WASHINGTON, April 22, 2019 —The American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section will honor New York Judge Lourdes Ventura with its 2019 Liberty Achievement Award, which honors lawyers and judges who take a leadership role by demonstrating, through choices made in their careers and work done in private- or public-sector positions, that they have actively promoted diversity in the legal profession.
The award, which is co-sponsored by Thomson Reuters, will be presented at the TIPS Section Conference in New York during the Welcome & Liberty Achievement Award Reception on Wednesday, May 1, from 5:30-7 p.m. ET at the Westin Times Square New York.
“Thomson Reuters is proud of our work with the Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section and honored to support this important award,” said Sharon Sayles-Belton, vice president and Government Partnerships & Alliances lead at Thomson Reuters. “It’s especially gratifying to recognize Judge Ventura for her lifetime of firsts and her ongoing support of legal diversity.”
Ventura is currently Judge of the Civil Court of the City of New York in Queens County. She previously focused on civil litigation as a partner at Ahmuty, Demers & McManus. As a former assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Bureau of the New York State Attorney General’s Office, Ventura prosecuted cases and investigated complaints involving discrimination in housing, education and other areas.
Ventura was the first Latina to serve as president of the Queens County Women’s Bar Association and is also past president of the Latino Lawyers Association of Queens County. Under her leadership, Latino Lawyers was the recipient of the New York State Bar Association 2005 Award of Merit for local bar association for its work with the Street Law en Español program.
A graduate of the SUNY Buffalo Law School and an emeritus member of the Dean’s Advisory Council, Ventura is licensed to practice law in both New York and Washington, D.C. She is a member of the federal bar in the Southern, Eastern and Western districts of New York State and is admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Click here for a photo of Ventura.
There is no charge for media covering this event. To register, please contact Robert Robinson at 202-662-1097 or Robert.Robinson@americanbar.org.
The ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section unites plaintiff, defense, insurance and corporate counsel to advance the civil justice system. TIPS is a national source of expertise in tort, trial and insurance practice and brings lawyers together to share information and speak out on issues of importance. The section has over 20,000 members and more than 30 general committees that focus on substantive and procedural matters in areas across the broad spectrum of civil law and practice. For more information about the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section visit the TIPS website, www.americanbar.org/tips.
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