These days, having animals at work is becoming increasingly normalized, as many companies are hiring support dogs and cats to keep their workers productive. However, it’s rare that animals are hired as actual full-time staff members, but that’s exactly what a law firm in Brazil just did for a stray cat!

It all started when staffers at the Order of Attorneys of Brazil noticed a stray cat roaming around their firm. They were a little worried about having the cat around, mainly because they feared they might step on him, so the firm came up with a very special idea.

“After a heavy rain, this little guy here seeking shelter from the storm went inside the OAB building (Brazilian equivalent of ABA, American Bar Association) and decided to stay,” explained Dr Jeanette Laredo. “Unfortunately some people started to file some complaints about the fact that at the reception desk there was a stray cat hanging around and trying to make friends with the newcomers. In order to avoid some new complaints the board gave the solution: Hire the cat as an employee.”

The cat, whose name is Leon, was initially hired to greet guests as they entered the building. However, he did so well at this that he was soon promoted to a full-on lawyer! While some employees weren’t happy about this at first (some people just have no sense of humor), most have since come around.

“In February it rains a lot in the state of Amapá (Amazonia),” said Dr. Leon’s representatives. “So he arrived at OAB fleeing from the rain and thunder. For a week, he was fed and protected in a box. Until he got hired. [They said] that there was no space for him because it is a serious institution. So the President [of the OAB] determined the hiring and gave him an employee badge.”

A real rag to riches story of a stray cat to now a full-fledged Instagram star, garnering over 72,000 fans around the world and a law firm employee!