SU FUTURO™: EDUCATIONAL, MENTORING, AND PIPELINE INITIATIVES
The HNBA/VIA’s Su Futuro™ suite of programs, events, and initiatives include early intervention, mentoring, scholarships, and educational pipeline programs serving students from elementary school to law school, as well as young lawyers, and providing information, training, and key resources and access to help them progress through the educational pipeline.
We invite you to be part of the solution. For more information and to become involved, please email HNBA VP of Programs – Su Futuro at vpprogramssf@hnba.com.
HNBA/VIA INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW INSTITUTE™ (IPLI™)
HNBA/VIA’s Intellectual Property Law Institute™ (IPLI™) is a trailblazing intellectual property and tech law immersion program. The IPLI’s primary goal is to increase the presence and number of Hispanic lawyers practicing intellectual property and tech law in the United States, which is currently less than 2 percent.
Each year the IPLI selects up to 30 students from law schools across the country to participate in this intellectual property immersion and tech law program. Admittance to the program is highly selective and competitive. Once selected, candidates spend a week in the Nation’s Capital, Washington D.C., and participate in substantive educational programming, hands-on practical experiences, writing and interviewing workshops and mentoring and networking opportunities. Participants visit significant U.S. government entities and institutions, including the Patent and Trademark Office, Copyright Office, House and Senate Judiciary Committee, United States International Trade Commission, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Participants also attend briefings from leading intellectual property and tech law practitioners and congressional and executive branch authorities. This amazing program, travel to and from Washington, D.C., accommodations and meals are funded and provided by the Institute and its sponsors.
Click Here to learn about the 2023 HNBA/VIA Intellectual Property Law Institute™ Program.
To strengthen the HNBA’s commitment to IP initiatives, the HNBA entered into a 5-year Memorandum of Understanding with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), an intergovernmental organization and a specialized agency of the United Nations with its headquarters located in Geneva, Switzerland, whose mission is to lead the development of a balanced and effective global intellectual property (IP) ecosystem to promote innovation and creativity for a better and more sustainable future. The HNBA and WIPO work to collaborate in the promotion of IP and technology and the use of ADR designed to reduce the negative impact of international disputes in the areas of IP and technology.
LATINA COMMISSION PEARLS OF WISDOM
Since 2012, the Latina Commission Pearls of Wisdom Panels have reached thousands of underrepresented students across the United States. The panels introduce the practice of law to younger generations, with the goal of expanding the pipeline. Practicing Latina lawyers host groups of students ranging from middle schoolers through college students in small panel discussion settings. Each year, the Commission partners with local schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, and other community organizations to hold Pearls of Wisdom Panels across the country.
Click Here to learn more about the Latina Commission Programs.
MOOT COURT
The Annual Uvaldo Herrera National Moot Court Competition historically brings together up to 32 teams of talented students from law schools across the country to compete in an advanced and complex appellate argument. Students are presented with a case currently pending before the United States Supreme Court and are required to draft appellate briefs and prepare for oral argument to be presented before a panel of actual sitting or retired Judges. The Competition allows students the opportunity to brief and argue their positions, and respond to spontaneous questions asked by the Judges, stimulating quick analytical thinking and forcing sharp advocacy skills. The Competition fosters and encourages teamwork and enables participants to strengthen their writing, analytical, research and oral skills. Top advocates are celebrated and awarded scholarship funds by the HNBA VIA Fund.
Click Here to learn about the 29th Annual Uvaldo Herrera National Moot Court Competition.
HNBA LAW STUDENT DIVISION CAREER OPPORTUNITIES BOARD
The HNBA Law Student Division Career Opportunities Board is a free resource for employers to post internships, clerkships, and scholarship opportunities exclusively for HNBA law students. Students can join the board and receive new opportunities directly to their inbox. Join the opportunities board HERE.
2023 VIRTUAL CAREER FAIR
The HNBA/VIA Virtual Career Fair is the largest career fair for underserved law students. It is free to participate in the 2023 Virtual Career Fair. Help your corporation’s legal department or law firm advance their DEI programs by having access to diverse students from across the United States. This career fair allows participating employers an opportunity to make offers before other employers. CLICK HERE.
CAREER CREATING CHARLAS
The HNBA/VIA has launched a new initiative, Career Creating Charlas, for anyone interested in Law School – no matter the age. Please complete this form and we will arrange for an attorney in your area to reach out and have a one-on-one, 30-minute virtual chat to answer questions including:
- What is law school like?
- What is the law school application process like?
- What does a lawyer do on a day-to-day basis?
- What does a lawyer look like?
- What areas of law would you like to learn about?
So, if you or someone you know is interested in law school, sign up (link below) and let’s start chatting. Please include any other questions you may have and we will match you with a volunteer attorney. CLICK HERE.
In addition to answering questions about going to law school, we are also here to discuss situations that arise throughout your career. Volunteers are here to discuss everything from taking exams to changing practice areas, going in house or even managing work flow during an illness. Please reach out to us, we are here for you.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PRO BONO SERVICES
The HNBA has a long history and commitment to community service, outreach and pro bono services. The HNBA and its volunteer members strive to achieve community health, positive impacts and change throughout the country, through compassion, participation and positivity. We build relationships and connect with our community to make it a better place. The HNBA’s Special Committee for Community Outreach and Pro Bono Services goal is to ensure opportunities for our members to engage with and advocate for the Hispanic community through outreach and pro bono projects.
We invite you to join us to make a difference in the community! CLICK HERE
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.
HNBA/VIA hosts an annual Law Student and Young Lawyer Speed Mentoring Program, sponsored by MetLife, where law students and young lawyers meet with several experienced attorneys to obtain career guidance and advice. HNBA/VIA also offers unique and invaluable opportunities for law students to serve as volunteers during our conferences and other events, providing students with access to thousands of Hispanic lawyers, law professors, state and federal judges, legislators, and other legal professionals able and willing to help with their pursuit of educational and professional goals and to fulfill the HNBA/VIA mission.