Top Latino Lawyers
Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner
Benny Agosto Jr.
Personal Injury & Business Litigation
Managing Partner
Benny Agosto, Jr., a partner with Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner. He was born in New York City and raised in Puerto Rico. Some areas of practice inlude: Workplace Accidents, Personal Injury, Catastrophic Injuries, Wrongful Death, Product Defects and Business Litigation.
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Eric Muñoz
Corporate
Partner
Eric Muñoz works with clients regarding debt issuance, maintenance and repayment.
He also advises on debt covenant compliance and transaction structuring. Most recently, he has advised on recapitalizations to reduce debt and extend debt maturities, on structuring and issuing secured and unsecured debt, and on acquisition financing.Prior to his legal career, Eric held management positions in the health care and technology sectors. This background helps him understand strains on management, real-world implications of legal requirements and the impact of budget constraints.
Angel L. Reyes & Associates, P.C.
Angel Reyes
Personal Injury
President
Angel Reyes is Founder and Managing Partner of the law firm Reyes Browne Reilley. He began his legal career on Wall Street, subsequently relocated to Dallas, Texas and opened his law firm. Since 1993, Angel has helped over 40,000 injury victims receive over $1 billion in compensation for their injuries. Angel was named to the 2008-2021 Texas Monthly Super Lawyers list, the top honor issued to the best lawyers in Texas. Angel is often quoted by newspapers and periodicals throughout the country, and is a frequent guest on both national and local television and radio shows.
Armstrong Teasdale
Rafael X. Zahralddin
Corporate and Commercial Litigation
Partner
Rafael Zahralddin is a Shareholder, Director, and Practice Chair at Elliott Greenleaf. He founded the Elliott Greenleaf Delaware office in 2007, which specializes in business law. He is a litigator and advises businesses in compliance, corporate formation, corporate governance, insolvency, distressed M&A, commercial transactions, cyber law, regulatory actions, and cross border issues. He regu- larly represents a variety of Fortune 500 companies, with experience as national bankruptcy counsel and in complex commercial litigation. He received the Delaware State Bar Association’s MJL “Excellence in Community Service Award” in 2016. He is a National Association of Corporate Directors Governance Fellow and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
Carmen Rosas Law
Carmen Rosas
Estate Planning and Business Law
Founder & Principal Attorney
Carmen’s comparison studies of the U.S. legal system and tribal systems in New Zealand, as well as her interest in policy change, led her to law school. Following this inspiration, she grew her legal skills and worked with three prominent Bay Area law firms while also volunteering with the Pro Bono Project of Silicon Valley. Today she is the founder and lead counsel of Carmen Rosas Law where she empowers women to take back control of their money, desires and life. Carmen’s unique approach to estate planning blends personalized, intuitive coaching with trusted legal advice to finally give women, especially Latina women, the chance to be seen and heard by an attorney who looks like them and gets it. Carmen has been featured in The Huffington Post, Forbes, The Penny Hoarder, Mamiverse, Modern Latina, and Blogs By Latinas where she shares her guidance and legal advice with women around the country.
Colorado Insurance Law Center
Damian Arguello
Insurance Law
Principal Attorney
Damian J. Arguello is the founder and Principal Attorney of Colorado Insurance Law Center, a private law firm representing insurance policyholders and providing insurance-related expert witness services. Damian is a former claims manager and counsels businesses, individuals, other attorneys, and insurance brokers on insurance matters. Damian is also an adjunct professor of insurance law at both the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and the University of Colorado Law School. He writes and speaks frequently on insurance and risk management matters.
Cozen O'Connor
Leslie Gomez
Institutional Response Group
Vice Chair and Member
Leslie works directly with col- leges and universities, K-12 schools, religious organiza-
tions, nonprofits, and corporations to design tailored and effective institutional responses to interpersonal violence and misconduct that integrate complex federal and state regulatory frameworks, a nuanced understanding of the dynamics of trauma and its impact on individuals and communities, and the unique institutional context. Prior to entering private practice, Leslie served as an assistant district attorney with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office for 14 years, During her time at the District Attorney’s Office, Leslie supervised and mentored more than 100 young prosecutors. Leslie is a faculty member for ChildFirst Pennsylvania where she teaches forensic interviewing to multi-disciplinary teams of law enforcement and child protective services professionals. Leslie served on the stalking subcommittee of the U.S. Department of Education’s Negotiated Rulemaking Committee for the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and has been designated as an approved equity consultant by OCR.
De Castroverde Law Group
Alex De Castroverde
Personal injury, criminal defense, and immigration law
Attorney, Managing Partner
Alex along with his brother Orlando, has continued what their father started and has built the largest Hispanic owned law firm in Nevada – and one of the largest Hispanic- owned Personal Injury law firms in the Western United States. The firm has grown from three attorneys to more than 80 people and has three offices in Southern Nevada (Las Vegas and Henderson) and one office in Reno, Nevada. Of the 80 employees, 20 are practicing attorneys. De Castroverde Law Group generated more than $10 million in revenue in 2020. The firm is also planning to expand into other states, starting with Arizona.
