Angela E. Oh and Teresa Barrera have launched a new law office, Oh, Barrera & Associates, LLP in Los Angeles. The firm will focus upon criminal law as well as organizational change dealing with training, assessments, mediation and monitoring.

Fred McClure has joined Piper Rudnick in Florida.

Congratulations to Judge Ann Claire Williams on being named the 2002 recipient of the Morton A. Brody Judicial Service Award by Colby College in Waterville, ME. Judge Williams was the first African American appointed to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Litigation partner Celso Gonzalez-Falla has relocated from Houston to the New York office of Vinson & Elkins.

Congratulations to Mercedes Luque Rosales, a supervisor in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office on receiving the President's Award of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois.

Donna C. Chin has joined Kozyra & Hartz, LLC in Roseland, NJ.

Congratulations to Charisse R. Lillie on becoming the head of the Litigation Department at Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll in Philadelphia.

The law firm of Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo, PC has announced that William "Mo" Cowan, is now a partner of the firm. He practices in the Boston office in the Litigation Section.

Hector Gonzales is a new partner in the New York office of Mayer Brown Row & Maw. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Ashish and Ashley Prasad on the birth of their second son, Kenar.

G.A. Finch is the new Co-Managing Partner of the Chicago office of Querrey & Harrow.

Congratulations to Phyllis K. Fong on her nomination by President Bush to become Inspector General of the US Department of Agriculture.

Patricia Mendoza, Regional Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, was awarded the Aguila Award by the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois. Pat was also selected to participate in the 2002 National Hispana Leadership Institute. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Ajay S. Pathak on becoming a partner at Banner & Witcoff in Washington, D.C.

Congratulations to Kathryn Kimura Mlsna, Managing Counsel of the Marketing and Intellectual Property Groups in the Legal Department of McDonald's, on her selection as one of the Asian American Institute's Milestone Maker Awards.

Martin R. Castro and Angel Gomez have joined the Chicago office of Seyfarth Shaw.

Roland W. Burris, II and Darryl Tom are two of the name partners of the new firm, Burris, Wright, Slaughter & Tom in Chicago. The firm will focus upon corporate law and real estate development.

Charlene Usher was appointed Managing Attorney of the Usher Law Group in Diamond Bar, CA.

Congratulations to Karen Harris on her new position as Director of Diversity for the law firm Piper Rudnick in Chicago.

Congratulations to Debra Yang, the new US Attorney for the Central District of California.

Alfredo R, Perez has joined the Houston office of Weil Gotshal & Manges as head of the business finance and restructuring practice.

Congratulations to Edward Hachiro Kubo, the new US Attorney for the District of Hawaii.

Congratulations to SCCLA President Wendy Chang, who on Saturday, May 11th, gave birth to a baby girl, Aidan Yi-Fan Schofield.

Congratulations to Pamila Brown who is now an Associate Judge in the District Court Of Maryland.

Thanks to the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms for supplying the following:

New minority partners since June 29, 2001

• Rolando Acosta at Altheimer & Gray
• Cheryl Blackwell Bryson at Duane Morris
• Stephen Garcia and John Ratnaswamy at Foley & Lardner
• Kevin Freeman at Gardner Carton & Douglas
• Phillip Harris, Victor Henderson, and Steve Lawrence at Holland & Knight
• Daniel Hurtado and Robert Slaughter at Jenner & Block
• Katheryn Frierson at Kirkland & Ellis
• N. Marcia Jimenez and Mary Richardson-Lowry at Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw
• Benjamin Lo at Ungetti & Harris
• Deborah Telman at Winston & Strawn

The following partners have left their firms:

• Akira Ito of Baker & McKenzie
• Tony Miller of Schiff Hardin & Waite
• Lily Rin-Laures of Marshall Gerstein & Borum
• Lauren Robinson
• Maria Saldana of Altheimer & Gray
• Jacqueline White Johnson of Kirkland & Ellis
• Edward Washington

Back to current Commission Reporter

Have some good, bad, happy or sad news you’d like to share with minority lawyers and others interested in diversity issues? E-mail any announcements or other news (personal or professional) to the Commission on Racial & Ethnic Diversity in the Profession at yamates@staff.abanet.org– of course, the Commission reserves the right to edit or refuse publication of any submission.