Contact: Zuraya Tapia-Hadley
E-mail: ztapia@hnba.com
Phone: (202) 223-4777

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2, 2012

Hispanic National Bar Association Announces New Savings Program with UPS

Washington, DC – Hispanic National Bar Association today announced that it will provide a new and valuable benefit to its members by enabling them to enroll in the UPS Savings Program.

Through the UPS Savings Program, HNBA members will save up to 30% on air, international and ground shipping once they enroll at savewithups.com/hnba. In addition to savings, members will be able to put the power of logistics on their side and get outstanding reliability, greater speed, more services and innovative technology.

“We’re proud to offer our members the additional savings they can get as a part of the UPS Savings Program,” said HNBA National President Benny Agosto, Jr. “It’s also a great opportunity for members to take advantage of other benefits, including the wide range of services and technology tools UPS offers. We thank UPS and look forward to this mutually beneficial relationship for many years to come.”

About UPS

UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions, including the transportation of packages and freight, the facilitation of international trade and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the Web at ups.com^® and its corporate blog can be found at blog.ups.com. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.

For More Information call 1-800-325-7000.

About the Hispanic National Bar Association

The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) is an incorporated, not-for-profit, national membership organization that represents the interests of the more than 100,000 Hispanic attorneys, judges, law professors, legal assistants, and law students in the United States and its territories. From the days of its founding four decades ago, the HNBA has acted as a force for positive change within the legal profession. It does so by encouraging Latino students to choose a career in the law and by prompting their advancement within the profession once they graduate and start practicing. Through a combination of issue advocacy, programmatic activities, networking events and educational conferences, the HNBA has helped generations of lawyers succeed.

Logistics saves money. Save up to 30% on UPS shipping. 

Sign up today!

One of the many benefits of being a member of Hispanic National Bar Association is the ability to leverage our partnerships to improve your business. With that in mind, the HNBA is proud to announce a new relationship with UPS that provides outstanding shipping discounts for our members. Through the UPS Savings Program, you can now save up to 30% on air, international and ground shipping.

For complete details or to sign up, click here or call 1-800-325-7000.

Save more. And get more for your business.

Along with the savings, you’ll have the power of logistics on your side. You get outstanding reliability, greater speed, more services and innovative technology. UPS guarantees delivery of more packages around the world than anyone, and delivers more packages overnight on time in the US than any other carrier, including FedEx. Simple shipping. Big savings. That’s logistics.

More locations for more convenience wherever you do business.

Once you’re signed up, using UPS is simple. Packages can be processed from the “Shipping” tab after logging into ups.com^®, and they can be dropped off at any of our 61,000 drop-off points, including approximately 4,800 neighborhood locations of The UPS Store^®. If you can’t drop off your package, scheduling a pickup has never been easier. Call 1-800-Pick-UPS^® or click on the “shipping” tab at ups.com to schedule your same-day or future pickup.

Make the most of technology tools to stay informed.

Once your package is shipped, always know where it is by using Quantum View Notify^®. With this time-saving service, you can receive notifications when packages are picked up, when they are delivered and when there are exceptions. Exception notifications let you know when and why a package may not meet its original scheduled delivery date, and will provide you with a rescheduled date of delivery. These services and more are available to Hispanic National Bar Association members. Enroll today!

Click here to read terms and conditions.

                                                                            Contact: Zuraya Tapia-Hadley
E-mail: ztapia@hnba.com
Phone: (202) 223-4777

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 31, 2012

Hispanic National Bar Association and Legal Education Fund to Support Latino Law Students Through Second Annual Tennis & Golf Classic and New Regional Scholarship Initiative

Washington D.C. – The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) would like to extend its sincere gratitude to its sponsors for their support of Latino students as part of the upcoming Second Annual Tennis & Golf Tournaments in Miami, Florida. This event, which will take place on February 4th, is not only an entertaining day of activities, networking, and socializing for tournament players and non-players alike, but also the largest fundraiser for The HNBA Legal Education Fund (“The Fund”).

The HNBA Legal Education Fund (“The Fund”) is the HNBA’s only IRS Section 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, and the only non-profit foundation that supports the HNBA’s educational and charitable missions, including identifying and providing financial assistance to worthy programs that address education and the law within the U.S. Hispanic community and legal profession.

This year, the HNBA and The Fund will launch a brand-new and unprecedented scholarship initiative to provide a total of $57,000 to Latino law students in each of the HNBA’s 19 regions nationwide. This effort, in turn, is part of the HNBA’s goal of providing $100,000 in scholarships in 2012.

