BY Steve Penhollow : Top Latino Lawyers 2016 : February 14, 2017
What makes an attorney Latino Leader? This is a question I am frequently asked. It is also a question I am happy to answer. There are many factors to be considered, and no one exact definition rings perfect. However, a leader is a person who holds the skills and ability to lead or guide other individuals, teams, or entire communities and/or organizations.
For a Latino/a attorney, such a leader also holds within him or her a strong belief in oneself, in others around them, in justice, and the rule of law. These individuals and leaders all have a dream in their heart which makes the work they do on a day-to-day basis worth the effort, and makes our community and our country better places. But I will point out that it is OK if others don’t believe in your dream. Don’t let that deter you. A dream for a better Latino community and a better world will only come for those leaders that have the confidence in themselves, the business opportunities to involve others around them, and the desire to help others and make an impact in the community, while always giving back. An attorney Latino Leader is a philanthropist.
The list of this year’s attorney Latino Leaders exemplifies these factors.
As an example, you will find leaders that were the first to go to college in their family, the first to go to law school, the first Latino/a hired at their firm or their legal department, the first Latino/a owner or partner of their firm, and without question national leaders.
Each attorney Latino Leader is making a real impact in their respective communities. And as our Hispanic population continues to grow in our country, so should the key leaders who are Latino/a. All that one has to do is believe in oneself… “creo en mi”! Thus, when we do our work, when we use all of our efforts, when we push through old boundaries and glass ceilings, the rewards and satisfactions are great. And the rewards are sweeter because they have been earned. – Benny Agosto Jr.
For names, contact information and bio on each selected lawyer, click here. Special congratulations to: Joseph Nuñez, Partner, Vantage Law Group, Minneapolis, MN
Sofia Adrogué, Member – Gray Reed and McGraw, P.C., Houston, TX Benny Agosto, Jr., Partner, Abraham Watkins Nichols Sorrels Agosto & Aziz, Houston, TX Cesar L. Alvarez, Co-Chairman, Greenberg Traurig, Miami, FL Dino Elizardo Barajas, Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP., Los Angeles, CA Brigida Benitez, Partner, Steptoe & Johnson, Washington, D.C. Yesenia M. Gallegos, Partner, Fox Rothschild, Los Angeles, CA Adolfo Garcia, Partner, Corporate, Brown Rudnick LLP., Boston, MA Gerardo “Jerry” Gonzalez, Founder, Gonzalez Law LLC., Phoenix, AZ Ignacio J. Garcia, Shareholder, Ogletree Deakins, Tampa, FL Adriana Gonzalez, Shareholder, Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A., Lake Worth, FL Raed Gonzalez, Senior Attorney, Gonzalez Olivieri LLC., Houston, TX Arnulfo D. Hernandez, Founder, Managing Partner, Hernández & Associates, P.C., Denver, CO Frank Herrera, Jr., Founder, The Herrera Law Firm, San Antonio, TX Robert T. Maldonado, Partner, Cooper & Dunham LLP., New York, NY Raul R. Herrera, Partner, Arnold & Porter LLP., Washington, D.C. Jorge M. Leon, Partner, Chair, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP., Chicago, IL Elsa Manzanares, Partner and Co-Chair, International Trade Group, Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP., Dallas and Houston, TX Gonzalo C. Martinez, Partner, Squire Patton Boggs, San Francisco, CA Richard J. Montes, Partner, Mauro Lilling Naparty LLP., Woodbury, NY Joseph Nuñez, Partner, Vantage Law Group, Minneapolis, MN Juan P. Morillo, Partner, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP., Washington, D.C. Monica Neuman, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery, Boston, MA José Olivieri, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, Milwaukee, WI Angel Reyes III, Founder and Managing Partner Reyes Browne Reilley, Dallas, TX Francisco Rivero, Partner, Reed Smith, Houston, TX Michael G. Rodriguez, Partner, Munck Wilson Mandala, Austin, TX Regina Rodriguez, Trial Lawyer, Partner, Hogan Lovells, Denver, CO Eneida M. Roman, Founding Partner, Roman Law, Boston, MA James Romo, Managing Partner, Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud &Romo, Cerritos, CA Jesse Ruiz, Partner, Drinker Biddle, Chicago, IL Manuel Sanchez, Partner, Sanchez Daniels & Hoffman LLP., Chicago, IL Margarita R. Sanchez, CEO & Founder, Disan LLP., Washington, D.C. Pedro Jaime Torres-Díaz, Principal, Jackson Lewis P.C., San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Miami Hector Torres, Co-Founding Partner, Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP., New York, NY Kevin Vela, Founding Partner, Vela | Wood P.C., Dallas Stephen N, Zack, Partner, Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP., Miami, FL Rafael X. Zahralddin-Aravena, Founding Shareholder, Elliott Greenleaf, Wilmington, DE