The Hispanic National Bar Association was founded half a century ago to help advance the careers of Hispanic attorneys, judges, law professors, legal assistants, law students and other legal professionals in the United States and its territories through education, programs, professional development and scholarships.

Over the years, the HNBA has grown to become more than 67,000 members strong. One of its main missions is to support the recruitment, retention and elevation of Hispanic individuals in law schools, law firms, corporations, the judiciary, and government. Hispanic representation in the Bar is an area where the nation lags. Of the 1.3 million lawyers in the United States, only about 6% are Hispanic, while Hispanics make up almost 20% of the entire U.S. population.

Senior Counsel Jessica Molinares Kalpakis and Associate Christine Vasconcellos of Harris Beach are part of the growing, thriving HNBA membership, and recently attended its annual convention, where the association celebrated its 50 years.

On today’s episode of the Harris Beach podcast, we talk with Jessica and Christine about what they learned at the Convention and what they see is the major issues for making the law profession more inclusive. We also chat about what’s new in their respective legal practice areas.