Mónica Ramírez, first Latina to lead the largest pro bono law firm in the US

Mónica Ramírez Almadani will become, as of June, the first Latina to lead Public Counsel, the largest pro bono law firm in the United States that recently celebrated its anniversary number 50.

But What can we expect as a Latino community from the first Latina president of Public Counsel?

“I am going to contribute my work experience, my proximity and personal connection with the Latino community and its challenges, especially in a place like Los Angeles where the population is very significant. All this gives me the understanding to serve the Latino community, help where it is needed and nurture that relationship even more, “he said in an interview with Real America News .

Monica was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Huntington Park. His parents are from San José de Gracia in Nayarit, Mexico. From kindergarten to high school he went to public schools, but his university studies were done at Harvard. His law degree came from Stanford University.

“I was always a good student who was involved in the student association and many activities at Huntington Park High School”, He says.

What she never imagined was that they would accept her at Harvard University. “I applied to Harvard because I wanted to make a difference in the world and experience something outside of Huntington Park. But I didn’t think they would accept me, I just wanted to prove myself. I was very fortunate that they admitted me and accepted me in all the prestigious universities in which I applied. ”

Mónica says that her parents were incredibly hardworking. “My father was a truck driver for many years in Los Angeles until he retired. He would wake up around one or two in the morning to go to work and go to sleep very early in the afternoon. So when my brothers and I woke up, he was already gone and when we came back from school, he was usually taking a nap after work. ”

The His father’s dedication to hard work made him a role model. “I always wanted my mother and him to feel very proud of me and show them that I could do it, but they definitely were my inspiration.”

Also, she says, she was inspired by mentors and friends as she learned about the civil rights movement.

When she graduated as a lawyer, she worked for Judge Warren Ferguson in the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Orange County. “It changed my life. He was extremely friendly and forward thinking. And I learned a lot from him as a lawyer and as a human being. ”

Later she went to work as a civil and immigrant rights lawyer in the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for 4 years. “I worked investigating cases across the country to help develop lawsuits. My main focus was investigating abuses by local law enforcement agencies and other migration agents. ”

During the Obama administration, in 2015 began working in the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice. And later she worked as a special assistant in the California Department of Justice when Kamala Harris was the attorney general. “I worked in migration, civil rights and criminal justice to prepare lawsuits that helped advance the civil rights of minorities and other vulnerable communities.”

She is currently the Director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic and Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of California Irvine School of Law. “I am training law students from different backgrounds to be advocates and lawyers for the rights of immigrants.”

How did you get the opportunity to lead Public Counsel?

“Public Council is essential in the Los Angeles legal community and in the civil rights and public interest community. I have always admired their work and have had the privilege of working with them in the past. ”

He considers that he is the ideal person to the position because you really share your values ​​and can make a difference.

“ I am honored and grateful to have been selected as the president of a very important organization at a critical moment in the country’s history. I’m so excited“.

And being the first Latina to lead Public Counsel makes her feel even more excited. “It is an organization that attracts very passionate advocates who come from different backgrounds and bring a unique perspective.”

She will carry hers own: “I know what it feels like to grow up in an immigrant community, come from a low-income family, attend saturated schools where not much attention is received and be discouraged many times from achieving your dreams”

But also as a lawyer she has had the privilege of representing immigrants from Latin America and around the world. “ I have advocated for immigrant communities all my career and I am very hopeful that my journey will help the organization grow even stronger and more vibrant ”.

Public Counsel is a model of organization that works with private company and firm attorneys and other partners to make policy changes.

“Works in many different areas broadly and holistically. It is not just migration but housing, economic insecurity, children’s rights. Therefore, I am very encouraged to work on all these projects to advance and protect the rights of people in the low-income community, of those who live in poverty and face injustices. ”