Editors’ Note: Read about Florencio Maldonado, a summer associate in our San Francisco office, in the latest installment of our ongoing Faces of MoFo series.
I knew about MoFo even before I was sure I wanted to be a lawyer. Growing up in an immigrant family in California’s Central Valley, the only lawyers I was ever exposed to were immigration lawyers. That changed when Arturo González gave a talk to an organization I belonged to. Arturo’s talk made me aware that a career at a Big Law firm like MoFo existed and—most importantly—that a Mexican American, like myself, could not only enter this profession, but thrive in it.
After earning my bachelor’s degree, I was not convinced that I wanted to be an attorney. Like many of my peers in my university’s political science department, I was convinced that I wanted to change the world. And to many of us, that meant entering politics or doing policy work. I opted for latter. After graduation, I accepted a position as a policy staffer in California’s State Legislature. During my time in the Legislature, I had the opportunity to work on a number of truly transformative policies, including establishing the first statewide universal school lunch program, closing the digital divide, and expanding COVID-19 relief to undocumented Californians.
During this time, I realized where my passion was: advocacy. While it was profoundly gratifying to be an advocate for my community in the Legislature, I decided to further my passion for advocacy and made the jump to law school.
It was in law school that I once again heard about MoFo. As the first person in my family to graduate college and pursue a postsecondary education, I relied heavily on my school’s Latino affinity group for guidance and support. And it was through conversations with members of the affinity group that I realized that MoFo was the ideal place to begin my career. In addition to the robust presence of alumni from the group at the firm, MoFo has provided me with unparalleled opportunities to hone my advocacy skills. These opportunities have ranged from working with cutting-edge tech clients in our Class Actions and Mass Torts Practice Group, to advocating to keep law enforcement accountable in the Central Valley through a number of pro bono projects.
As I look forward to the future, I could not be prouder and more excited to be part of a firm that not only is at the forefront of legal excellence and innovation, but also values my professional growth.