September 15 - October 15 — Hispanic Heritage Month
The heart of Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge lies within our people and the many different experiences and
perspectives we share. We recognize, embrace and celebrate our differences and believe we can only provide our
clients with the best possible representation if we reflect the diversity of the clients and communities we serve.
Get Real . . . Real People. Real Diversity.
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September 15 - October 15 — Hispanic Heritage Month
National Hispanic Heritage Month is a celebration honoring the rich histories, cultures and
contributions of US citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
The observation began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded to thirty days by
President Ronald Reagan in 1988. September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary
of the independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Chile and
Mexico also celebrate their independence on September 18th and September 16th.
Making History: Justice Sonia Sotomayor
The Honorable Sonia Maria Sotomayor is the first Hispanic Justice and the
third woman to serve on the US Supreme Court.
Justice Sotomayor was born in The Bronx, New York, on June 25, 1954, and
was raised in a public housing project (Bronxdale Houses, recently renamed
the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Houses and Community Center). Her parents
emigrated from Puerto Rico to New York City during World War II.
artwork courtesy of wikipedia.org
Sonia Sotomayor earned a B.A. in 1976 from Princeton University,
graduating summa cum laude and receiving the M. Taylor Pyne Prize, the
University’s highest undergraduate academic honor. In 1979, she earned
her law degree from Yale Law School, where she served as an editor of the
Yale Law Journal. After graduating, she served in the New York County
District Attorney’s Office as Assistant District Attorney from 1979–1984.
She then joined Pavia & Harcourt in New York City, where she served
as an associate and then partner from 1984–1992, litigating international
commercial matters.
In 1991, President George H.W. Bush nominated her to become a federal judge on the US District Court, Southern District of
New York, where she served from 1992 until 1998. In 1997, President William J. Clinton nominated her to serve as a judge on
the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, where she served from 1998 until 2009. On May 26, 2009, President Barack
Obama nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and she assumed this role on August 8, 2009.
Visit the Teamwork and Diversity page of the EAPD Intranet for more information and a copy of this fact sheet.
The heart of Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge lies within our people and the many different experiences
and perspectives we share. We recognize, embrace and celebrate our differences and believe we can only
provide our clients with the best possible representation if we reflect the diversity of the clients and
communities we serve.
Get Real . . . Real People. Real Diversity.
eapdlaw.com
September 15 - October 15 — Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month is a national recognition of the contributions of Hispanic/Latino Americans to
the United States and a celebration of Hispanic heritage and culture. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week
under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Regan in 1988 to cover a 31-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988.
Our Latino Attorneys
Our Latino attorneys work in various practice groups within the firm,
including Real Estate, Business Law, Litigation and the Insurance and
Reinsurance Department. They are strongly committed to their clients,
to making the firm a better place for Latinos to work and to giving
back to their local communities. Two of our attorneys, Jaime Guttman
(West Palm Beach) and Machua Millett (Boston) received pro bono
awards from the firm this year, while others are intimately involved in
the firm’s recruitment, mentoring and management efforts. We are also
proud to congratulate Louis Mercedes (Boston) and Machua Millet for
being recognized as 2009 Rising Stars by Law and Politics magazine.
2009 Latino Legal Highlights
artwork courtesy of DiversityStore.com
XX
On August 9, 2009, Sonia Sotomayor became the first Hispanic
justice on the United States Supreme Court. A graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School, Associate Justice Sotomayor
grew up in the Bronx, NY and rose to serve on the United States
Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit before her nomination by
President Barack Obama.
XX
On May 9, 2009, Julian Castro was elected mayor of San Antonio,
Texas, becoming at 34 the youngest mayor of a major American
city. Mayor Castro, a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard
Law School, was born and raised in San Antonio by his mother, a
local political organizer.
XX On January 20, 2009, Ken Salazar was confirmed as the Secretary of the Department of the Interior.
Mr. Salazar, a graduate of
Colorado College and the University of Michigan School of Law, is a former U.S. Senator and Attorney General of Colorado.
Visit the Teamwork and Diversity page of the EAPD Intranet for more information and a copy of this fact sheet.
The heart of Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge lies within our people and the many different experiences
and perspectives we share. We recognize, embrace and celebrate our differences and believe we can only
provide our clients with the best possible representation if we reflect the diversity of the clients and
communities we serve.
Get Real . . . Real People. Real Diversity.
eapdlaw.com
September 15 - October 15 — Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the contributions of Hispanic Americans to the United States. It also celebrates
Hispanic culture. This form of recognition began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was
expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period beginning September 15 and ending October 15. It was
enacted into law on August 17, 1988. September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence from Spain on September 16 and September 18.
Facts
XX As
of July 1, 2006 the Hispanic population was 44.3
million, making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s
largest ethnic or race minority.
XX Between 2000-2004 the voter turnout among Hispanics
in the age range of 18-29 rose from 32% to 53%.
XX In 2006, 5.9% of law school enrollees were Hispanic.
XX Of the 5.9% of Hispanics enrolled in law school in
2004, 87.3% remained for the 2nd year and 86.2%
remained for the 3rd year.
XX 6 Hispanics have served in the U.S. Senate since
1928.
XX 44 Hispanics have served as members of the House of
Representatives since 1877.
Famous Firsts
XX Joseph
artwork courtesy of DiversityStore.com
Marion Hernández was the first Hispanic
member of the U.S. Congress in 1822, he was a delegate
from the Florida territory.
XX Octaviano Larrazolo was the first Hispanic senator to
serve an entire term in the senate. Senator Larrazolo
was elected in 1928 to finish the term of New Mexico
senator Andieus Jones, who died in office.
XX In 1961, Reynaldo G. Garza became the first Hispanic
federal judge when he was appointed to the US District
Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Visit the Teamwork and Diversity page of the EAPD Intranet for more information and a copy of this fact sheet.
The diversity you find in nature is the diversity you find in our work environment. It defines our
communities and Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge as a leading law firm. You can see it in our natural
resources and in our law firm’s human resources. We believe that we can only provide our clients with
the best possible representation if we reflect the diversity of the clients and communities we serve.
Turn on the power
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