Judy Perez - President
Judy Perez began her legal career in 2002 as a fellow for the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. In 2003 she entered private practice as an associate for the law firm of Moreno, Becerra, Guerrero & Casillas. After working two and a half years with the Moreno Firm, Ms. Perez went on to become a founding partner of Carrillo & Perez. In 2006, she opened her own firm in downtown Los Angeles where she currently practices personal injury and civil rights law.
Ms. Perez graduated from UCLA in 1999 and from Loyola Law School in 2002. She was born in Los Angeles, California to hardworking Mexican Immigrant parents from Colima and Jalisco. She was raised in Highland Park where she attended St. Ignatius Elementary, then went on to attend Sacred Heart of Jesus High School in Lincoln Heights. Ms. Perez left her familiar neighborhood surroundings and relocated to Westwood while attending UCLA. She interned for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) in their Washington, D.C. office and then while in law school, for MALDEF’s Los Angeles office. She was also an extern for Judge Teresa Sanchez-Gordon in Los Angeles Superior Court, whom she regards as one of her most influential mentors.
Ms. Perez has also served as President for the Latina Lawyers Bar Association. She recognizes that she has been able overcome barriers due to individuals who believe in opening doors and in MABA’s mission of empowering the Latino community. She credits her accomplishments to those very special mentors and friends who have believed in her along the way as well as the incessant support of her family.
| |
Victor Acevedo- President Elect
Mr. Acevedo was born in Glendale, California and raised in the San Fernando Valley. Both of Mr. Acevedo's parents are from Jerez, Zacatecas, a small town in Mexico. In 1990, Mr. Acevedo became the first in his family to go off to college. He attended the University of California, San Diego (Revelle College), where he was a pre-med student for several years. After much soul-searching, Mr. Acevedo decided that his talents were better suited to a career in the law, and he graduated in 1995 with a B.A. in Philosophy. He then attended Loyola Law School, where he was a member of the Scott Moot Court Honors Board. While in law school, Mr. Acevedo clerked for both the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office as well as the Office of the Los Angeles County Public Defender. Mr. Acevedo knew that upon graduation he wanted to work exclusively in the field of Criminal Law. He received his J.D. in 1998. Mr. Acevedo considers himself lucky that he has been at his "dream job" for the past 11 years, dedicating himself exclusively to the defense of the indigent as a Deputy Public Defender for the County of Los Angeles since 1999. A veteran trial lawyer, he is currently assigned to a specialized unit within the Public Defender's Office that deals exclusively with cases involving DNA. This is Mr. Acevedo's third year on the MABA Board.
| |
Rigoberto Arrechiga-Vice President
Is a Deputy Public Defender for the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office and a former school teacher for LAUSD. He has been involved with MABA since he was a student in law school and believes that the most important role of this organization is to mentor Latino/Latina students as they enter the legal profession.
|
|
Elizabeth Perez Uribe- Secretary
Elizabeth Pérez Uribe is an associate at the Law Office of Enrique Arevalo where she practices immigration defense. Ms. Uribe is the daughter of immigrants and is a native of East Los Angeles. She graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1998, where she participated in the Administration of Justice and Law Magnet. She graduated from UCLA cum laude in 2003 and obtained a B.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in Chicana/o Studies. Ms. Uribe obtained her Juris Doctorate from UC Hastings College of the Law in 2006. While at UCLA Ms. Uribe was active in MEChA and was a peer counselor at the Student Retention Center. While at UC Hastings she interned at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies and held board member positions in La Raza Law Students Association, the Native American Law Students Association and the Race and Poverty Law Journal. She is currently a mentor at Wilson High School through the Los Angeles County Bar Association. This is her third year serving on the MABA board.
| |
Annaluisa Padilla - Treasurer
Ms. Padilla is a native of Guatemala who immigrated to the United States in 1983. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the UCLA and her juris doctorate from Whittier College, School of Law.
While at UCLA, Ms. Padilla was involved with the Academic Advancement Program. Prior to commencing her legal career, Ms. Padilla was employed in the Entertainment Industry serving various capacities related to foreign language film distribution.
Ms. Padilla established her firm as a sole practitioner in 2002 practicing in the areas of Immigration, Nationality Law and Family Law. She has volunteered with the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), the Domestic Violence Project, the HIV & AIDS Legal Services Alliance, and the Immigration Legal Assistance Project. She is fluent in Spanish, conversational in German and Portuguese.
| |
Miguel Espinoza- Membership Director
Miguel was raised in Southern California and attended UC Santa Cruz, where he received his BA in journalism. During college, Miguel worked as a journalist for Talk Radio News Service in the White House and as a correspondent for the Whittier Daily News.
