ABOUT HNBA VIA
The HNBA VIA (“Vision in Action”) Fund (VIA) is the HNBA’s 501(c)(3) charitable arm. Through a combination of strategic programmatic activities, VIA works in joint enterprise with the HNBA to support the development and advancement of Hispanic students, legal professionals, and community members.
Read the HNBA VIA’s Bylaws HERE.
VIA Mission Statement:
The HNBA VIA (“Vision in Action”) Fund is a national, 501(c)(3) charitable organization that works to support and empower Hispanic students, legal professionals, and community members, increasing their access to educational opportunities, career advancement, and leadership positions.
VIA Vision Statement:
To provide Hispanic students, legal professionals, and community members with the educational and professional support and resources necessary to succeed.
HNBA and VIA Value Statement:
Our shared values guide how we pursue our vision and execute our mission.
- We value our members, their growth, success, education, and elevation.
- We value differences, freedom of thought, and individuality.
- We value the strength of our voice, the power of the collective, and our ability to advocate for issues that impact our community.
- We value the health and wellbeing of our members, volunteers, and community.
- We value justice, integrity, respect, and intentionality.
- We value service, diversity, equity, inclusion, fairness, honesty, and lifting as we climb.
The HNBA VIA Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Your contribution may qualify as a charitable deduction for federal income tax purposes. The deduction is limited to the excess of the contribution over the fair market value of any goods or services received in exchange for your contribution. Please consult your tax advisers or the IRS to determine whether your contribution is deductible.
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HNBA VIA & HNBA JOINT ENTERPRISE PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES
SU FUTURO: EDUCATIONAL, MENTORING, AND PIPELINE INITIATIVES
- The HNBA/VIA’s Su Futuro programs and initiatives include educational, mentorship, and pipeline opportunities for K-12 students, law school students, and young lawyers. HNBA/VIA focuses on students and lawyers of all ages to ensure a robust pipeline of exceptionally prepared and qualified Hispanic professionals. A core value and strategic vision is to provide year-round mentorship, education and advice involving both one-on-one and group mentoring and engagement with Hispanic lawyers. HNBA/VIA also offers the Youth Law Symposium where Hispanic lawyers and mentors spend the day with high school and college students discussing law school, job search strategies and skills, career goals, careers in the law, day-to-day realities of a legal practice, various types of law practices, how to successfully join a legal work environment, networking, work-life balance, and more. In addition, the Latina Commission’s Pearls of Wisdom Series provides students across the country, ranging from middle school through college, informational panels with practicing lawyers discussing the struggles, tribulations and triumphs of becoming and being Hispanic lawyers. For more information and to become involved, please contact: vpprogramssf@hnba.com
HNBA/VIA INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW INSTITUTE™ (IPLI™)
The IPLI™ is a trail-blazing and bold partnership with corporate and law firm partners designed to increase the number of Hispanic lawyers practicing intellectual property law in the U.S. (currently at <2%). Launched in 2013, in partnership with Microsoft, IPLI is an intensive, immersion program for law students interested in practicing IP law, including patents, copyrights, trade secrets and trademarks. Admission to the program is highly competitive, as ~30 HNBA law student members are selected to participate each year, from applicants across the U.S. IPLI scholars are flown to Washington, DC, for a full week of substantive instruction from top IP law practitioners, federal judges and government officials. The program includes visits to various government agencies and courts to observe, first-hand, U.S. IP institutions at work. It also offers scholars the opportunity to meet leading members of the IP legal community who serve as mentors and provide pathways for future job placement. To date, 150 scholars have completed the IPLI, and 75% of those who have graduated from law school and passed the bar are working in IP-related positions. In 2018, the IPLI expanded its curriculum to include a substantive “Tech Law” track, and additional corporate participants.
HNBA NETWORKING & MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Part of the Su Futuro™ programs and initiatives, the HNBA Networking and Mentorship Program pairs HNBA lawyer members and affiliate bar organizations with underserved law students at law schools throughout the country. In some instances, seasoned lawyer members are paired with junior lawyer members. In addition, the Program offers law students and young lawyers the opportunity to work closely with an experienced attorney to obtain career advice. Mentors provide guidance and share practical knowledge about the legal profession with their mentees. Since its inception, we have launched the HNBA Mentorship Program in cities across the country and the following states: California, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Texas, Georgia, Washington, Arizona, and Louisiana. In 2014, we will conduct the Program in Colorado, Oregon, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Utah, and Illinois, with other states to follow.
HNBA/VIA LAW SCHOOL SIN LÍMITES™ (LSSL™)
We are NOT currently accepting new applications.
THE MISSION: Law School Sin Límites™ strives to advance inclusiveness in the legal profession by equipping students for their journey to law school and beyond. Founded in Colorado by the Honorable Christine Arguello, U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, LSSL is a long-term program designed to prepare college students from diverse backgrounds to become highly qualified applicants for admission to the nation’s best law schools. Judge Arguello has ceded the concept of LSSL to the HNBA for implementation nationwide.
