The Cuban American Bar Association: Rooted in Mentoring and Scholarships.

The Cuban American Bar Association has always had a tradition deeply rooted in informing and helping the community.  CABA’s vision early on was to help and mentor its young lawyers.  You see, back in 1974, when there were only a few Cuban American attorneys, all they had was each other.   In a community where diversity in the legal field was just a dream for the future, Cuban American attorneys came together to share with each other what they knew about the legal profession and to think of ways to make a difference and succeed.  Lucky for us, that sense of responsibility gave rise to the largest and most successful minority bar association in the state of Florida.

Fast forward thirty years, and the focus on mentoring and scholarships starts even earlier: during law school. With the inspiration of Marlene Quintana, CABA’s Immediate Past President, and the dedication of Board members like Raúl J. Chacón, Jr., and me, the mentoring program has risen to new heights in the past few years, boasting of its nearly 200 participants. Each year the program grows, allowing students, young attorneys and seasoned attorneys and judges the ability to meet, interact and learn from one another. The formula is simple:  pairing up students eager for involvement in the legal arena, with young attorneys ready to embark on professional advancement, with experienced attorneys and judges ready to impart their knowledge and expertise, while renewing their own love of the law.    These mentoring partnerships create the opportunities for growth and enrichment for all parties involved.  Students from all the local schools (University of Miami, Florida International University, St. Thomas University, and Nova Southeastern University) participate in the program.  Our illustrious judges and lawyers throughout the community request to be involved.  CABA encourages you to do the same!

Our Mentor Program Kickoff Reception will be hosted by Squire Sanders and will take place Thursday, October 15, 2009.  Students and attorneys will get an opportunity to network, mingle, and fill out their mentoring applications to be paired up in anticipation of our Fall Mentoring Reception, which will take place on November 9, 2009.  Our Fall Mentoring Reception is our huge mentoring event where we honor our scholarship recipients, pair up the program participants, and kick off Minority Mentoring Week, culminating with the Minority Mentoring Picnic on November 14, 2009, at Amelia Earhart Park.

Along with our mentoring program, CABA is very dedicated to its scholarships.  At the present time, CABA has endowed scholarships at the University of Miami, Florida International University, St. Thomas University, Nova Southeastern University, Florida State University and University of Florida.  CABA also has two additional scholarships for out of state students named after Osvaldo N. Soto and the Honorable Margarita Esquiroz.   Those will be awarded at the Fall Mentoring Reception.  For more scholarship information, please contact Raúl J. Chacón, Jr. via email at rchacon@houckanderson.com.

For more mentoring opportunities, simply fill out our  Mentor Application Form and return it to me at VictoriaMendez@aol.com.  Get involved in CABA mentoring!  You will not regret it.  

Victoria Mèndez the Supervisor for the Environmental and Quality of Life Division in the Office of the City Attorney, City of Miami, dealing with legal matters in the area of land use and environmental law, code enforcement, platting, unsafe structures, and eminent domain.  Ms. Mèndez began her career as an Assistant State Attorney for Miami-Dade County.  She is serving her sixth term as a Director for CABA and is a Trustee for the Miami-Dade County Law Library.  Ms. Mèndez served as Chair of a Florida Bar Grievance Committee and was selected Top Government Attorney by Florida Trend’s Legal Elite in 2008 and 2009.

Thank you in advance for your participation in our mentor program. We trust that it will be a rewarding experience for you, as well as your mentee.

To become a mentee, please click here.