Expert panel will explore future of growing Latino population at ABA meeting Feb. 6

The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation (ABF) will present the CLE research seminar, “The Future of Latinos in the United States: Law, Opportunity and Mobility,” from 2-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego. The seminar is one of several events being hosted by The Fellows of the ABF during the 2016 American Bar Association (ABA) Midyear Meeting, Feb. 3-7, 2016, in San Diego, Calif.

Two ABF-affiliated researchers, Rachel F. Moran, the inaugural William H. Neukom Fellows Research Chair in Diversity and Law, and Dean Emerita and Michael J. Connell Distinguished Professor of Law at UCLA Law School; and Robert L. Nelson, ABF Director Emeritus and MacCrate Research Chair in the Legal Profession, and professor of sociology and law at Northwestern University, will present their new project examining the current condition of Latinos in the United States and the barriers that disrupt their full integration and equality. They will also explore future efforts for meaningful reform in law and policy to encourage opportunity and mobility for the flourishing Latino population. Luz Herrera, Assistant Dean for Clinical Education, Experiential Learning, and Public Service, UCLA Law School, will also be a lead presenter.

Moran, Nelson, and Herrera will be joined by panelists R. Alexander Acosta, dean at Florida International University College of Law and chair of the ABA Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights & Responsibilities; and Sonia Gonzales, executive director of the California Bar Foundation. Gonzales regularly speaks on issues of diversity, and has focused her career on broadening access to justice for California’s most vulnerable populations. The panel will also be joined by Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), and David G. Gutierrez, professor and Academic Senate Distinguished Teacher, UC San Diego. Gutierrez’s main research concentrates on the history of Mexican America, and of immigration, citizenship and civil rights of Latino Americans.

The program will be moderated by Manny Medrano, veteran trial lawyer at Medrano & Carlton, and Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist. Medrano was named one of Hispanic Business Magazine’s “100 Influentials” in 2005.

The Latino population is currently projected to account for nearly 30 percent of the U.S. population by 2050. The well-being of Latinos will significantly impact the future prospects of the country as a whole. An ongoing ABF research project co-directed by Moran and Nelson, “The Future of Latinos,” is dedicated to advancing the understanding of issues facing Latino Americans and proposing concrete policies and laws to overcome these obstacles.
Ajay Mehrotra, director of the American Bar Foundation, said, “This will be an outstanding panel led by two eminent ABF scholars, Rachel Moran and Bob Nelson, and we are delighted that Dean Moran, the first William H. Neukom Fellows Research Chair in Diversity and Law has initiated this project at the American Bar Foundation.” He added, “ ‘Future of Latinos’ project promises to yield important knowledge about the law and the Latino population that will inform policy for decades to come.”

This CLE program is co-sponsored by the ABA Center for Racial and Ethnic Diversity, ABA Commission on Hispanic Rights & Responsibilities, ABA Commission on Immigration, ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession,  ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, ABA Diversity & Inclusion 360 Commission, ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice, ABA Young Lawyers Division, National Association of Women Judges, National Association of Women Lawyers, and National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations.