ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

CLEO is proud to announce that Nanette Barragán, a CLEO alumna, has been elected to the 115th Congress of the United States.

I knew I wanted to go to law school when I got into the Law Magnet Program at Dorsey High School. I was also fueled by the fact that in my experience as a foster youth, there were few lawyers who effectively advocated on my behalf and my life was severely impacted because of it. Those experiences fueled my passion to become a lawyer that adequately represented the voice of foster youth.

CLEO was made available to me once I became a member of the Lawbound Scholars PRLDEF program affiliated with Latino Justice. It was after joining I was able to see how involved CLEO is with Hispanics not only in New York but also across the United States.

I have argued in state trial court, federal district court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and when appropriate, develop publications with Know Your Rights information and/or identifying best practices. As a result of my litigation, I have had the opportunity to draft training for the Barstow Police Department and prepare training for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department on inmates with disabilities.

My primary practice areas are Estate Planning, Business and Real Estate. I am a former litigator who worked for private law firms handling a range of cases from inception to trial preparation, including wrongful death, fraud, and trust disputes. In addition to my full-time law practice, I am also an image consultant helping men improve their wardrobe and build their confidence for their professional and personal lives.

As an undergraduate student, I first intended to major in corporate communication and pursue a career in marketing or public relations. As I was nearing the end of my undergraduate studies, I took a political science class to fulfill an elective requirement. For the first time in my college career, I felt challenged and academically stimulated, so I stayed an extra year to complete a Political Science major.