De Castroverde Law Group
Orlando De Castroverde
Personal injury, criminal defense
Attorney
Orlando De Castroverde has more than 20 years of experience practicing in the ar- eas of Las Vegas personal injury and criminal defense.
A partner at De Castroverde Law Group, which he founded with his brother Alex in 2005, Orlando is both a skilled trial lawyer and an experienced counselor. Following law school, Orlando De Castroverde clerked for District Court Judge Lee Gates for approximately a year and a half and then began to work for his father, attorney Waldo De Castroverde (1941-2014). Within weeks of going to work for his father, Orlando and Waldo tried a seven-count felony case in which the state charged Orlando’s client with defrauding the Bellagio for failing to pay back $300,000 in casino markers. Orlando was tasked with the jury selection, opening statement, and cross examination of several of the state’s key witnesses. After a four-day trial, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty. It was the first
not guilty verdict on such a casino marker case in Las Vegas.
Diaz Leyva Group
Daniel Diaz Leyva
Real Estate & Business Transactions
Managing Partner
Daniel Diaz Leyva is an accomplished attorney and trusted advisor with a
broad range of transactional experience, focused on the areas of real estate and business. He co-founded boutique law practice Diaz Leyva Group representing owner-operators, family offices, investors, home builders and developers as well as bank and non-bank lenders. Daniel supports clients in structuring, joint venturing, acquiring, financing, leasing, developing and selling real estate, as well as in loan transactions for bank and non-bank lenders. He advises clients on legal matters across daily business affairs, delivering a process driven approach to ongoing transactional needs. He also has extensive experience in govern- ment relations counseling clients with issues before local and state government.
DSK Law
Bart Valdes
Bart Valdes is the Firm’s Managing Partner in the Tampa office. Bart is a Board Certified Specialist in Business Litigation by the Florida Bar. As a Board Certified Specialist, Bart is considered to be an expert in the area of business litigation. Board certification is the Florida Bar’s highest level of evaluation of the competency and experience of attorneys. Also, Bart holds the highest ranking an individual attorney can receive (AV), as designated by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. Bart has represented a variety of the Firm’s clients including small business owners, individuals, local governments, insurance companies, medium and large corporations, as well as nation-wide institutional clients in a wide range of matters. Bart has litigated, and continues to litigate, complex trial matters related to contract disputes, property disputes, eminent domain and condemnation actions, real estate disputes, insurance matters and general business disputes.
Gonzalez Olivieri LLC
Raed Gonzalez
Immigration
Chairman
Chairman, head of litigation, and managing partner of Gonzalez Olivieri LLC, where he has been helping clients with complex to ordinary immigration problems, assisted by his twenty years of immigration experience. Mr. Gonzalez is skilled in all aspects of civil and federal litigation. Gonzalez' practice involves all aspects of general immigration law, including family-based immigration, employment-based immigration, naturalization, and citizenship.
Greenberg Traurig
Cesar L. Alvarez
Corporate
Senior Chairman
Cesar L. Alvarez is a Senior Chairman of Greenberg Traurig. He previously served as the firm's Executive Chairman for more than three years and as its Chief Executive Officer for 13 years. During his tenure as CEO, which began in 1997, he directed the firm's growth from 325 lawyers in eight offices to approximately 1850 attorneys and government professionals in more than 36 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America, including strategic alliances in Milan and Rome, Italy. Under Cesar's leadership, the firm was recognized as the fastest-growing law firm in the United States and is among the Top 10 law firms in the country. Through- out his career, he has represented numerous public companies and served on the boards of directors of several publicly traded corporations and charitable organizations.
Greenspoon Marder LLP
Adriana Collado-Hudak
White Collar and Criminal Defense
Senior Counsel
Over the last 16 years, Adriana has been recognized repeatedly as one of South Florida’s most respected White Collar and Criminal Defense litigators. Before entering private practice, Adriana worked in the Miami-Dade County Public Defender’s office (“PDO”) representing indigent defendants accused of criminal offenses. She has represented clients on numerous high-profile cases, including that of a UK investment broker involved in the notorious case of Anthony Gignac, the “Fake Saudi Prince.” As a member of Greenspoon Marder’s Diversity Council, Adriana is a driving force behind the firm’s inclusion and social justice initiatives. She helped successfully launch the firm’s Regional Diversity Am- bassador program in which non-attorney staff work hand in hand with the Diversity Council to develop and implement the firm’s diversity initiatives. She vol- unteers her time to investigate and oversee complaints against members of the legal community.
