Edilson Takahara is a bricklayer who worked on the facade of a 15-story building in Manaus, performing tile and wall covering replacement services while suspended from a swing stage and rappelling down. On August 17th, he appeared at the Regional Labor Court of the 11th Region, which serves the states of Amazonas and Roraima, to defend his own case in a labor lawsuit, without the presence of a lawyer.
Edilson went up to the podium alone and made an oral argument of approximately ten minutes before the magistrates. This procedural moment is traditionally reserved for lawyers, but he decided to speak directly to the judges without professional representation. Takahara explained that he needed to study the CLT, the Consolidation of Labor Laws, independently to understand his rights and prepare his defense.
The bricklayer acknowledged that the challenge was great, as he needed to overcome the psychological barrier of presenting himself alone in a legal environment. According to him, many people said he would not be able to express himself properly, but even so, he found the courage to go to court and argue his case personally before the magistrates.




