¿ Que Pasa CABA ? February 2010
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¿Que Pasa CABA? February, 2010 CONTENTS: • I. Message from CABA I. MESSAGE FROM CABA On January 30, 2010, Manuel A. Garcia-Linares was installed as CABA's 36th President by the Honorable Juan Ramirez, Jr. Below is the President's Message as printed in the GALA program: As I begin my term as the thirty-sixth President of the Cuban American Bar Association, I must first thank and congratulate all those that have come before me. We must never forget why this organization was formed and the tireless efforts of its founders who persevered in a new legal system with a new language and struggled to ensure that Cuban American attorneys would be respected and acknowledged. CABA will continue in its long history of ensuring equality for all, a diverse, qualified and funded judicial system and strive to make our community a better place. As attorneys, we are very fortunate to have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. CABA will continue providing scholarships to deserving students and free legal services to those in need. Thanks to our Attorney General, Bill McCollum, the CABA Pro Bono Project today remains viable and adequately funded. CABA will continue to support our dual system of appointment and election of judges. During my term, we will strive to educate the public on the importance of judicial elections and election of qualified candidates, irrespective of their national origin. Although great progress has been attained to ensure that our judiciary in Miami Dade County is diverse and sensitive to issues affecting minorities, CABA and all the members of the Coalition of Hispanic Bars of Florida must strive to ensure this diversity and sensitivity exist throughout the State of Florida but particularly in our sister counties where we practice. CABA's goal of protecting the rights of minorities cannot end on the Florida coastline. Over the last 5 years, I have had the pleasure of chairing a committee dedicated to exploring how CABA will assist in a peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba. CABA together with lawyers from los Colegios de Abogados from Cuba and Spain drafted a Transitionary Constitution. CABA will strive this year to expose the continued violation of human rights and promote freedom in Cuba. We must ensure that when the time comes, CABA materially participates in the transition to democracy in Cuba. I have no doubt that our shared dream of once again having nuestra "Cuba Libre" is well within our reach! I have many to thank for the honor of serving as your next President. I thank my wife, children and parents who have always stood with me and supported me in all my endeavors and my partners who have allowed me to dedicate the time necessary to do an effective job. I look forward to working with all of you and my 2010 board this year. Manuel A. Garcia-Linares II. CABA EVENTS Joint CABA & HBA Event To Help Haitian Victims of Earthquake Seeking TPS Members are needed to assist Haitian families in need of assistance with their TPS paperwork. Goodwill Gathering of Attorneys and Certified Public Accountants Tuesday, March 9, 2010 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm "Heart Giving": Together We Must Campaign For Justice CABA together with Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc.
III. EVENTS OF INTEREST Attorney General Foreclosure Defense Taskforce Meeting Friday, March 5, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. FIU's 9th Annual Torch Awards Saturday, March 6, 2010 IV. MEMBERS IN THE NEWS On February 24, 2010, President Obama announced his nomination of Wifredo A. Ferrer for U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Florida. Wifredo Ferrer currently works as an Assistant County Attorney and as Chief of the Federal Litigation Section in the Miami-Dade County's Attorney's Office, where he has been since 2006. From 2000 until 2006, he was an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Florida. Prior to that, he had been Counsel and Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of the United States Attorney General from 1995 until 2000. From 1994 until 1995, Mr. Ferrer was White House Fellow and Special Assistant to the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. From 1991 until 1994, he had been a Litigation Associate with Steel Hector & Davis. From 1990 until 1991 Mr. Ferrer was a law clerk to the Honorable Stanley Marcus of the United States District court for the Southern District of Florida. Mr. Ferrer is a graduate of the University of Miami (1987) and the University of Pennsylvania School of Law (1990). Roland Sanchez-Medina Jr., Immediate Past President of CABA, is running for seat 3 of the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar. For more information on Roland's qualifications and endorsements, please go to http://www.smgqlaw.com/rolandbog/ . The ballot will be mailed out on Monday, March 1 and must be returned on or before March 22, 2010. On Saturday March 6, 2010 Elizabeth M. Hernandez, City Attorney for Coral Gables and a CABA Past President, will be recognized at FIU's 9th Annual Torch Awards Gala. A Community Leadership Award will be presented to Elizabeth, and a reception and silent auction will also be held. For more information, please see www.fiualumni.com/netcommunity/torchaward. Niza Motola has been recognized by the Hispanic National Bar Association as one of five Top Lawyers Under Forty in the country. The HBNA will recognize Niza and the four other recipients at the Mid-Year Conference and 15th Annual Uvaldo Herrera National Moot Court Competition Awards Gala that will be held on March 6, 2010 in San Diego, California. Eleventh Circuit Judge Bertila Soto has been appointed as the new Administrative Judge of the Circuit Court Criminal Division, effective April 5, 2010. Judge Soto is a long-time CABA member and the daughter of one of CABA's founding members and Past President, Osvaldo N. Soto.
This is a section dedicated to news about CABA members' marriages, births, achievements, and appointments. If you are interested in contributing to this section, please email Nicole Mestre at nem@mestrelaw.com
• V. CABA NEWS Last month, CABA relaunched its website. We encourage our members to go to www.cabaonline.com to register with the new website and take advantage of all its new features. Any comments or questions can be directed to Nicole Mestre at nem@mestrelaw.com. To register: Create a New Account 1. Access the CABA Online site by at http://cabaonline.com CABA now has a LinkedIn Group For more information, please visit: LinkedIn-CABA Group
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Upcoming Events
- Young Lawyers Summer Social August 11, 2010(11 days)
- CABA invites you to attend its Annual Judicial Luncheon and Forum August 12, 2010(12 days)
- SAVE THE DATE CABA's Annual Labor Day Retreat September 3rd 2010(34 days)
- SAVE THE DATE: CABA'S Annual Art in the Tropics Fundraiser, Saturday, September 11, 2010 (42 days)
- Juevnile Court Lecture Series September 23, 2010(54 days)
