BCALFAT Advogados

Vera Lúcia Lima

Vera Lúcia Lima holds a law degree from the Catholic University of Petrópolis (Faculdade Católica de Petrópolis) and has completed the programs of Comparative Law at the Complutense University of Madrid and Criminal Sciences at the University of Seville, both in Spain.

She joined Bruno Calfat Advogados as a consulting partner in April 2025, after 28 years dedicated to the federal magistracy, serving as a Federal Appellate Judge at the Federal Regional Court of the 2nd Region (TRF2) from 1997 to 2025.

She was appointed as Federal Appellate Judge through the constitutional procedure established in Article 94 of the Brazilian Federal Constitution (known as the “Quinto Constitutional”), to a seat reserved for former members of Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office. She began her judicial service with the First Panel of TRF2 and later joined the Fifth Panel in August 1998.

Vera Lúcia Lima was designated by TRF2 as Titular Judge at the Regional Electoral Court of the State of Rio de Janeiro (2005-2007); served as a member of the Court’s Administrative Council (2009-2011); Vice President of TRF2 (2009-2011); member of the Special Body (“Órgão Especial”) (2014-2025); and President of the Fifth and Eighth Panels of TRF2.

She is a member of the Brazilian Association of Federal Judges (“Associação dos Juízes Federais do Brasil” – AJUFE) since 1997.

Before her tenure in the federal magistracy, she served as a Federal Public Prosecutor from 1984 to 1997. In 1986, she participated in the Federal Judge Selection Committee, and in 1987, she was a member of the Penitentiary Council of the State of Rio de Janeiro. She served as Chief Federal Public Prosecutor for the Campos and Niterói offices, later becoming a Regional Federal Prosecutor in the Fourth Panel of TRF2.

Her legal career began in private practice before entering the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office. She was a member of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) branch of Nova Friburgo, where she served as Secretary of the Board and as a member of the Human Rights Commission.

She was awarded several honors, including the Commemorative Coin from the National Association of Federal Police Delegates (2023); the Judicial Merit Medal from TRF2 (2021); the Medal of Merit from the Court of Accounts of the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro (2014); the Medal of Honor from AJUFE and the Association of Federal Judges of the States of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo (AJUFERJES) (2011); the Order of Naval Merit Medal and Commander’s Diploma from the Brazilian Navy (2005); the Tamandaré Merit Medal from the Brazilian Navy (2002); and the “Don Quixote de La Mancha” Trophy from the Justiça e Cidadania Magazine (2000).

Possesses publications in specialized legal journals, including the Revista Dialética de Direito Tributário, Revista Ibero-americana de Direito Público, Revista de Jurisprudência do TRF2, INFOJUR – Informativo de Jurisprudência, and the Revista da Escola de Magistratura Regional Federal da 2ª Região.

She was a visiting researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law in Germany (1990-1991), where she conducted research on “Mistake of Fact and Prohibition” and participated in various seminars.

She also participated in the Seminar on Criminal Procedure at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg in 1991, about “The Criminal Procedure from the Defense Perspective” (Das Strafverfahren aus der Sicht der Verteidigung).

Vera Lúcia Lima is a member of the Brazilian Bar Association, Rio de Janeiro State Section.

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