The famous jurist in the financial markets area, lawyer Ary Oswaldo Matos Filho, died on Monday evening at the age of 85, due to lung problems. A licensed partner of the firm that bears his title, Ary Oswaldo has been known since 2002 for his role as a school professor, to which he dedicated the Faculty of Law of the Fundação Getulio Vargas in São Paulo (FGV-SP).
The lawyer was also President of the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM), served as a judge in the Administrative Tribunal of Taxes and Fees of the State of São Paulo (TIT), was a member of the National Monetary Council (CMN) and Chairman of the Federal Commission for Financial Reform.
He received his doctorate in tax law from the University of São Paulo (USP) in 1973, and completed a post-doctoral degree at Harvard Law School, in the United States, in 1984. Years later, in 1992, he and three other partners founded the law firm that would become one of the largest law firms in the country. In an interview about the beginning of this project, he said: “We learned how to fix the plane on the fly. We were never afraid to do or expand spaces or invest in the office. That’s a quality: you either believe in what you’re doing, or you become timid and things don’t move forward.”
He also stressed that institutionalization and depersonalization are essential to enhance the organic growth of the office. “We are a completely democratic organization, where each partner has one vote. We are an association of common interests between partners, lawyers, trainees and other professionals, all working for a common cause. We have been able to create an environment where people respect each other and find the main reason to live professionally.”
Through a note, the office announced the death: “The lawyer and professor Dr. Ari left us a legacy of great learning, entrepreneurship and generosity. The office extends its full solidarity to his three children, Rebecca, Ari Eduardo and Helena. The time and place of the funeral and burial will be announced in due course.”