Alumni Help Found, Lead Hispanic Bar Association

St. Louis now has its first Hispanic bar association, thanks to several Washington University School of Law alumni and others who are seeking to increase diversity in law firms and legal departments in the city.

Patrick Chavez

Serving as president of the Hispanic Bar Association of St. Louis (HBAstl) is Patrick Chavez, JD ’98, of Williams Venker & Sanders LLC. Joseph Lambson, JD ’09, of Hais, Hais, Goldberger & Coyne PC is president-elect, and Jessica Mendez, JD ’10, LLM ’11, of Armstrong Teasdale LLP, is vice president.

“Our mission is to promote Hispanics and Hispanic involvement in the legal profession in both the public and private sectors,” Chavez says. “The organization will serve the Hispanic and non-Hispanic community of St. Louis, while supporting Hispanic leadership in public and private life. We also will strive for full, fair, and equal opportunities for minorities in the St. Louis metropolitan area’s legal community.”

Lambson added that HBAstl will work with other bar associations and civic organizations in St. Louis and southern Illinois to promote diversity and inclusion in the legal profession while serving the legal needs of the Hispanic community. “We are coordinating with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and St. Louis Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to work directly with their members and the Hispanic community at large to serve this growing and diverse population.”

In addition to holding regular meetings, HBAstl participated in the 12th Annual Unity Dinner in April, alongside the Missouri Asian Bar Association, Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater St. Louis, Mound City Bar Association, and Lawyers for Equality.

For more information on HBAstl, contact Chavez at pchavez@wvslaw.com or (314) 345-5072.