“The HNBA has a strong membership of accomplished legal professionals, and it is our mission to give back to our community and foster the next generations of Hispanic lawyers,” said Benny Agosto, Jr., HNBA National President. “This year, we will go even further in expanding our culture of giving to our members and to students.”

“The HNBA Legal Education Fund is very grateful for and excited about the HNBA’s commitment to providing for these scholarships for Latino law students,” said Román Hernández, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fund. “We believe that the HNBA and The Fund working together on all of this year’s initiatives will create an enormously beneficial impact for students and the community at large.”

To learn more about The Fund or to make an online donation, please visit www.hnbafund.com. To register for the HNBA Tennis & Golf Tournaments or to attend as a non-tournament guest, please visit www.hnba.com/news-events/tennis-golf-tournament/. For additional questions, please contact the office of Benny Agosto, Jr. at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Friend, at bagosto@abrahamwatkins.com or (713) 222-7211, or through the HNBA National Office at clandry@hnba.com or (202) 223-4777.

About the Hispanic National Bar Association 

The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) is an incorporated, not-for-profit, national membership organization that represents the interests of the more than 100,000 Hispanic attorneys, judges, law professors, legal assistants, and law students in the United States and its territories. From the days of its founding four decades ago, the HNBA has acted as a force for positive change within the legal profession. It does so by encouraging Latino students to choose a career in the law and by prompting their advancement within the profession once they graduate and start practicing. Through a combination of issue advocacy, programmatic activities, networking events and educational conferences, the HNBA has helped generations of lawyers succeed.

###

Miami, FL
February 3, 2012

Please join the Hispanic National Bar Association at the Path to the Federal Bench & Presidential Appointments Luncheon to be held on February 3, 2012 at the Miami law firm of Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. As part of the HNBA’s mission to serve as the national voice for the concerns and opinions of Hispanics in the legal profession, the HNBA conducts conventions and seminars in order to provide continuing legal education for attorneys and foster the exchange of ideas and information among its members.

Many of our members want and need to learn more about federal judicial and presidential appointments. The Luncheon will assemble learned minds and accomplished individuals in order to provide their own unique perspective and opinions on the subject.

The following day, the HNBA will host the Second Annual Tennis and Golf Tournaments benefitting the HNBA Legal Education Fund, which supports the HNBA’s educational and charitable missions, including identifying and providing financial assistance to worthy programs that address education and the law within the U.S. Hispanic community and legal profession.  The Tournaments will be held on February 4th in Miami.  We look forward to seeing you there!

A Safer Neighborhood for Whom? 

By Priscilla E. Jimenez

If Arizona is successful in the defense of its recently passed immigration law, the “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act,” better known as SB1070, then anyone who appears upon “reasonable suspicion” to be an illegal alien, may be detained by the police in the state of Arizona. Furthermore, if they have probable cause, the police may arrest an individual without a warrant whom they believe has done things that would make him or her deportable under federal law. As a young Hispanic attorney, who occasionally forgets her wallet in another purse, and as a result walks around without proper identification, a law like this gravely concerns me.

On April 23, 2010, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law what has been called the nation’s toughest bill on illegal immigration. In July of 2010, a preliminary injunction was granted in response to the Department of Justice’s challenges of four provisions of the law. On April 11, 2011, the 9^th Circuit affirmed the preliminary injunction enjoining enforcement of those four provisions from being put into practice in the state of Arizona.

On December 12, 2011, after granting the state’s petition for certiorari, the Supreme Court announced that it would hear oral arguments this term on the Obama Administration’s challenges to Arizona’s immigration law. Although a specific date for oral arguments has yet to be set, it will likely be in April of 2012. The four provisions of the law which are being challenged are:

• A requirement that police in making any stop or arrest try to determine the individual’s legal right to be in the U.S., if the officer has a “reasonable suspicion” of illegality. If arrested, the individual cannot be released until his legal status is verified by the federal government. (Section 2(B).
• A provision making it a crime under state law for an individual to intentionally fail to obtain and carry legal immigrant papers with him while in Arizona (Section 3).
• A provision making it a misdemeanor for an undocumented immigrant to apply for a job, publicly solicit a job or work in Arizona (Section 5).
• And, a provision that allows police to arrest without a warrant any person for whom the officer has “probable cause to believe” that the individual has committed any crime, anywhere, that would make that individual subject to being deported (Section 2).[1]

This law, and similar laws which have been enacted in South Carolina, Alabama and Utah, is shaping up to be one of the key issues in the 2012 presidential election. President Obama has criticized these laws since their inception and continues to support the Department of Justice in its efforts to challenge the provisions of the Arizona law which are “unable to be reconciled with federal law.”

