About Us

Timeline

1976 – The Santa Clara County La Raza Lawyers Association (the “Association”) was formed.

1991 – A handful of trailblazing the Association members endeavored to create a dinner event that embodied and celebrated the Latino community within the bar and bench.

1998 – The Association identified a need. The Association began providing grants to Bay Area Latino law students whose contributions to the community have encouraged and advanced the social, cultural, economic, and legal equality of the underserved and underprivileged, especially those in the Latino community.

2006 – The Association established the Santa Clara County La Raza Lawyers Charitable Foundation (the “Foundation”), a separate and independent 501(c)(3).

Founding members include the Hon. Judge Jesus Valencia, Christopher J. Arriola, Tamara Lopez, Richard Alvarez, Robert Fabela, Dorianna Romero Phihon, and Sylvia V. Perez-MacDonald.

Our History

Year after year, the Foundation, supported by the Association’s membership, has practiced grassroots efforts to make our Annual Scholarship Dinner event possible and enjoyable. And year after year, our event has grown and evolved. Planned and executed by an all-volunteer board, through our annual event, the Foundation has been able to provide $600,000 to over 110 Bay Area Latino law students.

Our Leadership

Chris Arriola

President (Interim), Fundraising Committee Co-Chair

Supervising Deputy District Attorney, Santa Clara County (Retired)

Robert Murillo

Vice President

Associate Attorney, Best Best & Krieger LLP

Nallely Montes

Secretary

Associate Attorney, Lathrop GPM

Jeanette Martinez

Treasurer

Associate Attorney, Berliner Cohen LLP

Bianca A. Garcia

Immediate Past President

Associate Attorney, BZB Family Law Group LLP

Felipe Romero

Board Member

Associate Attorney, UC Immigrant Legal Services Center

Alfredo Morales

Board Member

Retired Law Office of Alfredo Morales (Retired)

Daniel S. Gonzales

Board Member

Partner, Ferrari, Ottoboni, Caputo & Wunderling LLP

Sylvia Kennedy

Board Member

Statewide Advocate, Disability Rights California

Patricia Uro-May

Board Member

Attorney at Law, Law Office of P.Uro-May

Melissa Leiland

Board member, Fundraising Committee Co-Chair

Vice President of Operations, JAMS

William Zambrano

Board Member, Marketing Committee Chair

J.D Candidate at Gonzaga School of Law

Tamara Lopez

Board member, Dinner Committee Chair

Mediator and Arbitrator, JAMS

Meg Trask

Board member

Attorney at Law, Trask Law Inc.

Randy Reyes

Committee Member

Corporate Counsel, Arsenal Biosciences

Ivan Munoz

Board member

Partner, Macias Law LLP

Ale Vallejo

Board member, Scholarship Committee Chair

Attorney, Law Offices of Zachary B. Young

Andrea Villarreal

Committee Member

Managing Associate, Sidley Austin LLP

Angela Madrigal

Committee Member

Associate Attorney, Cooley LLP

Byron Suarez

Committee Member

Deputy District Attorney, County of Santa Clara

Cecy Fernandez

Committee Member

Deputy Public Defender, County of Santa Clara

Daniel Gonzalez

Committee Member

Associate Attorney, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP

Linette Salcedo

Committee Member

Attorney

Maria Salinas Mendoza

Committee Member

Associate Attorney, Hoge Fenton

Mason Aguirre

Committee Member

Associate Attorney, Bledsoe Law Firm

Melina Torres

Committee Member

Associate Attorney, BZB Family Law Group LLP

J. Carlos Orellana

Advisory Board Member

District Counsel at Santa Clara Valley Water District

Judge Micaél Estremera

Ex Officio Advisory Board Member

Judge, Superior Court of Santa Clara County

Judge Jesús Valencia

Ex Officio Advisory Board Member

Judge, Superior Court of Santa Clara County

Jessica Valenzuela

Advisory Board Member

Partner, Gibson Dunn

Isela Perez

Advisory Board Member

Employment Counsel, Apple Inc.

Pallie Zambrano

Advisory Board Member

Founding Partner, BZB Family Law

Natalia Cubillo

College Intern

Economics B.A. Candidate at UCLA

Christian Garcia

High School Intern

Evergreen Valley High School