among others.
In 2011 Cynthia was awarded the Franklin S. Richards Pro Bono Community Service Award from the J. Reuben Clark Law Society Worldwide organization “for granting access to the justice system to those who, but for your representation, may have been denied such access.”
Cynthia is currently a government affairs representative for Latter-day Saint Charities and the International Center for Law and Religion Studies and represents them before the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC.
