Candidate for President-elect
Marisol González Castillo
Hawks Quindel, S.C., Madison
Email:
mgonzalezcastillo@hq-law.com
Platform Statement
As someone who became involved with the State Bar early in my career, I have learned about the many benefits the State Bar provides for its members. However, I also know that there are many members who are not knowledgeable about these, especially those new to the State Bar.
After everything all of us have been through personally and professionally, it is obvious how imperative it is to have resources and support systems for our personal and professional growth. Because of that, I believe that it is crucial to ensure that all members of the State Bar are connected and aware of the many resources the State Bar has to offer – especially members who are new to the profession and members who do not have abundant resources.
As the first college graduate and attorney in my family, including extended family, I personally felt a lot of the gaps in knowledge and resources as a law student and as a new attorney. As a new attorney, I was able to fill some of those gaps via mentors with similar backgrounds as me, who were willing to step up and be a guiding hand, including a mentor I had through the State Bar Ready. Set. Practice mentoring program.
Because of the importance of resources and support systems, if I am elected, one of my primary goals will be for the State Bar membership to be more connected and aware of the resources available to them. My hope it that this will ensure that members feel supported enough to stay in the field and in turn also provide support to others when able.
Moving Forward Together. The State Bar has been making some strides in the areas of outreach to underserved parts of the State Bar membership and in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. I believe it is imperative to continue these efforts to ensure the success of the legal community. I believe these efforts need to continue and need to be paired with further efforts like connecting members to resources. This is imperative because only by being welcoming, inclusive, and supportive to new members, members without much knowledge of the field, members who are in resource deserts, and members who have been historically excluded from the field, will we be able to keep their much-needed talent in the legal field and in Wisconsin. Ensuring that we welcome and retain new members is also important in ensuring we are representative of the community we serve and ensuring greater representation of our community.
Representing the Community. To best represent the community we live in, we must understand the concerns, problems, and struggles of our community. Similar to not speaking the same language as a client, without understanding our community’s concerns, problems, and struggles, we are not able to provide the best representation possible because we are unable to comprehend it completely. The State Bar has acknowledged and started to combat these gaps in representing and representation of the community via various programs, including the Diversity and Inclusion Oversight Committee and Greater Wisconsin Initiative. Because of the importance of this not only for our legal community but for the entire state of Wisconsin, ensuring that the State Bar membership is representative of the community and ensuring the community’s representation will be another of my primary goals if elected.
Overall, my goals will be to connect our State Bar membership to the resources available to them, help our new members succeed in their personal and professional goals, and further the work in being a better representation of our community and better representing the community.
Biography
I was born in Mexico City, Mexico, and moved to Waukegan, Illinois, when I was 8 years old. I lived in Waukegan for most of my life until I went off to Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. After double-majoring in psychology and economics, I went straight to UW Law School and moved to Wisconsin for the first time.
Since graduating, I have worked in nonprofit, government, and am now in private practice at Hawks Quindel, S.C. Throughout my various roles, I have learned about the different experiences that new attorneys can have depending on the job they hold. Therefore, I can understand the difference in resources and support needed depending on the job.
Since graduating, I have focused my volunteering efforts in helping students and the Spanish speaking community.
I consistently attend events at the UW Law School, serve as a mentor in different programs like the Diversity Scholarship Foundation, Dreamers of Wisconsin, and the State Bar's Ready. Set. Practice. student mentoring program.
I constantly try to connect to my community by volunteering with different organizations like the Catholic Multicultural Center, the Latino Chamber of Commerce, and provide legal information to the community by providing know your rights presentations in Spanish and English and by serving as a Consultant Attorney for the Mexican Consulate in Milwaukee.
I also serve on the State Bar Board of Governors, State Bar International Practice Section Board, Wisconsin Justice Initiative Board, People’s Center Board, and Latinos United for College Education Board.
