Resident in our San Francisco office, Joshua González represents clients in complex and sensitive internal investigations and investigations by federal and state enforcement authorities, such as the DOJ and SEC, including investigations regarding civil and criminal liability under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the False Claims Act. Mr. González also advises clients on compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Act and other federal safety laws and regulations. Fluent in Spanish, Mr. González also advises clients on compliance issues that arise under anti-corruption laws.
How has your ethnicity influenced your career path?
Speaking a second language was definitely an important factor for how I got into anti-corruption and FCPA work when I first started at the firm. It is also a great asset when working on pro bono matters with Latino clients. I also think that my involvement in pro bono immigration work is driven by my cultural background. I was born and lived in Mexico for the first few years of my life and several of my family members have immigrated to the U.S. and faced challenges while doing so. I decided to work at a big law firm, in part, in order to have a platform to be able create systemic change to our immigration system so that others wouldn’t have to face similar challenges.
What prompted your interest in a legal career?
My great-uncle, grandfather, and uncle were/are all lawyers and judges in Mexico (my grandfather and uncle have both served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the state of Michoacán) and I grew up hearing about and talking to them about the rule of law and its capacity to change the lives of people. I think their stories inspired my desire to serve and my interest in the law throughout my childhood. That desire grew in a more concrete way after I spent two years as a teacher in Richmond and Oakland California as part of Teach for America. While teaching, I saw the systemic effects of the school-to-prison pipeline on the lives of my students. I also felt frustrated that decisions by individuals in positions of power (i.e., school districts) could outweigh and negate the good efforts of so many teachers and negatively impact entire school systems. I thought that a law degree could allow me to better understand those systems of power and create positive change for larger groups of people.
In your opinion, what role does the firm’s Hispanic/Latino affinity group play for our lawyers? How can the group best support its members?
Our affinity group provides me with a sense of community and an opportunity to share my culture and perspectives with other folks at the firm. I think the safe space the group creates for members of the Hispanic/Latino community at Covington to interact and share their stories is the best support the group can provide.
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