Greenspoon Marder LLP
Marcela Bermudez
Immigration & Naturalization
Partner
Marcela Bermudez has distinguished herself as one of the most respected immigration lawyers in New York. Over the last 20 years, she has represented multinational companies, artists, athletes, banking, and high net worth individ- uals with their immigration concerns. She works with multinational corporations throughout the world to strategize and facilitate the transfer of its employees and their dependents for temporary assignments abroad, including obtaining the necessary residence and work permits, visa and post-entry registration. In the last year, she advised finance, manufacturing, entertainment and technology companies, entrepreneurs, and investors on global policy changes, work visas, and international travel bans due to COVID-19. What's more, Ms. Bermudez speaks on immigration issues at national and local conferences, including the American Immigration Lawyers Association and she has co-authored articles for Cannabis Business Times and SHRM Magazine, and has been quoted and published in Bloomberg Law Daily Labor Report, Law360, and others.
Greenspoon Marder LLP
Myrna L. Maysonet
Labor and Employment and Class Action Defense
Partner and Chief Diversity Officer
With more than 20 years of experience, Myrna L. Maysonet is a partner with the Labor and Employment and Class Action Defense practice groups and serves as the firm’s Chief Diversity Officer. She concentrates her practice in employment litigation, counseling and defending corporations in all areas of employment including but not limited to hiring, disciplining, discharging employees and post-discharge litigation. Maysonet routinely protects employers’ rights against administrative agencies such as the EEOC, DOL and the NLRB and multiple jurisdictions in states such as Florida, Nevada, Utah, Tennessee and South Carolina. Maysonet is recognized for her experience in the timeshare industry and has drafted analysis of the FHA and ADA rules, as they relate to the industry, for the American Resort and Development Association. Prior to joining Greenspoon Marder, Maysonet served as a Judge Advocate General in the United States Navy, where she represented service members in felony and misdemeanor cases.
Hernandez & Associates, P.C.
Arnulfo Hernandez
Criminal Defense & Immigration Law
Managing Partner
Hernández has dedicated his career to protecting the rights of others. For a decade, he has served his community through the legal representation of accused individuals. His law practice is broad and includes the defense of misdemeanors, felonies, and white-collar crimes. He is a courtroom attorney that regularly appears before Colorado state and federal judges. Arnulfo also protects the rights and liberties of others through immigration and crim- migration defense. He regularly represents individuals in immigration proceedings before federal agencies including the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Executive Office for Immigration Review, and the Board of Immigration Appeals. In situations where his client has been accused of a crime and faces immigration removal proceedings, a practice area known as “crimmigration,” Arnulfo has the hybrid knowledge to provide the most successful defense on all fronts.
Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP
Kim Conroy
Commercial Litigation
Partner
Kim is among the select few of highly successful Latina partners handling high-stakes, complex civil litigation and investigations. Kim represents major investment firms and hedge funds, financial institutions, corporations and high-net-worth individuals in securities, fraud, and business disputes. Kim is a key member of the Kasowitz team representing Alaskan Reefer Management and Kloosterboer International Forwarding, major shippers of frozen Alaskan fish, in a high profile case against the U.S. government and Customs and Border Protection involving the shipping of millions of pounds of Alaskan fish. In addition, Kim has adroitly led and managed several virtual trial teams during the pandemic. Kim was first chair of a six-day trial involving a complex valuation of a major hospital operator in a New York bankruptcy court. A pro bono champion, Kim is a key member of the Kasowitz team partnering with NYC- based advocacy organization LatinoJustice PRLDEF.
Law Offices of Robert E. Wisniewski
Grajeda Javier
Workers' Compensation
Attorney
Javier C. Grajeda is a Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist under the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization. Following admission
to the bar in 2010, Javier has exclusively represented Arizona injured workers. He serves as Treasurer for the Arizona Association of Lawyers for Injured Workers (AALIW). He’s also a member of the Bench and Bar Committee, comprised of Administrative Law Judges, claimant’s and defense attorneys to address issues related to the betterment of the hearing process at the Industrial Commission of Arizona.Javier served
on the Board of Los Abogados, Arizona’s Hispanic Bar Association. He is also a member of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) and the Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG). He has pub- lished and lectured on undocumented workers’ rights. He joined the Law Offices of Robert E. Wisniewski in 2019 following eight years of practice as a partner in a major Phoenix workers’ compensation firm. At the Law Offices of Robert E. Wisniewski, he continues his personal commitment to assist injured workers in securing maximum workers’ compensation benefits.
