The HNBA has been a major player in landmark initiatives including Justice Sonia Sotomayor's nomination and confirmation, the DREAM Act campaign, and the very first National Study on the Status of Latinas in the Legal Profession, to name a few.
Per information at the organization's website, the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) is an incorporated, not-for-profit, national membership organization representing the interests of over 100, 000 Hispanic attorneys, judges, law professors, legal assistants, and law students in the United States and its territories. Divided into nineteen regions, each has a president who is elected by local members. On a national level, HNBA is directed by a board of governors. There is also a law student division.
Mario G. Obledo, who died in 2010, served as the HNBA's first president and co-founder. He was known as the “Godfather of the Latino Movement”. He was a political activist, state official, and a pioneer in the civil rights movement. He also founded multiple organizations, including the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF).
Founded in 1968, MALDEF is the nation's leading Latino legal civil rights organization. It is often referred to as the “law firm of the Latino community”. MALDEF supports social change through advocacy, communications, community education, and litigation in the areas of education, employment, immigrant rights, and political access.
