For most aspiring lawyers, passing the bar is a taunting hurdle, but one Brazilian named Leon found his way through a back door – literally.
Leon is a stray cat, who first caught the attention of his future employees after sneaking into Brazil's bar association, the Order of Attorneys of Brazil (OAB), to escape the rain in Brasilia. The homeless kitten then stated to hang around the reception, sparking complaints from visitors to the building.
The OAB took an unorthodox route to solve the problem – hiring Leon as a receptionist.
"'To avoid some new complaints the board gave the solution: Hire the cat as an employee… so, now its official this little fellow is responsible for welcoming the newcomers (whether they like it or not)," Jeanette Laredo of the OAB wrote on Instagram.
Laredo shared a photo on Instagram of the blue-eyed cat sporting an official ID card with the title Dr. Leon Advogato, a play on the Portuguese words for lawyer, "advogado," and cat, "gato."
The Instagram post quickly went viral, with more than 11,000 shares and about 30,000 likes. As a reward for his hard work promoting the association, the lucky kitty was promoted to the rank of lawyer with a decision taken by the board of attorneys at the OAB.
A spokesperson for the association later announced that they are finalizing the paperwork to launch an animal rights institute called "Instituto Dr Leon."
"Unfortunately, we cannot house all (the animals), so we will fund the NGOs in town. We will be an example for Brazil (to follow)," the spokesperson said.