Lee & Peynado Immigration Law Group
Pamela Peynado
Immigration
Partner
Pamela isaPartneratLee & Peynado Immigration Law Group in Alpharetta,
Georgia. At the age of 29, Pamela became the youngest and only female partner in the history of the firm. Pamela handles a variety of immigration issues with a focus on deportation, removal and family-based immigration cases. Pamela is a symbol that hard work pays off as she now owns the firm where she was previously employed as a receptionist. Pamela has been recognized for her leadership, community service and achievement in the field. She is regularly invited to speak at conferences on immigration related topics and on women empowerment. Pamela has held leadership positions in various organizations, such as the Georgia Hispanic Bar Association. She served on Mayor Keisha Lance Bottom’s immigrant detention advisory council. In addition, Pamela was the only immigration attorney appointed to Senators Warnock & Ossoff Federal Nominations Advisory Commission which reviewed candidates for the presidential ap- pointments of U.S. District Court Justice, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Marshals.
Locke Lord LLP
Katherine Handy
Litigation
Associate
Katherine Handy’s practice extends to both federal and state courts, and includes all aspects of a claim from inception to final resolution. Katherine has previously managed a significant volume of cases involving personal injury and complex product liability. Her representative experience includes serving as lead trial attorney on three jury trials and arguing on behalf of clients in hearings throughout Texas. Katherine also has extensive deposition and motion practice experience, and she has previously served as counsel on two discovery teams for global automotive manufacturers.
Manuel Diaz Law Firm, PC
Manuel Diaz
Criminal, family, immigration, personal injury, civil
CEO
Before founding the Manuel Diaz Law Firm, PC in Dallas, attorney Diaz worked as a corporate attorney with a top U.S.-based international law firm and was a partner at a boutique litigation firm in Dallas. In 2007, Attorney Diaz earned his Juris Doctor Degree at the SMU Dedman School of Law and received his under- graduate degree cum laude from Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business. In 2013, Attorney Diaz founded the Manuel Diaz Law Firm, PC to focus on serving the Hispanic community. The firm quickly expanded and has grown to a team of nearly 100 em- ployees, 24 of them lawyers. The firm serves thousands of clients per year in the practice areas of criminal defense, family law, immigration, personal injury, and civil. It's main office is located in Dallas, with addition- al offices in Ft. Worth, San Antonio, and Denton.
Martinez and Partners, LLC
D. Scott Martinez
Business and Governmental Law
Managing Partner
Scott Martinez is a leading business and government law attorney and business- person with first-hand knowledge of the interworking of the Colorado and US government. His blended background in business, law, and politics provides an edge to his clients and helps further their respective goals. He represents various non-profits, businesses, and industry leaders in their corporate matters and before local governments. He is a go-to problem solver for clients in every industry working under government regulation. Scott is known in Colorado and throughout the nation as more than a lawyer; he is an advisor and influencer when it comes to the businesses and politics that affect our community. As a visionary businessperson with a blended background in law and politics, he relies on his unique career experiences to shape the world to reflect Democratic policies. As a leading Latino entrepreneur and lawyer, he provides crucial insight into how political issues such as gerry- mandering can affect the economics of communities of color long term.
Mauro Lilling Naparty, LLP
Richard Montes
Civil Appeals
Partner
Richard J. Montes is a partner of Mauro Lilling Naparty LLP, the largest firm in the Northeast that handles appeals and litigation strategy. Since joining MLN eighteen years ago, Richard has handled numerous appeals in state and federal courts. His expansive practice includes medical and other pro- fessional malpractice; construction law; employment law; general negligence; toxic tort; punitive damages; products liability; asbestos and commercial litigation. Richard, co-chairs the firm’s national damages program. In that role Richard has become a leading voice on the topic, including obtaining a landmark decision as lead appellate counsel in Cuevas v. Contra Costa County, 2017 WL 1507913 (Cal. App. 1st Dist. 2017). Numerous companies, insurance carriers and hospitals now turn to Richard to develop pre-trial, trial and mediation strategies in catastrophic injury cases. He is also a frequent lecturer and has published in a wide variety of practice areas.
Mayer Brown LLP
Marlon Paz
Partner
Marlon Paz is head of Mayer Brown’s Broker-Dealer Regulation & Compliance practice. He counsels broker-dealers and other financial services firms in matters related to securities regulation, SEC and FINRA enforcement, internal investigations and examinations, and compliance. Marlon also provides advice with respect to acquisi- tions of securities broker-dealers and investment ad- visers. Marlon has spent a number of years in private practice, focusing on complex securities litigation, cor- porate and fiduciary litigation, and corporate finance matters.He is a member of the adjunct faculty of Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, where he teaches courses on US regulation of financial institutions and securities markets, securities law and the internet, and international business litigation. In addition, Marlon is a frequent speaker on federal securities law issues.
