On Monday, February 27, the Honorable Nelson A. Diaz Chair of Law will hold its inaugural ceremony.
The event will bring together alumni, faculty, staff and friends of Temple University and feature a panel discussion among four prominent Latino attorneys and judges.
Panelists will discuss their career paths, the role of racial justice in their work, as well as the impact of Latinx representation on the legal profession.
Highlighting Distinguished Latin Jurists
Compared to the Latino population in the United States, the legal profession is one area in which Latinos are underrepresented.
Nevertheless, there are some of them who have managed to make a big impact right here in our region.
Three of them will participate in a round table during the event.
is the first diana cortes, In December 2020, she was appointed City Attorney by Mayor Jim Kenney, the first Latina to hold the position.
As the city’s chief legal officer, Cortes is general counsel to the mayor and his administration, the city council, and all city departments, agencies, boards, and commissions.
He also heads the city’s legal department, which has over 215 lawyers and over 100 professionals. His diverse legal practice includes litigation before federal, state and local agencies, commercial and real estate transactions, TA, regulatory law, social services and law enforcement.
the other panelists are Jacqueline Romero, In June 2022, he was officially sworn in as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She is the first Latina to hold this position.
In the exercise of his functions, Romero is the presiding officer of all federal criminal proceedings and civil litigation in which the United States intervenes in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, one of the nation’s most populous districts.
He oversees a staff of approximately 140 assistant prosecutors and an equal number of support staff in the Philadelphia and Allentown offices.
the third panelist is Presiding Judge Juan R. Sanchez, In August 2018, he became Chief Justice of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He is the first Hispanic to lead the court in its 229-year history.
He has practiced as a federal judge for more than 15 years and is the 15th Chief Justice of his district.
After a career in legal aid and with the Chester County Public Defender’s Office, Judge Sanchez was elected to the Chester County Court of Common Pleas, where he served as judge until appointed by President George W. Bush to a seat on the US District Court. acted as For the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
round table will be moderated by Judge L. Felipe RestrepoCircuit Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Before entering private practice, he worked as a defense attorney in both local and federal courts in Philadelphia. He was also a partner in Krasner & Restrepo until he was sworn in as a United States trial judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
In May 2022, he was announced as one of seven attorneys to serve on the United States Sentencing Commission.
Nelson A. About the Diaz Chair of Law
In May 2021, Temple University’s James E. Beasley School of Law officially named the Nelson A. Diaz Chair of Law. It is the first title of its kind to bear a Latino name.
The Honorable Judge Nelson A. Diaz He is a pioneer in many ways.
He was the first Latino to pass the bar exam in Pennsylvania, the state’s first Latino judge, and as a Temple Law alumnus, he has been instrumental in helping college students achieve great success in the legal field.
During the launch, it was also announced that veteran Temple law professor Alice Abreu would become the Nelson A.B. Diaz will be the first to be named professor.
During an interview with AL DÍA in 2021, Díaz stated that he created the new title of professor because he wanted to help showcase the contributions of Latinos to civil rights efforts throughout the history of the United States.
Law played a key role in those efforts.
“Having this chair named after me, I hope it continues to be used for Latino professors,” Díaz told AL DÍA.
The Diaz Chair Panel Discussion and Reception Event will take place on Monday, February 27, 2023, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Temple University School of Law.
