Lawyers to Watch
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Alan Carrillo
Financial Restructuring
Associate
Carrillo is an associate in the firm’s financial restructuring practice, where he represents debtors, creditors, and committees in chapter 11 proceedings, workouts, and bankruptcy litigation. Before joining Akin Gump, he served as an inaugural law clerk to the Honorable Brantley Starr, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, and as an as- sociate in the Dallas office of another international law firm. At Patrick Henry College, he studied government (concentrating in strategic intelligence), excelled in moot court and debate, and completed an investiga- tions internship with International Justice Mission—a global non-profit organization that protects people in poverty from violence. Now Alan prioritizes in his career pro bono representation, public justice system reform, and local nonprofit advocacy in Dallas.
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Ashley Garcia
Investment Funds
Associate
Ashley Garcia is a member of the firm’s investment management practice and has experience in fund formation, structuring, regulatory compliance and operation of domestic and offshore private investment funds, including private equity, real estate and hedge funds. Her key experience includes representing investment managers in connection with the launch of various private investment funds and assisting with on-going operational and regulatory compliance matters.
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Victor Salcedo
Labor
Associate
Salcedo advises on a range of labor and employment matters. His work extends to: Wage and Hour/Fair Labor Standards Act litigation and counseling, class actions , California labor and employment litigation, wrongful termination matters, Misclassification disputes, payroll record keeping requirements. Representative work: represented a Big 4 accounting company in a Private Attorneys General Act dispute regarding record keeping, assisted a retail and manufacturing global brand in a putative class action dispute regarding employee misclassification, counseled an emergency health care entity in a dispute alleging racial discrimination and hostile work environment, aided a film organization in a lawsuit alleging wrongful termination, retaliation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, represented a major retailer in a wage and hour class action lawsuit.
C. Alvarez Law
Christina Alvarez
Family, Probate
Managing Attorney
Alvarez graduated with her
Juris Doctor from Barry University School of Law in Orlando, FL. While in law school, Ms. Alvarez worked as a Certified Legal Intern for the Department of Children and Families in the 9th Judicial Circuit in Orlando, FL. This allowed her to represent the State’s interest in protecting abused and/or abandoned children under the supervision of licensed attorneys. After receiving her license to practice, Alvarez became Of Counsel at a small Central Florida family law firm where she managed the family law department and maintained her own solo practice. Ms. Alvarez has handled hun- dreds of cases with complex legal issues throughout the Central Florida region particularly in the areas of paternity and dissolutions of marriage.
Colorado Common Cause
Amanda Gonzalez
Elections and Government Transparency
Executive Director
Gonzalez is a connector, advocate, and systems change whose work focuses on creating more inclusive governments, business, and communities. In her time as the executive director at Colorado Common Cause she has lead work to ensure that all Coloradans are able to participate in our democracy. She’s also served as a board member for Focus Points Family Resource Center, the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, the Colorado Lawyers Chapter of the American Constitution Society, New Era Colorado Education Fund, and the Colorado Fiscal Institute. Amanda holds an undergraduate degree (psychology/cognitive science) from Occidental College and a law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.
De Castroverde Law Group
Kimberly Valentin
Personal injury
Attorney
Valentin received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and graduated magnacum laude from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2007. She earned her law degree from the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Kimberly received CALI awards for the top grade in three classes. She joined De Castroverde Law Group as a law clerk in 2010 and has been with the firm ever since. She primarily practices in the area of personal injury litigation. She feels great satisfaction in helping clients who are not familiar with the American legal system and are in much need of an advocate and counselor through the intense and adversarial litigation process.
Fisher Phillips
LaLonnie Gray
Labor and Employment
Associate
LaLonnie represents clients, ranging from small businesses to national companies, in all areas of labor and employment law. She focuses her practice primarily on defending employment related claims in both state and federal courts in California and Colorado and counseling employers on preven- tative measures to avert litigation. LaLonnie regularly defends clients against nationwide class and collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act and related state wage-and-hour laws and representative actions brought under California’s Private Attorneys General Act. She has extensive experience defending equal pay litigation and agency investigations in response to state and federal Commissioner’s Charges.
Greenspoon Marder LLP
Amanda Phillips
Real Estate
Associate
Phillips has distinguished herself as one of the top young women lawyers in the South Florida legal community. As an associate in the Real Estate practice group at Greenspoon Marder, her practice focuses on assisting with the representation of a variety of clients in commercial real estate transactions, including retail, mixed-use, and self-storage. Phillips has worked on numerous million-dollar real estate transactions, including counseling developers and lenders on both commercial and residential properties. As a transactional real estate and banking attorney, her success is achieved when each party reaches favorable terms for her client's, closes a loan or a purchase of property, and allows each party to have a measure of satisfaction. Phillips graduated from the Leadership Broward Class XXXVIII.
Gutierrez Law Group
Patricio J. Gutierrez
Corporate & Business
Founder & Managing Attorney
Patricio J. Gutiérrez is the Founder and Managing Attorney of Gutierrez Law Group PLLC and focuses his practice on corporate and international transactional law. As a business and corporate lawyer, Patricio advises clients on a variety of transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, business formation, corporate financing and private securities, real estate acquisitions, contract drafting and negotiation, and federal trademark registration. He assists domestic and international clients with the creation, governance, and sale of corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, limited partnerships, and other legal entities in the State of Texas. Patricio obtained his Juris Doctor from the SMU Dedman School of Law and earned his B.A. in Political Science from The University of Texas in Austin.
Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP
Melissa A. Barahona
Employment Litigation; Commercial Litigation
Associate
Melissa, an associate at Kasowitz Benson Torres, is one of the nation’s most promising Latinx litigators at a top national law firm. As one of Kasowitz’s most ac- complished rising stars, Melissa has rapidly developed a successful track record of recovering or defending against claims for hundreds of millions of dollars for major companies and prominent senior executives in employment and commercial disputes, showcasing advising on monetary and financial regulation, as well as the financial structuring of transactions and instruments. He holds degrees from Boston University (LL.M., M.A.) Torcuato Di Tella University, (LL.M., Bs. As.), and Pontificia Univer. Catolica Madre y Maestra (LL.B., D.R.).
Uribe Reyes Law
Cristina Uribe Reyes
Immigration
Solo Practioner
Cristina was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and came to the United States when she was two years old. Her passion for immigration law came from her own experience of growing up undoc- umented in the United States. She has since become a citizen of the United States and helped many clients obtain their own citizenship.
Vinson & Elkins LLP
Rafael Alvarado
Finance
Senior Associate
Rafael’s practice focuses on the representation of financial institutions and corporate borrowers in a wide range of commercial lending transactions. He has assisted clients with domestic and international transactions, including syndicated credit facilities, senior and subordinate credit facilities, energy loans, acquisition financings and other leveraged financings.
Yuri Bazan Law
Yuridia Bazan
Personal Injury/Family Law
Principal/Attorney
Yuri Bazán is a bilingual trial lawyer whose practice focuses on family law and personal injury disputes. She was born in Tamaulipas, Mexico and was raised by a single mother in southern Texas. She's a passionate lawyer, business woman, and a single mother herself.