Annual Awards Dinner

Acknowledging Outstanding Latinos in the Legal Profession

Each year the HNBF acknowledges the outstanding achievements and contributions of Latinos in the legal profession at our Awards Dinner & Celebration in July.

HNBF selects honorees in categories such as Judicial Leadership, Academic Leadership, Diversity Leadership, and Lifetime Leadership. When selecting candidates to be honored, we seek leaders whose contributions exemplify the values of the HNBF including the advancement of knowledge, diversity, equality, empowerment, and access.

In 2022, we recognized the outstanding achievements of our award recipients virtually as part of our online Future Latino Leaders Summer Law Institute.

The purpose of the awards is to distinguish leaders and corporations that advance our mission to help Latino students achieve their potential through access to higher education and increase diversity in the legal profession in their own unique way.

2022 Judicial Leadership Award

Adalberto Jordán was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1961, and emigrated to the United States with his family in 1968. He and his wife, Esther, have two daughters, Diana and Elizabeth.

After graduating from St. Brendan High School, he obtained his bachelor’s degree in 1984 and his juris doctor degree in 1987 from the University of Miami. Following law school he clerked for Judge Thomas Clark of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor of the United States Supreme Court. He then returned to Miami, and was in private practice at Steel Hector & Davis from 1989-1994 before working as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida from 1994-1999. During his last year at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he was head of the appellate division.

In 1999 President Clinton appointed him as a district judge for the Southern District of Florida. He served in that capacity until 2012, when President Obama appointed him as a circuit judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

2022 Corporate Leadership Award

Horacio Gutierrez was named Senior Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of The Walt Disney Company in February 2022. Mr. Gutierrez serves as the chief legal officer of the Company, overseeing its team of attorneys responsible for all aspects of Disney’s legal affairs around the world, and acting as a strategic advisor to executive leadership and the Board of Directors.

2022 Academic Leadership Award

Now in her second term at DePaul and fourteenth year as a law dean, Jennifer Rosato Perea has served as dean of DePaul University College of Law since 2015. A nationally recognized leader in legal education, Dean Rosato Perea brings a wealth of experience to DePaul as an experienced administrator, a longtime advocate of student engagement and professionalism, and a respected legal scholar. One of only a small number of Latina law school deans in the nation, she has been recognized and honored for her commitment to diversity through her presentations on implicit bias, mentoring, and creation of innovative programs. Most recently, Dean Rosato Perea received the Aguila award, the highest honor bestowed by the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois. She also has presented nationally and regionally on the future and challenges of legal education before a variety of organizations, including the Association of American Law Schools and the American Bar Association. Dean Rosato Perea is an accomplished scholar and expert on family law, bioethics and legal ethics, having published extensively on a variety of legal issues affecting children and families. Prior to joining DePaul, she served as dean of Northern Illinois University College of Law for six years.

2022 Law Firm Leadership Award

Yvette Ostolaza is Chair of Sidley’s Management Committee. She is also a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, former global Litigation co-leader, and former managing partner of the Dallas office. Yvette is one of the world’s foremost business litigators, delivering winning results for clients at each stage of complex multijurisdictional commercial disputes and corporate investigations. Yvette’s litigation work and ability to solve her clients’ most difficult litigation problems has garnered her numerous accolades and recognitions, including 2021-2022 Band 1 Chambers USA recognition and Benchmark Litigation 2021 and 2022 National Commercial Litigation Star. Her clients include leading companies in the aviation, retail, hospitality, financial/insurance, energy, and manufacturing industries including Aspen Insurance, MGM Resorts, Celanese, Deutsche Bank, Chuck E. Cheese Entertainment, Neiman Marcus, Michaels, Best Buy, SAExploration, JPMorgan, McAfee, Inc., and Hunt Oil.