The college students selected for the LSSL program are its Fellows. Admission to the LSSL program is selective. Each Fellow has to have graduated from a high school in one of the five regions identified by the HNBA for this pilot program and must be a member of a group that is traditionally under-represented in the legal profession. LSSL, however, is inclusive, not exclusive, since it is not limited to students of color. Rather, LSSL encourages low-income students, students of color, and first-generation college students to apply.
LSSL aims to expand the pipeline to law school for diverse applicants by matching Fellows with Mentors who will guide Fellows through college with the goal of helping them receive admission to the law school of their choice. Through exposure programs, LSSL demystifies the law school application process and gives access to the legal profession. LSSL provides valued skill-building workshops and other opportunities to prepare Fellows for success in college, law school, and beyond.
MENTORING: Mentoring plays a crucial role in helping Fellows gain exposure to the legal profession, reach personal and professional goals, develop competencies important for law school and the admissions process, and cultivate a professional network. Each of the Fellows will be assigned to a three-person Mentor team (overseen by a judge presiding over a Court in the region of the Fellow’s residence) consisting of two attorneys and one law student. The entire team makes a four-year commitment to guide, coach, and assist each Fellow throughout his or her entire college career. Likewise, the Fellow commits to actively participate in both the mentoring and the programming.
Our Mentors come from a wide range of practice areas and backgrounds, but all have a demonstrated commitment to mentoring and community. Mentors are the foundation of a network that will support Fellows throughout college.
EXPOSURE: LSSL exposes Fellows to the legal profession and the law school application process through various programs offered free of charge. Mentors are encouraged to create other opportunities in which Fellows will gain the competencies needed for law school. Exposure programs include, presentations regarding the law school admissions process, visits to law school campuses; facilitating admissions to nationally-recognized law school exposure summer camps; and financial aid presentations regarding paying for law school.
SKILL-BUILDING: Fellows receive valuable training on skills that help them become competitive applicants for law school and will assist them in being successful in college. Skill-building workshops include: personal branding, resume writing, interviewing, securing competitive internships, personal statement writing, volunteerism, logical reasoning, mock law course, networking, professionalism, and cultivating relationships with professors and other mentors.
COMMUNITY: Each above facet of LSSL serves to cultivate a sense of community among Fellows and Mentors, and the Fellows themselves, who are going through the experience of college and law school admissions together. LSSL will provide programs for parents on the need for their support and the manner in which they can support their children in obtaining their goals.
SUPPORT AND OVERSIGHT: LSSL provides Mentors with resources on mentoring, benchmarks, and obstacles the Fellows may face. Each of the three Mentors will meet their Fellow in person, preferably as a group on a regular basis. Mentors and Fellows are also encouraged, but not required, to communicate periodically via phone and/or email. Mentors will give Fellows useful insights into what they can do now to become competitive applicants for law school. To encourage the most supportive relationship, Mentors and Fellows are asked to commit to the mentoring relationship until the Fellow graduates from college. Fellows are expected to respond promptly to their Mentors and make themselves available for monthly meetings. Fellows are also asked to attend exposure programs or skill-building workshops. Fellows will also receive LSAT education and training.
If you are interested in working on an LSSL team in your area, please contact: HNBA VP of Programs – Su Futuro, at vpprogramssf@hnba.com. We thank you for your commitment to our community.
HNBA LATINA COMMISSION PEARLS OF WISDOM
For the past five years, and in efforts to strengthen the pipeline, the HNBA Latina Commission has hosted an annual “Pearls of Wisdom” panel, where distinguished women attorneys speak to female students in middle school, high school and law school about their path to success and detail strategies to for breaking the glass ceiling. The program is followed by a Q&A session with the audience, and offers the opportunity of individualized interaction among those present.
HNBA/VIA ANNUAL UVALDO HERRERA MOOT COURT COMPETITION
Each year, the HNBA Uvaldo Herrera Moot Court Competition brings together over 30 teams of HNBA law student members from law schools across the nation to brief and argue a case currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court before a mock panel of Supreme Court judges populated by preeminent jurists. Feedback and coaching throughout the competition allows law students to hone their legal knowledge, litigation, and written and oral advocacy skills, and prepares them to better serve the profession. The HNBA is honored to have the HNBA Judicial Council actively involved in this important event. To date, the Competition has awarded over $600,000.00 in scholarships to the competition winners.
HNBA/VIA YOUTH SYMPOSIUM
This annual program, which takes place during the HNBA Annual Convention, provides high school students with the opportunity to meet Hispanic attorneys, judges, law professors, and government officials from across the country for a day of discussions and activities that aim to inspire them to be leaders in their communities and to choose the legal profession as their career path. This important pipeline program has reached hundreds of high school students in different states across the nation.
SU CARRERA: CAREER DEVELOPMENT, LEADERSHIP TRAINING AND PLACEMENT
In fulfillment of our mission, the HNBA offers robust career advancement training and opportunities, from continuing legal education (CLE) sessions at our Annual Convention and Corporate Counsel Conference to our “boot-camp” style half- and full-day training sessions. These sessions focus on topics aimed at eliminating barriers to the advancement of Hispanic attorneys and providing them with the skillset they need to succeed in their careers.
