Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania

Message from President

Febuary 25, 2005

Dear HBA Friends,

It is with great honor and pride that I write my first letter as President of the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania (HBA). As many of you know, my tenure as President of the HBA officially began on January 27, 2005 at "La Jusitica" event. "La Justicia" was very well attended and an all around great event. Alba Martinez, president and CEO of the United Way was awarded the well deserved "La Justicia" award. She was introduced by the Honorable Teresa Sarmina. Both Judge Sarmina and Ms. Martinez gave very inspiring, heart felt remarks that were thoroughly enjoyed by all in attendance.

The event was hosted by the Honorable Nelson Diaz, one of the founders of the HBA and partner at Blank Rome. It was very exciting for me to begin this year at an event hosted by one of the founders of the HBA. Thank you again to Judge Diaz for hosting the event. During "La Jusiticia" our members received the good news that HBA Treasurer Romulo L. Diaz was appointed the City Solicitor of Philadelphia and Pedro Ramos was appointed the Managing Director of the City of Philadelphia. On behalf of the HBA, I extend our sincerest congratulations to them both.

I would like to thank Arlene Rivera Finkelstein, HBA Ex Officio, who provided warm remarks about her experience and accomplishments as President of the HBA for the past two years. As we all know, Arlene did a phenomenal job leading this organization and together with the HBA board I hope to help keep that momentum going throughout this year. Some of the projects and events that we hope to continue this year include: the Hispanic Bar Association-Legal Education Fund Scholarship Banquet; a How To Become a Judge Brown Bag Lunch; a Student Mentor Reception; People's Law School en Espanol; and Legal Line en Espanol, on which we are working together with the Philadelphia Bar Association.

As with every year, one of our goals this year is to increase the number and participation of our members. One of the ways to do that is to reach out to young lawyers, become their mentors and encourage them to become active in the HBA. Throughout my term, I will seek your support in achieving this goal. We are very proud of all the accomplishments of our members and are delighted to support our members whenever possible. To maintain the vitality of the organization we need new and more seasoned members to continue to be involved for motivation, guidance and financial support. I encourage you to invite a friend or colleague to join the HBA and attend at least one of the HBA functions this year.

We have a great group of talented individuals leading the HBA this year including: President Elect Jefferie Garcia; Vice President Maria Gonzalez; Treasurer Romy Diaz; Secretary Jenimae Almquist; and Board members: Will Gonzalez, Stephanie Gonzalez Ferrandez, Henri Marcial, Robert Nix and Pedro Rivera.

As many of our members know, my Mother is from Cuba and my Father is from Venezuela. I was raised in Miami. I moved to Philadelphia to attend Law School. I fell in love with my wife Michele, a Philadelphia native, and with the culture, history and flavor of the Philadelphia. I look forward to getting to know all HBA members better and welcome any questions, ideas or comments.

To get more information about these and other events as well as to provide comments and update your membership please visit or website at www.hbapa.com.

Sincerely,

Thomas A. Warnock, Esq.
HBA President

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