Vernis and Bowling recognizes and celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month. This celebration honors the diversity, culture and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans. Hispanic Heritage month is celebrated from September 15th to October 15th. This period pays special tribute to and coincides with the Independence day celebrations in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, Chile and Belize.
Vernis & Bowling is proud to have attorneys and staff members of Hispanic origin throughout the firm. Learn more about two of our attorneys who are first generation Americans, Maryam Fernandez and Vicente Cortesi:
Maryam Fernandez, Esq. is a first generation American who was born in Trinidad, Cuba. Trinidad is located in Central Cuba, about 4 hours from the Capital of Havana. It prospered during the colonial period and for some time was known as Cuba’s wealthiest cities. Maryam did not necessarily experience the “wealth of the city”. Her mother was a homemaker and her father worked odd jobs, some as simple as selling bananas. Neither of her parents graduated from school, however her mother stressed the importance of education to Maryam.The family’s fortune would change when they were granted a visa via a lottery to come to the United States. Maryam was 6 years old when she arrived in America. Her family initially settled in New Jersey where another family member lived. Her family eventually would move to Florida.
Maryam’s initial thoughts on arriving in America:
Now a 1st grader in the US, Maryam did not yet know English. She learned English primarily watching cartoons and other English-speaking programs.
How she decided to get a law degree:
Initially, she did not plan to study law. She had an interest in getting a PHD in Pharmacy, but found she really didn’t like the courses that took her to that job path. After speaking with her college counselor, she realized that law school had more opportunities. She initially didn’t think she would be a litigator and really wanted to do just contracts. She now likes what she is doing.
How lawyers are perceived in Cuba:
Being under an autocratic government, lawyers are at looked at negatively. Lawyers are considered useless. They are primarily motivated by what you can pay them and not by their job. They are also limited in the arguments they can make.
What brought Maryam to Vernis & Bowling:
During her job search, she met with Managing Attorney Matthew Garnett and they really clicked. She liked his vision for the department and she liked the diversity of files she would handle.
Recent statistics show that Hispanics make up 18% of the American population, but only 4% of lawyers are of Hispanic origin.
Maryam said that the language barrier may be a cause. Many of the younger Hispanics may be in the position of not being fluent English speakers and would find an additional challenge in learning legal language. They may not be open to other fields of study, such as law. She would suggest that they take intro courses to open their perspective about the law.
Maryam understands the importance of utilizing your background to build a trust with clients. When not practicing law she loves to travel to New Orleans and enjoys watching the Netflix show “Stranger Things”.