The commencement ceremony of the Residency Program with Access to Post-Graduation in Judicial Practice (PRJud) brought together one hundred and fifteen new law graduates, now residents of the program, at the Superior School of the Judges of the State of Tocantins (Esmat). The ceremony, held on Wednesday (April 10th), was attended by several authorities, including Justice Etelvina Maria Sampaio Felipe, President of the Court of Justice of the State of Tocantins (TJTO), and Judge José Ribamar Mendes Júnior, Deputy Director of Esmat.

Solemnity

In his speech, Judge José Ribamar emphasized the innovative nature of the postgraduate course on the national scene. "It's a postgraduate course, but it's also a practical course, which is not taught at other schools in the way it is at Esmat. The format is different, with theoretical and practical classes, in other words, something different not only in the State of Tocantins," he said.

Judge Alan Martins, President of the Association of Magistrates of the State of Tocantins (Asmeto), praised Esmat for its constant innovation and growth. "Esmat is a model school and a source of pride for all of us from the State of Tocantins, Judges and civil servers, because it has the distinction of being one of the first schools to adapt to the Amendment 45, which changed the system of the Judicial Schools, Esmat never stops growing and innovating," he commented.

In this sense, Alan encouraged the residents to take advantage of this opportunity and expressed his confidence in the potential of everyone. "I'm absolutely certain that these young people are going to deliver a lot and have the potential to respond and match what they set out to do. Otherwise, we hope to share with you, and this exchange is very rich and it will be very useful for your training," he said.

Justice Ângela Issa Haonat, Deputy Director of Esmat, representing Justice Marco Villas Boas, General Director, stressed the importance of ethics, discipline and cordiality in the work of legal residents. 

"More than legal knowledge, what the job [of legal resident] will require of you is behavior, ethics, discipline and cordiality, which are very important." In addition, in his speech he pondered how the judiciary fulfills its social function by offering an opportunity like the legal residency program.

Finally, Justice Etelvina, President of the TJTO, closed the ceremony by declaring that both the Judiciary of the State of Tocantins and the new residents stand to gain from the program, mutually benefiting each other, and highlighted some important values during the exercise and performance of the residency. 

"Dedication, zeal, ethics, discipline and discretion are essential for everyone. They will be dealing with processes involving life, property, freedom and family. We want dedication, hard work, study and commitment from everyone. If everyone here does their best, we'll get a lot out of the course and the postgraduate course.  It is an immense joy for us in the Judiciary to welcome you," she concluded.

Testimonials

Among the testimonials, resident Jordana Pontes stressed the seriousness of the training offered by the program. "The perception of this first day is that everything is always treated with the utmost seriousness, a very good return for those who dedicated themselves to pass the selection and get the job. In the undergraduate program, especially with the pandemic and the suspension of classes and internships, sometimes you don't get as much out of it as you'd hoped, which can be complemented by the postgraduate program, both in practice and in theory. My expectation is to achieve this level of improvement and security in legal practice," she explained.

Willian Fritsch, also a resident, added that his expectations of the program are high. "So far, with all the presentations we've heard today, I feel we're on the right track for quality professional development. I believe that the PRJud will provide us with a very unique experience," he said.

For his part, resident Elson Vitor Lopes Coelho shared his enthusiasm for the opportunities for professional growth and practical application of the knowledge acquired. He said he was "excited about the possibility of applying theoretical knowledge in real situations, under the guidance of experienced professionals. The prospect of learning, not only about the law itself, but also about how to interact with the different actors in the judicial system, is something I consider very valuable."

Presences

Present in the morning were the assistant Judge of the Presidency, Rosa Rossi; the superintendent of the PRJud, judge Roniclay Morais; the coordinator of the postgraduate center of Esmat, Maria Luíza Nascimento; and the co-manager of the Simple Language Program of the TJTO - SimplesTOC, Roberta Maciel.