OCHBA - Event

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

September 2007
"Eric Alderete New President of the California La Raza Lawyers Association "
Congratulations to HBA Board Member Eric Alderete on his installation as the new President of the California La Raza Lawyers Association for 2007/2008.

November 2006
"Get to Know Carlos Colorado: A Road Less Taken "
HBA member Carlos Colorado is profiled in the internal Jones Day, firm-wide newsletter.

Shortly after joining Jones Day's Irvine Office, associate Carlos Colorado received a call from Suzanne Jones, a Los Angeles partner representing Dole Food Company, Inc., in a multi-jurisdictional toxic exposure case. The Jones Day litigation team had come across a
group of potentially important documents written in Spanish and needed a Spanish-speaking attorney to review them.

They discovered native Spanish-speaker Carlos in the Firm's personnel database, and the Irvine Office freed him for the work.

Carlos Colorado

What could have been a mundane project proved to be a rare opportunity for a first-year associate. Carlos soon was the expert on the contents of these documents, which turned out to be a watershed in the case. It wasn't just his command of Spanish that came in handy, however. For Carlos, a native of El Salvador, his sensitivity to the linguistic and
cultural nuances of life, business, and the law in Central America, the setting of the Dole litigation, quickly enabled him to contribute to the team.

Carlos's first assignment wasn't typical, but neither was his path to Jones Day. Raised by his grandmother in San Salvador until age 10, Carlos joined his mother in New York City in 1978. They lived in a housing project, and he attended what one local newspaper called "the most dangerous school in New York." Fortunately, it was also a magnet school for students interested in law, and Carlos quickly became hooked on the subject. On the school's mock trial team, he was exposed to opportunities beyond his neighborhood. He realized he wanted to become a lawyer.

Still, the road wasn't easy. Carlos earned admission to Boston University but did not complete his bachelor's degree due to financial reasons. Eventually, he got a job in the mail room of Skadden Arps' Boston office. He was with Skadden Arps for eight years, working up to library clerk, document clerk, and paralegal, and transferring to their
Los Angeles office along the way.

While in L.A., he learned that Whittier Law School would selectively admit experienced legal professionals who had not finished college. He applied, was admitted, did well, and eventually transferred to the University of Southern California.

On September 11, 2001, USC hosted a law firm recruiting event, and Carlos's first scheduled interview was with Mark Kemple of Jones Day's Irvine Office. Although Carlos says he "should have been nervous," the events of that day stripped away the normal pretenses from all sides. "There were far more important things happening," he says. The interview went well, and Carlos received a callback on his birthday.

Carlos knew immediately that Jones Day was the firm he wanted to join. He liked the Firm's people, its culture, its clients, and its resources, and he liked the small size of the Irvine Office. Although he has ended up working out of the Los Angeles Office most of the time, he has had opportunities to coordinate both the social and work activities for the
Irvine summer associate program, and he now serves on the California Associate Round Table, a committee on associate life issues for the California offices.

Carlos has developed a strong relationship with the Dole Food Company and hopes to continue working with them for a long time. He works with attorneys in several Jones Day offices and with international co-counsel daily. He has traveled out of state and to several countries on behalf of Dole. His experience in the areas of toxic exposure and complex
litigation positions him to help Jones Day teams in others offices, especially when Spanish language skills and experience with a variety of international court systems would be useful. He dreams of helping to expand the Firm's Latin American practice.

Outside Jones Day, Carlos makes use of his personal experience as well, teaching Spanish-speaking middle school students about the U.S. Bill of Rights and giving inner-city high school kids insights into the expectations of the corporate world. He continues to support efforts to imprve the conditions of Salvadoran natives through organizations in
both El Salvador and southern California. He and his wife, Alba, live in Long Beach, CA.

Septemer 11, 2006
"Activists hoping for new Latino voters"
The Orange County Register article quotes HBA memberDeborah M. Vasquez.

July 2, 2006
"Newport Beach Lawyer Beats The Times to Win Press Club's Top Blog Award"
Daily Journal article features HBA board member J. Craig Williams.

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June 23, 2006
"Deborah Vásquez: por un mundo más justo"
Excelsior Electronico article

June 2006
This Orange County Lawyer, cover.

This Orange County Lawyer, Who's Who in OCHBA Part II - The Affiliate Bars - article

This Orange County Lawyer - page 2 of article

May 8, 2006
"Immigration fraud suspect faces court"
This Orange County Register article quotes HBA president Lisa D. Ramirez and HBA member Jose Hernandez.