NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Last fall, Hector Sanchez was sworn in as a Knox County Criminal Court judge, becoming the first Hispanic trial court judge in the state. On Friday, the Knoxville community celebrated him while also launching the Knoxville Latino Bar Association.
The newly-formed group hopes to bring more diversity to the legal profession, as the number of minority students also grows at local law schools. It's meant to support minority lawyers as they start their careers, and throughout their professional lives.
"There's the emergence of minorities that go through these law schools as well, and we want to retain some of that talent. That's hopefully what the Latino Bar will serve as, and other things, of course," said Sanchez. "There's obviously a sense of camaraderie and unity when you bring a bunch of folk from similar cultures together and identity as one, so it's very important."
He also said that he had several mentors throughout his career, and was happy to have a chance to give back to the community.