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Alexis Amezcua
Class Actions + Mass Torts, Product Life Cycle, Financial Services, Commercial Litigation + Trial
Partner
Alexis has a successful track record defending and advising her clients in a variety of high-profile practice areas. She has extensive experience representing clients—including many major tech companies and household names—in complex, mass consumer class actions, along with federal MDL and state court-coordinated proceedings involving various unfair competition and deceptive trade practices state laws. Alexis, along with a number of other MoFo attorneys, headed to Texas and New Mexico as part of the immediate response to the migrant family crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. They provided legal assistance and advice, gathered donations for legal services organizations and shelters, and volunteered at local immigration clinics to work with detainees in search of asylum. Alexis’ commitment to pro bono has been a hallmark of her career—having had at least one active pro bono matter on behalf of the Latino community each year for the entirety of her career.
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Arturo Gonzalez
Chair, Commercial Litigation + Trial
Arturo has been trying cases for over 35 years. He may be the only lawyer in the country who has successfully defended three trials where the plaintiff sought over $1 billion and has also won four verdicts in excess of $10 million.Arturo has tried cases for Uber, VMware, Bank of America, Bank of the West, Del Monte, and Kaiser Permanente. He was MoFo’s lead trial counsel in what has been hailed as the trade secrets case of the century involving autonomous vehicles (which settled after four trial days) and won a defense verdict in a $110 million claim against VMware alleging copyright infringement. He is a fellow with the American College of Trial Lawyers, an associate in the American Board of Trial Advocates, and a member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Ruti Smithline
Investigations + White Collar Defense
Co-chair of the firm’s Investigations + White Collar Criminal Defense group and co-chair of the firm’s Latin America Desk
Ruti is co-chair of the firm’s Investigations + White Collar Defense group and co-chair of the firm’s Latin America Desk. She regularly advises clients
on cross-border investigations, global compliance programs and anti-corruption due diligence for acqui- sitions, joint ventures, and private equity transactions. Ruti’s recent work includes serving on the corporate compliance monitor team for Odebrecht (now known as Novonor) pursuant to DOJ, World Bank Group and Inter-American Development Bank settlements. She was one of the named partners in the 2020 resolution documents for an Asian bank settling a BSA/AML matter with the Southern District of New York and the New York Department of Financial Services. She is regularly recognized by leading industry publications such as Chambers & Partners in their Latin America guide for Corporate Crime & Investigations .
Munck Wilson Mandala, LLP
Michael Rodriguez
Intellectual Property
Managing Partner
Michael is the managing partner of Munck Wilson Mandala’s Austin office,and he is part of the technology/intellectual property law group. Michael’s practice emphasizes patent and trademark preparation and prosecution and includes domestic and international patent procurement and enforcement; analysis of infringement and invalidity in support of litigation. He also counsels clients on copyright and trademark enforcement and compliance. He has experience prosecuting and defending reexaminations in a variety of technical areas including power electronic devices, computer software, and semiconductor devices.Prior to joining Munck Wilson Mandala, Michael worked as an associate at a prominent Dallas-based intellectual property boutique. Before attending law school, Michael was employed as a registered professional engineer with TXU, with senior engineering status.
My Orlando Lawyer
Irene Pons
Family Law, Immigration and Probate
Partner
Pons Meyers is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Central Florida in the Department of Legal Studies. She has been teaching at the University of Central Florida over 14 years. She is heavily engaged in community outreach and closely works with the Immigrant Justice Center and Farmworker's AssociationofApopka. Sheprovides guidance and legal advice to Mexican Immigrants in the areas of Paternity, Adoption and Immigration. Broadly, Pons' teaching innovation is interdisciplinary, combining legal studies, social justice, immigration, and film to uncover and expose the real-world social injustices at the United States-Mexican border. Irene Pons is a humble and selfless educator, mentor, and social activist.
Quintana Law Firm LLC
Salvador Quintana
Real estate and estate planning
Attorney & Partner
Quintana's areas of expertise focuses on the practice areas of real estate law; estate planning, estate administration and probate, and related civil litigation. Quintana is a native of Denver, Colorado. He has an extensive business background in addition to his legal experience. He earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law; a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Management & Entrepreneurship from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Leeds School of Business; and then graduated with honors from New Mexico High- lands University where he earned his Master of Busi- ness Administration.Quintana founded the Quintana Law Firm, LLC in 2011 to be able to provide his clients more personal service and attention in resolving their legal matters in a timely, efficient way, and to be able to better help those in need of legal services. Prior to starting the law firm he was an associate attorney at a mid-sized Denver law firm where he practiced real estate law and civil litigation and previous to that he was in-house counsel for Mines & Associates, P.C. where he advised its executive leadership on strategic planning, negotiations, corporate compliance and governance.
