Margarita Sanchez

Born in Colombia, Margarita Sanchez’s education and experience stretches across the globe. After graduating from universities in both Colombia and the United States, Sanchez practiced international arbitration and global anti-corruption law. As part of her arbitration work she served as counsel during high-profile cases representing multinationals and sovereign Latin American states. In 2014 Sanchez opened her private LLP, Disan. The firm, staffed by a team of multilingual attorneys, specializes in both common and civil law systems in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In January 2016, Margarita Sanchez was named one of ‘The 25 Most Influential Hispanic Lawyers’ in the United States by Latino Leaders Magazine.

Angel Taveras

Born to Dominican parents who immigrated to the United States in the 1960s, Angel Taveras grew up in Providence, Rhode Island. Earning his undergraduate degree from Harvard University he earned a law degree from Georgetown University and served as a lawyer in Providence with Brown Rudnick LLP. In 2007, Providence Mayor David Cicilline appointed Taveras an Associate Judge on the Providence Housing Court.

After stepping down from the judicial position, Taveras ran for mayor of Providence. Winning the general election with 82 percent of the vote, he served as Providence’s 37^th mayor from 2011 to 2015. During his time as mayor the city was awarded the All-America City Award from the National Civic League.

Sonia Sotomayor

Sonia Maria Sotomayor was born in The Bronx to Puerto Rican parents, and visited Puerto Rico often as she grew up. Sotomayor attended Princeton University on a full scholarship and graduated summa cum laude in 1976. Three years later she received her J.D. from Yale Law School before working as an assistant district attorney in New York. In 1984 Sotomayor began private practice.

In 1991 President George H. W. Bush nominated Sotomayor to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Then, in 1997, she was nominated by President Bill Clinton to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Today she serves as a Supreme Court Justice, nominated by President Barack Obama in 2009 after the retirement of Justice David Souter.

Alberto Gonzales

Alberto Gonzales was the second of eight children born to Maria and Pablo Gonzales in San Antonio, Texas. After enlisting in the United States Air Force in 1973, he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1979 and graduated with a J.D. from Harvard in 1982. Gonzales served as a private attorney in Houston from 1982 until 1984. He eventually became one of the firm’s first Hispanic partners.

In 1994 Gonzales was named general counsel to then-Governor George W. Bush. As Governor, Bush appointed Gonzalez to Secretary of State of Texas in 1997 and the Texas Supreme Court in 1999. On November 10, 2004, President Bush nominated Gonzalez to replace United States Attorney General John Ashcroft. Officially appointed as the 80^th United States Attorney General in February 2005, Gonzalez became the highest-ranking Hispanic American in executive government.