The Dallas Hispanic Bar Association (DHBA) will hold the first Dallas Latina Leadership Program on Saturday, Oct. 15 at SMU Dedman School of Law from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is aimed at addressing many of the issues that remain obstacles in the road for Latinas—lack of women role models in the legal field, lack of mentors, and lack of access to career information.
This full day of workshops and panels will inspire and bring together Latina attorneys, law students, and undergraduate students interested in the law. The program will provide an attorney track and a law student/undergraduate track.
The DHBA announced the keynote speakers for the program. Sara Saldaña, the Director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will deliver the keynote address. She is a very prominent model of hard work and ethic in the practice of law.
Regina Montoya, an author and attorney, will deliver the keynote speech for the afternoon program. Montoya has been nationally recognized as one of the top attorneys in the country. She is currently working on a book about the importance of incorporating Latinos into the economic, political, and social fabric of America.
Attorney Track Sessions
Elsa Manzanares, Partner at Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP will moderate the “Pearls of Wisdom” morning session. The panelists will include: Monica Lira Bravo, Principal of Lira Bravo Law; Norma Garcia, Associate General Counsel for Rent-a-Center, Inc.; and Stephanie Gonzales, Deputy Chief of the Reformative Justice Unit for the Dallas District Attorney’s Office.
Laura Benitez Geisler, Partner at Geisler Law Firm will moderate the “Expanding Opportunities – Diversity in the Legal Profession” afternoon session. The panelists will include: Hilda Galvan, Managing Partner at Jones Day Dallas Office; Erica Benites Giese, Chief of the San Antonio Division U.S. Attorney’s Office; and Elizabeth Ramirez-Washka, Corporate Counsel for Employment Law at Dr Pepper Snapple Group.
Law Student/Undergraduate Sessions
Rebecca Garza Greenan, Assistant Dean at UNT Law School will moderate the “Things I wish I knew then” morning session of the program. The panelists will include: Rosario (“Chachy”) Heppe, Sr. Director Compliance for the Fluor Corporation; Giana Ortiz, Partner at The Ortiz Law Firm; and Monica Pinon, Associate General Counsel for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas.
Rocío Cristina García, President of the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association, will moderate the “Life After Law School” afternoon session. The panelists will include: Brianna Hinojosa-Flores, Sr. Patent Counsel of Blackberry; Bridget Moreno Lopez, Managing Partner at Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP; and Rosa Orenstein, Partner at Orenstein Law Group.
