We asked veteran Commissioner, Jim Taronji, about his years of service on the Commission. Here is what he had to say!
Where do you work? I am currently an Attorney Advisor at the Federal Trade Commission in the Office of Policy Planning. I was previously an Attorney Advisor in the Office of the General Counsel. I started in the Bureau of Competition after graduation from Georgetown Law. Previously, I was in private practice and an inhouse corporate counsel rising to the position of Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of a public company.
How long have you served on the Commission? I started my service on the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession (CREDP) as the Liaison from the Antitrust Law Section. I am now serving what I believe is my third one-year appointment as Commissioner.
What Commission committees do you currently serve? I am on the Diversity & Inclusion Champions Award, Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy (CBLA), and Model Diversity Survey Committees.
What goals have you set out to achieve while serving on the Commission this year? My priority for CREDP this year is to improve the diversity metrics on the legal profession. A big chunk of that will come from the Model Diversity Survey with demographic data on associates and partners in law firms.
Considering your long-term service with the Commission, what is your proudest moment? My proudest moment in 2021 was serving on the Planning Committee for the ABA’s first ever Ethics Summit in September. I got to invite and interview Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor for an hour. We had 1100 registrants for the Summit, many of them law students.
What do you feel the Commission offers the profession? The Association? The ABA is the premiere professional association for attorneys (and law students) in the United States. CREDP allows me to pursue my passion to improve diversity in the legal profession. In the Antitrust Law Section, I am the Co-Chair of our Diversity.Advanced Committee. I am also active in the mentorship program for the Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia, the local chapter of the Hispanic National Bar Association.
What is your favorite hobby? What I enjoy the most is eating out and socializing with family and friends.
If you could be any dessert, what would you be? Why? My favorite dessert is coconut flan. I enjoy it because it reminds me of my Caribbean Hispanic heritage.