Established in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Law Day is celebrated each year by bar associations, the courts and other law-related organizations and educational institutions across the country.
Seymour W. James, Jr., President of the New York State Bar Association says about this year’s celebration:
The theme for Law Day 2013 is “Realizing the Dream: Equality for All.” The American aspiration to achieve full equality for all is one of the defining characteristics of our national identity. This year marks the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech.” As we look back upon these historic milestones and reflect upon the tremendous legacy of the Civil Rights Movement, this year’s Law Day theme also provides an opportunity to consider our nation’s ongoing efforts to fully realize the dream of equality for all.
Visit the New York State Bar Association Law Day 2013 page for a comprehensive list of resources in this subject.
The Rochester Hispanic Business Association is very pleased to celebrate Law Day and highlight its members in the law profession:
Roberto G. Cruz
Rob Cruz is originally from the Bay Area and came to New York to attend Cornell Law School. Rob is the first in this family to graduate from high school, college and law school.
Before becoming a lawyer, Rob’s most notable profession was being a butcher. Working in this industry taught Rob the importance of hard work, long hours and client service. Rob brings all these skills, minus the butcher’s knives, to bear in his practice.
Rob’s practice focuses on corporate law, including working with family-owned businesses, buying and selling car dealerships and forming not-for-profit corporations.
Roberto G. Cruz
Associate at Harter Secrest & Emery LLP
1600 Bausch 7 Lomb Place. Rochester, NY 14604-2711
Phone: 585/231-1352
Fax: 585/232-2152
rcruz@hselaw.com
www.hselaw.com
Jere Fletcher, Esq.
After law school in Boston, Jere Fletcher joined a politically active law firm in northern Westchester County, where he sometimes defended police against Section 1983 civil rights claims in federal court. He moved upstate to pursue public interest law with the Public Utility Law Project (PULP), before settling in Rochester.
His practice background has included both litigation and transaction cases. He twice successfully represented elderly women in court cases to recover real estate and other property that had been taken from them by swindlers. His work at PULP untied a legal knot to allow creation of a unique, confidential computer data-matching program between New York Telephone and the State Department of Social Services.
Now in Rochester, Fletcher’s practice emphasizes transaction cases, such as wills, real estate and business contracts. He also advocates for persons who cannot work to help them get disability benefits. He provides many hours of pro bono work to several health care centers for the uninsured and to those who use a drop-in shelter for the homeless.
Jere B. Fletcher, Esq.
Attorney & Legal Counselor
PO Box 10632 – Rochester, NY 14610
Phone: 585-271-8142
Luis E. Ormaechea
After almost a decade in the field of education, Luis E. Ormaechea decided to pursue a law degree at the Syracuse University College of Law, where he received his J.D., magna cum laude. Currently he is an associate attorney at Underberg & Kessler LLP. At U&K, Luis focuses his practice on corporate and intellectual property law, and also represents residential real estate clients on a regular basis.
As a member of the Monroe County Bar Association, he serves on the Bar’s Business Law Council and the Diversity Committee. He is also a member of the American and New York State Bar Associations and is licensed to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Luis has participated in New York State’s “Pre-Seed” workshops, which promote entrepreneurship and the creation of start-up companies across the region. He is also a member of the Marketing Committee of the Genesee Center for Arts and Education and the Board of Directors of Literacy Volunteers of Rochester (LVR), a not-for-profit organization of trained volunteers dedicated to providing one-to-one or small group English tutoring to functionally illiterate adults and to fostering literacy in Monroe County. Luis currently serves as a Board Member of the Rochester Hispanic Business Association.
Luis E. Ormaechea
Associate at Underberg & Kessler LLP
300 Bausch & Lomb Place, Rochester, NY 14604
Phone: 585-258-2818
Fax: 585-/258-2818
lormaechea@underbergkessler.com
www.underbergkessler.com
Gilbert R. Perez, Esq.
A native of Cuba, Gilbert Perez immigrated to Rochester, NY with his family in 1968 at the age of 8. He began his career as a criminal defense attorney in 1985 and has extensive experience defending clients in State and Federal Courts.
As an attorney, Gilbert Perez primarily focuses his practice on Criminal Law, Family Law and Real Estate Law, where he has close to three decades of experience.
Mr. Perez has been very involved in the community at different ways. He has served as Secretary of the Minorities in the Profession Committee of the Monroe County Bar Association, as President and Member of the Genesee Settlement House, and is a graduate of the United Way Hispanic Leadership Development Program. Organizations he currently serves on are NY State Attorney for the Child (Panel Member) and the Monroe County Assigned Counsel Program (Panel Member), among others.
Gilbert is married to Laurie LiMuti Perez (33 years) they have four children and two grandchildren. In his spare time Gilbert enjoys spending time with his family, playing basketball, and collecting sports cards.
Gilbert R. Perez, Esq.
30 West Broad Street, Suite 203. Rochester, NY 14614
Phone: 585/3325-4732
Fax: 585/325-7856
gperez@nleinternet.net
Everardo “Andy” Rodriquez
Everardo A. Andy Rodriguez is an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of New York, Rochester Office. He has been a federal prosecutor for 14 years, principally prosecuting persons charged with drug trafficking, illegal firearms possession and crimes of violence, including murder. Many of these crimes arise from large, long term and violent multidefendant conspiracies. Andy has been lead counsel in numerous trials and has briefed and argued numerous appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
After graduating from Cornell Law School in 1989, Andy worked as a commercial litigator in Miami, Florida and Rochester until joining the U.S. Attorneys Office in 1999. From 2007 to 2009, Andy and his family lived in Bogota, Colombia, where he worked as a Resident Legal Advisor for the Department of Justice at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota.
Andy is active in his community. He is currently on the board and executive committee of the Center for Youth. He also volunteers with the Catholic Family Center refugee resettlement program working with recently arrived families. He was elected to two terms on the Honeoye Falls – Lima School Board. He is a former vice-president of the RHBA and a former board member of Ibero.
Everardo “Andy” Rodriquez
Assistant United States Attorney
U.S. Dept of Justice – US Attorney’s Office
100 State Street, Suite 500. Rochester, NY 14614
Phone: 585/399-3950
everardo.rodriguez@usdoj.gov