Roman Law Offices
Eneida Roman
Estate/Real Estate/Small Business Law
Founder & Principal
Eneida is a trained attorney and organizational psychologist, and for two decades, she has used her expertise in law, conflict resolution, cultural competence, and public affairs to advise her clients. Eneida is Founder of Roman Law, a Boston-based boutique law firm and Partner of Omega Global Advisors, a government relations firm. She is known as a catalytic pacesetter and an ardent champion of advancing women and Latinos. Eneida has served in prominent board leadership roles in the American Bar Association, the Hispanic National Bar Association, and the Massachusetts Bar Association. In 2012 she co-founded The Latina Circle, Inc dba Amplify Latinx, a Boston-based social venture that is advancing Latina leaders across industries into positions of power and influence and is Chair of its Board of Directors. In 2018, Amplify Latinx launched its PowerUp Latinx Biz initiative focused on activating Massachusetts’ untapped economic potential by increasing growth and economic opportunity for Latinx-owned and led businesses. Among other notable accolades, Eneida is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a distinction limited to one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction.
Scarinci
Jorge R. DeArmas
Public Law
Counsel
Jorge has extensive trial and appellate level litigation experience, having successfully represented clients before the Federal District Court of New Jersey, and the New Jersey Superior Court and Office of Administrative Law and the New York Supreme Court.Early on in his career, he also served as a law clerk to the Hon. Dorothea, O’C. Wefing, P.J.A.D. in the Superior Court of New Jersey Appellate Division.He receivedhisJurisDoctor,cumlaude,from Seton Hall University School of Law in Newark, NJ. Mr. de Armas received his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, NJ, where he majored in Economics and History.
Scarinci Hollenbeck
Ramon E. Rivera
Corporate/Government Law
Partner, Chair, Labor & Employment Law Group
Ramon is a Partner at Scarinci Hollenbeck and chairs the firm’s Labor and Employment practice group. Ramon focuses much of his practice on Labor and Employment matters in both the public and private sector on behalf of management. He focuses on reso- lution of employment disputes, collective bargaining, employee grievances, EEOC complaints, and other workplace issues. He represents several municipalities as Labor Counsel, wherein he provides legal advice and representation on employment matters, collective bargaining, employee grievances and a multitude of workplace issues. Ramon is a member of the Cannabis Law practice group at the firm. He has a thorough knowledge of the current state laws regarding medical cannabis and proposed legislation on adult use. Most recently, Ramon was appointed to the transition team of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy to serve on the Transition Counsel Committee. Ramon was also elected to the Essex County Democratic Committees Hall of Fame.
Sidley Austin LLP
Sara Garcia Duran
Private Equity, M&A, Capital Markets
Partner
Sara Garcia Duran, a partner at the global law firm of Sidley Austin LLP, guides leading private equity firms and public companies through a variety of complex corporate transactions. This includes industry-changing public and private acquisitions, di- vestitures, and investments. She also advises clients on general corporate governance matters and compliance issues with a focus on security regulators. Sara’s range, experience, and results have earned her significant recognition, including most recently by this very publication, and she is noted for her deep community involvement. A thought leader, she has contributed to leading legal publications such as Business Law Today, Law360, and the Business & Bankruptcy Law Journal, among others. Prior to joining Sidley in October 2013, Sara worked as a corporate associate in the Dallas office of Weil Gotshal and Manges where she represented a wide range of clients in a variety of industries. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin Law School.
Sidley Austin LLP
Yolanda Garcia
Practice: Commercial Litigation and Disputes; Energy; Securities and Shareholder Litigation
Partner, Global Co-Head of Sidley’s Securities and Shareholder Litigation
practice; Global Co-Head of Sidley’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Yolanda has spent two decades as a high-stakes litigator. She holds significant leadership positions at Sidley, including as Global Co-Head of its Securities and Shareholder Litigation practice, and as Global Co- Head of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Yolanda represents corporations, corporate officers and directors in national class actions, multi-jurisdic- tional cases, domestic and international arbitrations, securities cases, and internal investigations.Yolanda was the lead trial lawyer on the historic Texas Rangers Baseball Partners restructuring and auction, a key member of the trial team in the American Airlines multibillion dollar antitrust suit, and lead litigator in the contested multibillion dollar restructuring of SemGroup Corp. She has conducted crisis manage- ment counseling for numerous companies under business-threatening circumstances, including MGM Resorts International. Yolanda also represented Texas Pacific Land Trust on its January 2021 reorganization into Texas Pacific Land Corporation (TPLC). Other clients have included Airbus Helicopters, Halliburton, The Williams Companies, Zale Corporation, ALFA, HealthMarkets, Inc. and BearingPoint, Inc.
