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CHIEF JUSTICE CONTRERAS ’90 AND JUSTICE YANEZ

        DISCUSS TRAILBLAZING PATHS AT UHLC HISPANIC

        HERITAGE MONTH CELEBRATION































           s part of Hispanic Heritage Month, the University of Houston Law   importance of a strong work ethic, and just sticking with it. In my
        ACenter, in collaboration with the Hispanic Law Alumni, held an   case being a single mother in college could have derailed me, it could
        online discussion this fall with prominent Hispanic judges, attorneys,   have stopped me, but I found a way.”
        leaders, and students. Featuring Chief Justice Dori Contreras ’90   “It is so important to take a moment like this to truly highlight our
        and Justice Linda Yanez, both of the 13th Court of Appeals, the   talent and celebrate our heritage and our culture,” said co-chair of
        event highlighted the challenges and opportunities they faced due   the Hispanic Law Alumni Network and Court of Appeals Justice for
        to ethnicity and their tenacity in pursuing a law degree and career   the First District of Texas Veronica Rivas-Malloy ’01 said. “These two
        success despite societal skepticism in what was a very Anglo male   trailblazing justices have truly paved the way for women and Hispanic
        dominated profession.                                        attorneys of the judiciary, and I am inspired by them.”
        Both mission-driven, Yanez was appointed to the Texas Court of   Eric Munoz ’06, a partner with Akin Gump law firm, also serves as
        Appeals in 1993 as the first Latina state appellate judge in the State   co-chair of the Hispanic Law Alumni Network.
        and the first woman to serve as Justice on the 13th Court of Appeals.
        Contreras was the first woman to be elected Chief Justice of the Texas   Led by Dean Leonard Baynes and streamed live via Zoom, speakers
        13th Court of Appeals and the second Latina statewide to hold the   discussed questions posed by attendees and offered tips on how
        office of Chief Justice.                                     to prepare and overcome cultural stigmas, past and present ethnic
        “Being female and Latina were not barriers,” Yanez said. “They were   stereotypes and how to turn the challenges of cultural differences
                                                                     into strengths.
        my fuel, my metal which gave me the audacity to believe that I could
        change the course of the narrative.”                         Baynes mentioned how demographics are changing. This year alone,
        Contreras added, “When I speak to young students, I share with them   the Law Center boasts one of its largest student classes with the
                                                                     highest median LSAT in over a decade and the highest median GPA in
        that I’m no different from them and I encourage them to pursue their   recorded history. It is 55.5 percent female, almost 40 percent minority
        educational goals, but more importantly to not let life’s obstacles   and almost 20 percent Hispanic. ^
        stop them, because we all have to confront challenges… I stress the













        law.uh.edu                                                                                                        33
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