Latina Leadership Academy
The Academy offers relevant professional development and leadership training aimed at Latina lawyers. The Academy’s curriculum is specifically developed for Latina attorneys and draws from a significant body of research particular to women in the law to address areas identified as key to shattering the proverbial glass ceiling and securing the advancement and long-term success of Latina lawyers—the most underrepresented group in the legal profession. Latinas comprise 1.47% of all lawyers in the United States.
Poder25 Program
The first GC pipeline program that specifically targets Hispanic attorneys and tackles the unique challenges that research informs us that Hispanic professionals face, including but not limited to: anti-Hispanic implicit bias, lack of mentorship/sponsorship, and lack of exposure to the networks required to gain entrance into the highest strata of the legal profession. The goal is to increase the number of Hispanic General Counsels at Fortune 500 companies to 20 by the year 2025. Today, only 1.8% of Fortune 500 General Counsel are Hispanic. Not only should the General Counsels of Fortune 500 corporations drive diversity in the legal industry, they should also be diverse themselves so that corporate executive suites reflect the faces of the communities in which the corporations do business. This program aims to be a catalyst for greater diversity, including increased representation of Hispanics, in the Fortune 500 GC ranks.
Speed Networking
Concept: The Speed Networking and Corporate Connections Program is one of the HNBA/VIA’s signature professional and business development initiatives. To advance our mission to enrich and diversify the legal profession, the Program is designed to promote meaningful business relationships between America’s leading corporate law departments, as well as federal agencies, and Hispanic legal professionals.
Description: This focused and intimate networking opportunity allows in-house counsel and government agencies with hiring authority to identify outside counsel in practice areas where the legal department has an identified need. The Program also serves as a time and cost-effective recruiting tool for internal placement opportunities.
Format: The first hour consists of one-on-one meetings (15 minutes each) between legal departments and their selected participants. The second hour consists of a networking reception that is open to all Program participants.
Disclaimer: Corporate law departments/employers are solely responsible for all selection decisions. HNBA/VIA cannot and does not guarantee that participating attorneys or firms will be selected or otherwise engaged by the participating companies and/or government agencies.
INVITE OTHERS!
Speed Networking Invitation (Attorneys)
Corporate Speed Networking Invitation (Employer)
ATTORNEYS & LAW FIRMS
ELIGIBILITY
ATTORNEYS SEEKING IN-HOUSE OR OUTSIDE COUNSEL WORK
- Be active HNBA members with 6 or more years of legal experience practicing law;
- Be registered participants of the 2022 HNBA/VIA Corporate Counsel Conference;
- Timely complete and submit required forms & questionnaires, and
- The applicant’s law firm’s level of support must be at the Amigo level or higher* (unless applicant is seeking employment as in-house counsel or with a government agency).
*Solo practitioners and law firms with 1-5 attorneys please contact speednetworking@hnba.com regarding alternative sponsorship eligibility and requirements.
Outside Counsel/Law Firms: Confirm Eligibility HERE
Attorneys’ In-House Positions: Confirm Eligibility HERE
Please complete the questionnaire no later than Friday, February 25, 2022, by 5:00 p.m. ET.
EMPLOYERS (CORPORATE/GOVERNMENT)
Please complete the applicable questionnaire (for either corporate law department or government agency). HNBA/VIA will grant you access to a user-friendly electronic file containing applicants’ employment information and individual resumes for your review. At that time, HNBA/VIA will also provide you with a form to identify up to four applicants for your one-on-one meetings
Please complete the questionnaire no later than Friday, February 25, 2022, by 5:00 p.m. ET.
SU COMUNIDAD COMMUNITY OUTREACH In partnership with the HNBA, HNBA VIA Fund’s community outreach programs expand into the communities were HNBA members live and serve. Through our various community outreach programs, we encourage our partners and friends partners to get involved in these important efforts that impact millions of Hispanic individuals around the country.
HNBA/Prudential Su Dinero Program This community outreach program offers participants access to a variety of educational materials and financial tools to achieve overall financial wellness for themselves, their families, and even future generations. Even as Hispanic people grow in influence and power, we might neglect to protect ourselves and our families for those unexpected situations. Su Dinero two-prong approach features an online tool that allows participants to access digital financial wellness content as well as in-person financial education seminars in selected cities across the country. The curriculum offers practical, down-to earth information, focusing on key financial concepts such as budgeting, debt management, protection of assets, tax implications of investment decisions, preparing for retirement, and creating a financial legacy for your family.
La Promesa en el Derecho 
La Promesa en el Derecho (The Promise in the Law) is a community outreach and education initiative designed to instill confidence and trust in the U.S. legal system. This bilingual booklet provides explanations at the 9th grade reading level of ten basic features of the American system of government: (1) The Constitution of the United States; (2) Separation of Powers; (3) The President of the United States; (4) The Congress of the United States; (5) The Supreme Court of the United States; (6) The Courts; (7) The Jury Process; (8) Basics Rights in a Criminal Proceeding; (9) The Freedom to Engage in Civic Activities; and (10) Voting. For an interesting look into the workings of the legal system through the eyes of one little girl: Victoria Goes to Court! Download the booklet HERE.