Sidley Austin LLP
Yvette Ostolaza
Litigation and Investigations
Chair Elect, Management Committee; Global Head of Litigation
Yvette Ostolaza is the managing partner of the Dallas office, global co-leader of the Litigation practice and a member of the firm’s COVID-19 Task Force. Yvette was also the youngest woman and the first Hispanic woman to be named to Sidley’s Management and Executive Committees, which oversee the 2000-lawyer firm. She is an elite litigator and a strong advocate for diversity, and has built Sidley’s Dallas office into one of the city’s most prominent and di- verse law offices. She developed Sidley’s Dallas office from 15 lawyers with a limited number of practices in 2013, to 61 lawyers today which serve clients involving various areas of law including intellectual property, private equity, global finance and commercial litigation and disputes. She litigates matters in U.S. state and federal trial and appellate courts on behalf of global clients. Yvette also serves as the Vice Chair, Ethics and Investigations Subcommittee of the ABA Corporate Governance Committee. Her clients include MGM Resorts, Hunt Oil, Chuck E. Cheese Entertain- ment, Tuesday Morning Corporation, EnLink, Inc., Neiman-Marcus, MHR Holdings, Alix Partners, Zale Corporation, Michaels, Trinity Industries, McAtee, Inc., Special Committee of Southwest Airlines, SM Energy, Inc., and VBH.
Squire Patton Boggs
José Feris
International Dispute Resolution
Partner
José Feris is a partner in the firm’s International Dispute Resolution Practice Group specializing in international commercial arbitration, public international law and investment arbitration. José represents private and public entities, as well as sovereign states in commercial and investment arbi- tration proceedings. He has worked extensively with clients and entities in Latin America, Africa, Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia and has a particular focus on disputes in the construction and energy sectors.Before joining the firm, José served at the ICC International Court of Arbitration where, in addition to Deputy Secretary General, he occupied the positions of Acting Secretary General, Managing Counsel, Counsel and Deputy Counsel. Previously in his career, José served as law clerk to Judges Kooijmans and Rezek at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, and also worked for the Legal Advisor to the President of the Dominican Republic and represented the Dominican Republic during the negotiations of the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas.
Squire Patton Boggs
Paula Galhardo
Corporate
Principal
Paula Galhardo is principal in the firm's Corporate Practice Group and chair of the firm's Brazil Country Desk. Paula represents of a diverse range of businesses – from owner-managed groups to multinationals operating in the chemicals, energy, industrial and manufacturing sectors – in inbound and outbound international transactional matters involving Latin America, including mergers and acquisitions, international contracts, anticorruption compliance and investigations. Paula spent the first years of her career as a business and transactional lawyer in Brazil before moving to the US in 2006. Dual qualified in New York and Brazil, Paula focuses her practice on advising US, Latin America, Europe and Asia clients on corporate transactions in numerous jurisdictions. Currently, Paula serves as regional coun- sel for a public chemical company in Latin America, which includes operations in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Mexico and Colombia. Paula also advises clients in anticorruption compliance in Latin America.
Squire Patton Boggs
Rhina Martinez Brea
Corporate
Partner
Rhina focuses her practice on corporate, lending and real estate matters. She advises and assists clients with the drafting and negotiation of a variety of contracts including joint venture, share- holders’, stock purchase, escrow, services, consulting, stock pledge and chattel mortgage agreements. She also provides legal advice to non-Dominican and Do- minican corporate clients, including US and European banks, in the structuring, implementing and securing of international financial transactions. Some of her representative matters include: Acting as Dominican counsel to Banco Popular Dominicano, Acting as Dominican counsel to a major US investment bank and Acting as Dominican legal counsel to Advent International Corporation and its subsidiaries Advent Airports, B.V. and Latin America Airport Holdings, Ltd.
Steptoe & Johnson LLP
Brigida Benitez
Partner
Brigida Benitez focuses on complex civil litigation, internal investigations, and global anti-corruption issues. She has represented a wide range of clients, including financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, universities, international development firms, and individuals, as well as boards of directors and special litigation committees of public company boards. She has litigated high-profile cases in trial and appellate courts throughout the United States, including the US Supreme Court. Brigida draws on almost 30 years of experience representing clients in high-stakes, complex disputes and helping them solve challenging problems that stem from business disputes, compliance matters, and employee misconduct.Brigida is a past president of the DC Bar, the largest unified bar in the country, with more than 100,000 members worldwide. She serves as an ad- junct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, where she teaches a course on international business litigation and federal practice.
The Castro Firm, Inc.
Tabatha Castro
Private
Managing Attorney/Owner
Tabatha will be the newest HBA NJ president. She is a member of the Melson/Arsht and Judge Randy Holland Inns of Court and the Immediate Past Chairperson for the Multi-cultural Judges and Lawyers section of the Delaware State Bar Association. Castro was appointed to the Advisory Council of the Women’s Business Center in Wilmington. She also serves on the Executive Boards of the Delaware Hispanic Bar Association and the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey (Trustee for Cumberland, Salem and Gloucester Counties). Castro co-founded “Latinos Unidos,” which is an affinity organization through the United Way of Delaware and sits on the Steering Committee for the First Generation Lawyers at Delaware Law School.