Putting forth a tough stance on immigration control has become a key issue during the GOP primary. One way candidates are demonstrating this is through their support for state laws regulating immigration which shows how they would crack down on unauthorized immigration if elected president. One example of such a supporter is Republican Gov. Mitt Romney who, as of January 11, 2012, has been endorsed by Kris Kobah, Kansas’ Secretary of State and the chief architect of the Arizona and Alabama immigration laws. On his website, Romney announces that he is “so proud to earn Kris’s support,” and continues on to say that “Kris has been a true leader on securing our borders and stopping the flow of illegal immigration into this country…I look forward to working with him to take forceful steps to curtail illegal immigration and to support states like South Carolina and Arizona that are stepping forward to address this problem.” Romney has also said that if elected president, he would veto the DREAM Act, legislation that would allow for undocumented immigrants who were brought to this country as minors to get unconditional legal status upon meeting certain criteria.

Arizona v. United States is shaping up to be a landmark decision and its impact on the Hispanic community will be monumental. If provisions, such as the ones being challenged in the Arizona immigration law, are permitted to be enforced by states, the subsequent impact on anyone who looks like “an alien” is immense. The police, upon “reasonable suspicion” — already arguably a low standard — would be able to detain a person for failure to carry legal documentation demonstrating his or her legal right to be in this country. The successful implementation of a law like this could greatly affect you, your family, your clients and anyone who “appears” to be an alien. The year 2012 promises to be epic one regarding immigration control. Staying abreast of current events, the status of this case and the stance of candidates on immigration issues is imperative.

Priscilla E. Jimenez is an Associate at the Locks Law Firm in Philadelphia and works on personal injury, pharmaceutical litigation, products liability, and medical negligence and malpractice cases. In addition to being a member of the Hispanic National Bar Association, Jimenez also serves as a director on both the Board of the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania (HBA of PA) and the HBA of PA’s Legal Education Fund Board. She can be reached at 215-893-3420 or pjimenez@lockslaw.com.

[1] Lyle Denniston, Another landmark ruling in the offing, SCOTUSBLOG (Dec. 12, 2011, 11:09 AM), http://www.scotusblog.com/2011/12/another-landmark-ruling-in-the-offing/

                                                                           Contact: Zuraya Tapia-Hadley
E-mail: ztapia@hnba.com
Phone: (202) 223-4777

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 26, 2012

Hispanic National Bar Association Statement on State of the Union Address

Washington, D.C. – The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) is encouraged by President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address, in which he addressed issues of great importance to our membership and the Hispanic community at large, namely the economy, immigration and judicial nominations.

“We are heartened by the President’s continued support and dedication to advancing comprehensive immigration reform, the DREAM Act, support of veterans, and addressing the excessive cost of higher education. We also appreciate his recognition of the existing vacancy crisis in the federal judiciary, which directly impacts individuals’ basic right to have access to justice,” said Benny Agosto, Jr., HNBA National President.

While the HNBA stands behind the President’s dedication to addressing the economic crisis and ensuring that Latinos and all Americans have the necessary education and job security needed to fulfill the promise of America, we are committed to continuing to press the administration and Congress on issues critical to fulfilling this vision. Specifically, we will continue to press for passage of comprehensive immigration reform, ensure that all Latinos have equal access to quality education at all levels, and guarantee that all Americans have access to a fair hearing in court in a timely manner.

“The President should be commended for the unparalleled strides that he has made in diversifying the bench and his administration. But more work remains to be done, and we hope that he and the U.S. Senate hasten the pace of nominating and confirming appointees,” added the Honorable Celeste Villarreal, HNBA Vice President of External Affairs.

About the Hispanic National Bar Association

The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) is an incorporated, not-for-profit, national membership organization that represents the interests of the more than 100,000 Hispanic attorneys, judges, law professors, legal assistants, and law students in the United States and its territories. From the days of its founding four decades ago, the HNBA has acted as a force for positive change within the legal profession. It does so by encouraging Latino students to choose a career in the law and by prompting their advancement within the profession once they graduate and start practicing. Through a combination of issue advocacy, programmatic activities, networking events and educational conferences, the HNBA has helped generations of lawyers succeed.

###

ACS Seeks Assistant Director of Student Chapters