Hispanic Judges Group Holds Awards Dinner at CLS
HISPANIC HERITAGE AWARDS DINNER
Judges’ Group Commends Columbia Law School’s Commitment to Diversity
Press contact:
Erin St. John Kelly 212-854-1787 cell: 646-284-8549
January 18, 2008 (NEW YORK) – A who’s who of the Hispanic legal community in New York will be at Columbia Law School when the Association of Judges of Hispanic Heritage Inc. holds its annual awards dinner on January 23. The Honorable Joseph Capella, president of the Association will host and the Honorable Judith S. Kaye, Chief Judge of the State of New York, will make the evening’s opening remarks.
The Honorable Rolando T. Acosta ’82, New York Supreme Court Justice, will be presented with the John Carro Award for judicial excellence. Carol Robles-Roman, Deputy Mayor for Legal Affairs and Counsel to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, and Columbia Law School will be presented with the Frank Torres Award for commitment to diversity.
WHAT: The Hispanic Heritage Awards Dinner, presented by the Association of Judges of Hispanic Heritage, Inc., Columbia Law School Dean David M. Schizer and the Latino/a Law Students Association.
WHEN: Wednesday, January, 23, 2008, 6 P.M.,
WHERE: Faculty House, Columbia University, 400 West 117Street, New York, NY.
Media interested in covering the event are asked to contact Erin Kelly in advance at 212-854-1787 or [email protected].
WHO: Hon. Rolando T. Acosta ’82; Hon. Carmen Beauchamp-Ciparek; Hon. Dora L. Irizarry ’79; Carol Robles-Roman, Deputy Mayor for Legal Affairs and Counsel to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; Hon. Joseph A. Zayas ’88; Columbia Law School Dean David M. Schizer.
The John Carro Award for judicial excellence is presented to a member of the judiciary who manifests a comprehensive understanding of the substantive aspects of law and demonstrates a commitment to the preservation of human rights. The award is named to honor Appellate Division Justice John Carro, a founding member of the Association of Judges of Hispanic Heritage, who throughout his career in public service
and on the bench displayed wisdom and courage in striving to achieve justice for all.
The Frank Torres Award is presented to individuals or organizations that exhibit a commitment to diversity. The award is named in honor of Judge Frank Torres, a founding member of the Association of Judges of Hispanic Heritage, who throughout his career as an attorney, mentor, teacher, legislator and jurist, advanced the cause of civil rights and promoted a more demographically representative society.
Columbia Law School has a long-standing commitment to promoting diversity in its workforce, its student body and its educational programs. To attract a diverse student body, representatives from the Law School travel throughout the country to colleges and universities where there are substantial concentrations of qualified minority candidates, and attend Law School Admission Council forums to meet with under-represented
groups. The Law School supports a number of highly active minority law student associations. In December 2007, the New York Law Journal reported that Columbia Law School had one of the highest percentages of minority students (almost 30 percent) among the law schools in New York State.
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, stands at the forefront of legal education and of the law in a global society. Columbia Law School joins traditional strengths in international and comparative law, constitutional law, administrative law, business law and human rights law with pioneering work in the areas of intellectual property, digital technology, sexuality and gender, and criminal law. For a timeline history of Columbia Law School, click here.