Thank you for being here, readers! Autumn is officially upon us, and we have plenty of excitement to report.

Each month, we strive to ensure everyone’s voices are heard. Thanks to our teammates Patty Zerbini, Julio Lopez, Gabby Benitez and Meghan Herning, for sharing what National Hispanic Heritage Month means to them.

Patty Zerbini, Senior Associate: Hispanic Heritage Month has always been a time for me to reflect, more so than usual – on myself as a Latina woman in law, as a child of immigrant parents who uprooted their lives to provide us with a better life, and as part of a larger community whose contribution to this magnificent country has often been belittled, condemned, and erased. The California State Bar just released its report on Diversity, and it saddens me to no end that Hispanics and Latinos make up only 6% of all licensed attorneys, while we make up 36% of the entire population. This lack of diversity, especially in law, drives me to keep showing up and speaking out, to work for those who need a voice, and reach out to the younger generation to light a fire. A fire that one day will spread like wildfire and shine a light against any discrimination or racism that still lingers, so that my own children and their children will never have to be that little girl standing in front of the entire classroom when the teacher says – “Oh, you speak Spanish? But, you’re so smart!”

Julio Lopez, Legal Administrative Assistant: Family is a pillar of the Latin community. Being Latino while working in Family Law means that we play a crucial role in the lives of our clients. Helping families resolve complex and difficult issues is a job that is not taken lightly knowing how important family is to our community.

Gabby Benitez, Operations Coordinator: I’m proud to be a Latina woman who believes in the art of giving. Where I came from instilled in me strong values. I feel at home and truly honored to be part of Hoover Krepelka, LLP, which is rooted in

Meghan Herning, Senior Associate: Hispanic Heritage Month to me means recognizing the contributions of millions of Hispanic Americans. As a family law attorney, it means being part of a minority in the legal, community as only 5.8% of the attorneys in the country are Hispanic. Frankly, this needs to change. We need more Hispanic diversity in the legal field and many others like finance and tech. Hispanic people are dynamic, diverse, and savvy and Hispanic Heritage Month is a great moment to recognize this.

Thank you to our colleagues and friends who came by for HK lollipops at the Silicon Valley Capital Club’s Business Expo 2022. It was wonderful to visit in person again, and to have the chance to make new connections.

Karlina Paredes, Senior Counsel, has earned the prestigious designation of Certified Family Law Specialist as recognized by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. This designation is a coveted and earned certification that authenticates expertise and dedication specific to the practice of family law. A Certified Family Law Specialist maintains and improves his or her knowledge and competence in the family law field regularly.

Hoover Krepelka, LLP, is pleased to announce the promotion of Meghan Herning to Senior Associate. Herning is a 4th generation SJ native who completed her undergraduate education with honors from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2009. She went on to earn J.D. from Golden Gate University, School of Law in 2016. Meghan began her tenure at the firm in January 2020 as Associate Attorney and has consistently delved in to support her clients and colleagues without hesitation. She has extensive hearing and trial experience and has appeared in front of each family court judge in SCC. Meghan brings a unique combination of experience in education, professional writing, lobbying, entrepreneurship, and activism, which makes her well suited to help clients with creating global solutions to complex legal issues.

"Meghan is such a valuable asset to her clients, her community, and her law firm. She is fearless and unflappable. She is a credit to the profession. We are lucky to work side by side with her, on behalf of people with family law needs throughout the Bay Area, every day. We toast Meghan’s accomplishment and look forward to many, many more years of incredible service to her clients." - Travis I. Krepelka, Partner

Hoover Krepelka, LLP, is delighted to announce the promotion of Andrea Justo to Senior Associate. Andrea is a Santa Clara University Alumni (’07) and was Valedictorian of her class at Lincoln Law School of San Jose where she earned her J.D. in 2015. Since beginning her tenure at HK in March 2020, she has litigated more than 100 family law matters involving child custody and property division.

"Andrea is competent, organized, compassionate, articulate, thoughtful, responsive, goal- and settlement-oriented yet aggressive in her pursuit of fairness for her clients. She is the "full-package" lawyer who can take a case from start to finish, seemingly always willing to learn, along with intentional pursuit of a good reputation beside counsel and before judges. Ms. Justo is the perfect example of "the sky's the limit" for her career and her impact on the family law profession, which only yields great results for her clients. Further, Andrea’s genuine interest and selfless involvement in the extended legal community leaves me in awe. I'm honored and proud to work with her." - James J. Hoover, Partner

Andrea’s activism in our legal community is also to be commended. She currently serves as Secretary of the Santa Clara County Bar Foundation, Treasurer of the Santa Clara County Bar Association and is President of the SCC Trial Lawyers Association. Additionally, Andrea is a professor at Lincoln Law School and a member of the Honorable William A. Ingram American Inns of Court. She has twice been named to the Northern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars list, in 2021 and 2022.

This month’s community spotlight shines on Caminar, a non-profit organization that strives to empower and support individuals and families focusing on resilience, wellness, and independence. Since 1964, Caminar has been serving the community, and they have offered a variety of mental health services and support more than 14,000 individuals annually in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Butte counties.

HK is honored to sponsor Caminar’s annual gala on October 8, 2022; “In Celebration with Caminar” at the Fox Theatre in Redwood City. This fundraising program will help raise crucial funds and awareness to the community as well as celebrate the cause, community, and connection. It will also feature Oscar award winning actress, activist, and author, Marlee Matlin, as the event’s keynote speaker.

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