L to R: Top: Antonio Perez, Meagan Sunn, and Pamela Tirado; Bottom: Erica Barrera, Luigi de Guzman, and Natalie Moffet

On October 28, 2020, the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APLSA), Black Law Students Association (BLSA), Latin American Law Students Association (LALSA), and the Women’s Law Caucus (WLC) presented a joint event, Celebrating Diversity in the Legal Profession. The discussion was moderated by Catholic Law Professor Antonio Perez.

Catholic Law students were joined by panelists Luigi de Guzman ’10, Regulatory Attorney at Buckley, LLP; Lieutenant Pamela Tirado, Lead Information Attorney at the U.S. Coast Guard; Meagan Sunn ’18, Senior Director and Counsel, Public Policy and Government Relations at the Goodfriend Group; and Catholic Law Lecturer Natalie Moffet ’04, Founder and Principal Attorney at Cater Moffet Law.

After Perez introduced each of the panelists the group dove into a candid discussion about diversity in the legal profession and each of their individual work experiences within that framework. To begin the discussion, Perez posed the first question to the panelists asking for the panelists to share the ways in which identity has been either an advantage or disadvantage throughout their careers. Panelists then answered questions from students in attendance. As the discussion drew to a close, Perez added an important point regarding diversity in the workplace, “I’ve seen a vast amount of research that makes crystal clear, diversity in group decision-making processes yields better decisions. I think there is a really powerful argument to be made from that independent of any other socio-political objectives you may have.”