Miguel has also worked extensively in local and national politics, serving as deputy policy director for Antonio Villaraigosa's city council campaign, as a senior advisor to Villaraigosa in his successful bid for mayor, and as a political director for Senator Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
Miguel graduated from USC with a JD and Masters in Public Policy in 2007. While at USC, he served as co-chair for La Raza Law Students Association, founded a scholarship for Latino law students, developed a judicial mentorship program for his classmates, and coordinated a Teen Court program with the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Miguel currently serves as a deputy district attorney for the County of Los Angeles. In his free time, he enjoys lobster diving, competing in triathlons, and traveling to remote parts of the world. He counts his father, Peter Espinoza, as one of his heroes.
| |
Eber Bayona- Newsletter Editor
|
|
Lillian Vega Jacobs-Trustee
Lillian Vega Jacobs is a partner with the law firm of Jacobs & Vega where she practices criminal defense representing clients in the counties of: Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and San Diego. She has been a member of the State Bar of California since 1998. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from U.C. Berkeley majoring in English and graduating with a distinction in general scholarship. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from UCLA School of Law. Prior to practicing criminal defense, Lillian Vega Jacobs was a prosecutor for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office for nearly six years completing numerous felony trials and prosecuting thousands of cases. She is currently on the panel of qualified criminal defense attorneys of the County of Los Angeles accepting court appointments to represent defendants charged with criminal offenses.
Ms. Vega Jacobs is one of the founding members of the Los Angeles Latino Prosecutors Association. Previously, she has served as a MABA trustee. In addition to serving as MABA Treasurer in 2009, Ms. Vega Jacobs is the Southeast District Bar Association President.
| |
Gladdys J. Uribe - Trustee
Gladdys J. Uribe is the proud daughter of immigrants from Jalisco and Baja California. She was born and raised in Solvang, California. Ms. Uribe practices immigration law and was admitted to the California State Bar in 2006. Ms. Uribe graduated cum laude from Occidental College in 2002 with a B.A. in Sociology. Ms. Uribe matriculated at the UCLA School of Law in 2003. While at the UCLA School of Law, Ms. Uribe served as the co-chair of the La Raza Law Student Association and as an Articles Editor for the Chicano-Latino Law Review. Ms. Uribe graduated from the UCLA School of Law in 2006 with concentrations in the Public Interest Law and Policy Program and the Critical Race Studies Program. She is an associate with the Law Office of Enrique Arevalo. Ms. Uribe currently serves on the boards of the Occidental College Latino Alumni Association and the Latina Lawyers Bar Association.
| |
Guillermo Santiso- Trustee
| |
Efrain Aceves-Trustee
Efrain Aceves was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States with his mother as a young child. He attended UCLA, becoming the first member of his family to graduate from college in the United States. Upon completing his undergraduate studies at UCLA, Mr. Aceves was appointed as a U.S. Probation Officer for the Central District of California. Mr. Aceves returned to his alma matter and earned his Juris Doctorate in 1997. While attending law school, Mr. Aceves continued his involvement by serving on the UCLA La Raza Board of directors, participating in the Moot Court program and as a member of the UCLA Chicano-Latino Law Review.
Mr. Aceves has distinguished himself at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and has the distinction of being the first Deputy District Attorney to serve as MABA president in 2007.
Mr. Aceves is currently an elected official at the Whittier City School District, where he served as Board President in 2008. He also has the honor of being the youngest member serving on the Board of Directors of the Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital located in Whittier, California.
|
|
Robert F. Jacobs- Trustee
| |
Pete Navarro– Trustee
Mr. Navarro is a 1980 graduate of the Peoples College of Law and a longtime community and political activist. A sole practitioner since 1985, Mr. Navarro began his legal career working for the ACLU and San Fernando Legal Services.
In addition to his work with MABA, Mr. Navarro was appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to the City’s Affordable Housing Commission where he sits as Vice-President. His organizational activities include sitting on the board of El Sereno’s Neighborhood Council and as a founding board member of the LA Housing Law Project.
|
|
Cristina Peña- Student Trustee
| |
|
Maria Torres- Executive Administrator
Maria Torres was born in Zacatecas, Mexico but raised in the community of Echo Park in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from Belmont High School in 2001 and was admitted to California State University, Northridge (CSUN) the same year. As an undergraduate, she majored in Psychology with a minor in sociology emphasizing in gender and crime. While at CSUN Ms. Torres became involved in various student organizations, one of which being The Aztlan Graduation and Scholarship Committee. Ms. Torres obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in June 2006 and was invited to attend the Honor’s Convocation where she was recognized as a Cum Laude graduating student. Subsequently she became part of the MABA family in October of 2006 as the Executive Administrator.
|
|
Mario Trujillo - 2009 President
|
|
|
