#CovLatinx Spotlight Series: Diane Ramírez
October 5, 2018
Diane Ramírez is an associate in the firm’s San Francisco office and a member of the White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group. She represents clients in fast moving internal investigations regarding potential civil and criminal liability under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Ms. Ramirez is Mexican American, or Chicana. The daughter of immigrant parents, Ms. Ramirez has learned, through lived experiences, to never take an opportunity for granted and to always strive to be her best self, personally and professionally for her clients.
Your experience includes representing nationals from Latin American countries in immigration matters and removal proceedings. How have you drawn on your litigation experience at Covington and your own background in those cases?
My litigation experience at Covington has been invaluable in teaching me how to be the best writer and advocate I can be. Although the work is challenging, the mentorship and the resources available at Covington allow me to continue learning while providing quality representation for my clients. My background and personal experiences with immigration always keep me grounded and allow me to connect with my clients on a much more personal level. As my parents immigrated to the US, they went through hardships, and faced a daunting immigration legal system just like many of my clients. My clients know that I understand what they are going through and trust me to provide them with the best options.
What more can law firms/the legal industry do to support organizations like the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau?
As a law student, I knew that I wanted my law school experience to be about more than just case books and classroom-bound interpretations of the law. I wanted to put my education to use to help those most in need of legal counsel. I can recall many times growing up where my family could have benefited from legal assistance, but it was usually out of reach due to financial, cultural, and language barriers. I joined the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau (HLAB) because it gave me the opportunity to help those in need while learning how to be a lawyer in the toughest of situations. I believe that law firms can support organizations like the HLAB by seeking out students with clinical or direct legal service experiences. Law firms can also provide financial support to these organizations. Organizations providing free legal services are usually stretched thin and so additional resources help student attorneys deliver quality representation to the greatest number of people possible. HLAB is a strong community of social justice-minded students and I am grateful that I was able to be a part of it.
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