The Dominguez Firm
Juan Dominguez
Injury and employment law
CEO and Managing Partner
Juan J. Dominguez is a nationally recognized, award-winning personal injury attorney. He is the founder, CEO and Managing Partner of The Dominguez Firm, LLP; a Los Angeles based personal injury, workers' compensation and employment law practice with a legal staff of over one hundred and twenty employees. The firm is one of the most successful and well-known injury law firms in Southern California. Dominguez is a lifetime member of the exclusive Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Elite Lawyers of America and a long-time member of several other major national, state and local bar associations, including The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 and The Order of Distinguished Attorneys of the Beverly Hills Bar Association. His significant experience as a trial lawyer was recognized by the Trail Masters lawyer association with a lifetime membership and the Seal of Experience award.
Vasquez Law Group
Regina Vasquez
Bankruptcy
Attorney/Owner
Regina has been practicing ex- clusively in bankruptcy law since November 2011. She designed her firm to be dedicated to assisting people in their time of financial need. She's also a counselor for her clients to guide them through a very stressful time. Regina attended St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas and graduated in 2007. While there she worked for the House of Representatives. Her last clerkship was with David Peake, who is a standing Chapter 13 trustee in the district. Her goal with the law firm is to give every case the attention it deserves.
Verónica Quiñónez Law, PLLC
Veronica Quinonez
Family and Mediation
Principal
Verónica Quiñónez is the owner of Veronica Quinonez Law, PLLC. Her practice focuses on providing legal representation and mediation services in the area of family law, including civil protection orders and cases involving issues of domestic violence and sexual abuse. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from Seattle University School of Law, and her undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at El Paso. Verónica is a 2017 graduate of the University of Washington Law School Washington Leadership Institute, a 2021 graduate of the Hispanic National Bar Association’s Latina Leadership Academy, and a current Ladder Down fellow. She taught negotiations and alternate dispute resolution as an affiliate professor at the University of Washington School of Law in 2018.
Vinson & Elkins LLP
Manuel Berrelez
Complex Commercial Litigation
Partner
Manuel Berrelez is a trial and regulatory enforcement lawyer who represents businesses and individuals in a wide range of litigation and investigation matters. Manuel’s practice focuses on fraud and fiduciary duty claims, government and internal investigations, various regulatory and compliance matters, bankruptcy-related litigation, and other complex business disputes. He frequently advises and defends current and former directors and officers facing regulatory enforcement actions, including mat- ters alleging fiduciary duty claims, unsafe and unsound practices, and violations of other federal and state laws. He also counsels clients in bankruptcy-related litigation.His notable victories include his successful defense of a bank CEO and board chairman sued by the federal government in a regulatory matter.
Ybarra Maldonado and Alagha, PLLC
Jazmin Alagha
Criminal Defense
Partner
Jazmin J. Alagha is a partner with Ybarra Maldonado & Alagha, PLLC. Her practice areas include criminal defense and plaintiffs and personal injury litigation. She has been practicing law in the valley for the last ten years.Alagha continued her pursuit to become a trial attorney when she joined the Maricopa County Public Defender’s office follow- ing a year of practice in immigration law at a local boutique immigration firm. As felony trial attorney, she managed a heavy caseload ranging from minor drug possession to large scale drug conspiracy and aggra- vated dangerous offenses.Eventually, Alagha opened her own law firm and eventually partnered with Ray Ybarra Maldonado to provide exceptional services and reliable representation to Latinos, immigrants, and Hispanic communities in Arizona.
Ybarra Maldonado Law Group
Ray Ybarra Maldonado
Immigration and Personal Injury
Partner
Ray is a Stanford Law School educated attorney who focuses on high profile, complex criminal, immigration, and personal injury cases. He is an adjunct faculty member, teaching Evidence, at the Sandra Day O'Conner College of Law at Arizona State University. He has attained not guilty verdicts for his clients in both state and federal courts. In addition to attaining not guilty verdict he has won motions to suppress evidence that have resulted in complete dismissal of cases and has attained victories at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and at the Arizona Supeme Court. In the immigration context, his clients have successfully been bonded out of immigration detention, attained U Visas, have had VAWA applica- tions approved, won appeals after denials from USCIS, and attained permanent resident status following an individual hearing (equivalent of trial in immigration court), and he has had multiple cases completely dismissed or had stay of deportations granted.
Zamora Law Boutique
Hilda Zamora
Family Law and Criminal Defense
Attorney At Law
Hilda is the founder and lead counsel for Zamora Law Boutique where she provides a variety of legal services including family law, criminal defense, personal injury and lemon law to clients in the Coachella Valley. Her passion and winning reputation have earned her the title of "La Defensora Del Pueblo," the " People's Defender" or " The Ombud- swoman." She has been practicing law for 9 years. Today she's known as a legal giant in her community as she works on behalf of the voiceless and powerless in the Coachella Valley. Now, she is taking her story, lessons and advice across the country to inspire other women, particularly, Latina women, to get educated and live the life they always dreamed of and become la mujer poderosa they are meant to be.