Past Honorees

2022 AWARDEES

HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. ADALBERTO JORDÁN

HNBF Corporate Leadership Award
HORACIO GUTIERREZ

HNBF Academic Leadership Award
JENNIFER ROSATO PEREA

HNBF Law Firm Leadership Award
YVETTE OSTOLAZA

2021 AWARDEES

HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. EDGARDO RAMOS

HNBF Corporate Leadership Award
RACHEL GONZALEZ

HNBF Academic Leadership Award
DONALD F. TIBBS

HNBF Law Firm Leadership Award
JORGE A. DEL CALVO

2020 AWARDEES

HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. RODOLFO “RUDY” A. RUIZ II

HNBF Corporate Leadership Award
PATRICIA MENENDEZ-CAMPO

HNBF Academic Leadership Award
JENNY S. MARTINEZ

2019 AWARDEES

HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
FLORIDA SUPREME COURT JUSTICE
BARBARA LAGOA

HNBF Corporate Leadership Award
LISA MARTINEZ WOLMART

HNBF Latina Leadership Award
NOIANA MARIGO

2018 AWARDEES

HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. MARIANO FLORENTINO CUÉLLAR

HNBF Academic Leadership Award
DEAN S. JAMES ANAYA

HNBF Latina Leadership Award
ELIZABETH ESPIN STERN

2017 AWARDEES

HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. MONICA M. MÁRQUEZ

HNBF Corporate Leadership Award
CARLOS  M. HERNANDEZ

HNBF Academic Leadership Award
KEVIN R. JOHNSON

2016 AWARDEES

HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. JOSE L. LINARES

HNBF Corporate Leadership Award
ALEX PONCE DE LEON

HNBF Academic Leadership Award
DEAN EDUARDO PEÑALVER

2015 AWARDEES

HNBF Diversity Leadership Award
DR. WALTER SUTTON

HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. MIGNA SANCHEZ-LLORENS

HNBF Academic Leadership Award
LUZ HERRERA

2014 AWARDEES

HNBF Lifetime Leadership Award
CESAR L. ÁLVAREZ

HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. HIRAM PUIG-LUGO

HNBF Academic Leadership Award
CRISTINA RODRÍGUEZ

2013 AWARDEES

HNBF Lifetime Leadership Award
MARGARET MONTOYA

HNBF Latina Leadership Award
CAROL ROBLES-ROMAN

HNBF Corporate Visionary Award
HOGAN LOVELLS

2012 AWARDEES

HNBF Lifetime Leadership Award
CLAUDIO GROSSMAN

HNBF Latina Leadership Award
CLARISSA CERDA

HNBF Corporate Visionary Award
MCKENNA LONG & ALDRIDGE

2011 AWARDEES

HNBF Lifetime Leadership Award
HON. RICARDO M. URBINA

HNBF Academic Leadership Award
R. ALEXANDER ACOSTA

HNBF Corporate Visionary Award
GENERAL MOTORS

2010 AWARDEES

HNBF Lifetime Leadership Award
CRUZ REYNOSO

HNBF Academic Leadership Award
NATALIE M. GOMEZ-VELEZ

HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. VANESSA RUIZ

HNBF Corporate Visionary Award
WALMART

Awardee Selection Criteria

The HNBF acknowledges the outstanding achievements and contributions of Latinos in the legal profession at our Annual Awards Dinner & celebration. When selecting candidates to be honored, we seek leaders whose contributions exemplify the values of the HNBF including the advancement of education, diversity, equality, empowerment, and access.

The purpose of the awards are to distinguish leaders and corporations that advance our mission to help Latino students achieve their potential through access to higher education and increase diversity in the legal profession in their unique way.

Actions & Achievements that Demonstrate the Values of the HNBF

  • Contributes to the advancement of higher education for Latino/Hispanic youth
  • Assumes a leadership role in the Latino/ Hispanic community
  • Furthers the advancement of diversity in​​ the legal profession
  • Advocates for and removes barriers to equality and access for minorities
  • Serves as a champion for youth

Distinguished Career Record

  • He/she has made significant contributions to the legal profession
  • He/she has had outstanding influence within the legal profession
  • Has achieved local or national recognition for accomplishments and contributions

Character

  • Exemplifies integrity, honor and dignity; serves as a model of high ethics in legal education and the legal profession
  • Serves as a positive role-model in the legal profession
Hispanic National Bar Foundation

Start typing and press Enter to search