To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month 2022, the CBA’s YLS D&I committee is shining a spotlight on local Hispanic/Latinx attorneys and law students in the Greater Cincinnati legal community. CBA members nominated Hispanic/Latinx attorneys and law students for recognition, and members of the YLS D&I committee conducted interviews to learn more about them.
Meet David Castillo Gocher, an attorney with Macy's.
It has to be intentional. It cannot be something that we think and dream about – it has to have some sort of action. Nothing is going to change unless we make a meaningful plan to actually fully intend to enhance diversity and inclusion. Behind our intentions to enhance diversity and inclusion, there needs to be quantifiable steps behind the intentions. We must quantify our efforts. Every organization and entity that I have encountered here in Cincinnati is really passionate about diversity and inclusion– we just need to make that next step of quantifying these intentions – i.e. What can we accomplish next? How are we going to measure it?)
2. How to combat the lack of Hispanics in the legal field in Cincinnati?
What I keep hearing from law firms and entities in Cincinnati is that there is not enough people out there and if this is the concern then there needs to be a pipeline created that attracts Hispanics to the legal career. I also think we need to take a look at the whole process–is the Hispanic population that graduates from law school finding jobs? Are we doing our best to promote them? If there is no visibility of attorneys that are Hispanic in the community, high schoolers and undergrads will not want to take the legal path because they do not see enough people in that capacity. I would challenge people to say if we are not attracting enough Hispanics to the legal profession, what can we do to at least champion the careers of those graduating from law school and how can we use their stories to also attract people to join our profession.
3. How has being Hispanic/Latinx impacted your practice?
I cannot pinpoint anything specific within practice that has been a hindrance to my career because I am Hispanic. In general, I do think that because I speak with an accent that people sometimes doubt that I know what I am talking about. I have obviously had to overcome a lot of obstacles to come here and one of them was being a Hispanic from a different country, not having been raised here in the United States but I am very proud of my heritage, and I love talking about it at all times. I feel like every single time I am talking, I can represent a sector of people that is not usually represented in conversations or decisions, and I find that very important.
4. Why do you believe it’s important to celebrate Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month?
It is extremely important to celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of those of us that are Hispanic. Since I was born and raised in Mexico, we did not have Hispanic Heritage Month like that which is in the United States. When I came to the U.S., the first time I heard about Hispanic Heritage Month was when I was getting my masters or J.D.-- which tells you a ton, especially being Hispanic and moving into the country, I think you should hear things about Hispanic Heritage Month. We need to celebrate those people in our community that have a hispanic heritage especially in our careers. There are not alot of us in the legal field so it is even more important to highlight their experiences because it has been a little different than others. By sharing these conversations with the public at large allows us all to be enriched.
5. What advice do you have for young professionals?
Finding connections within our communities is something that is extremely important and keeps us grounded. Seeing other people succeed and also making mistakes that are a part of our communities that we have something in common with. If you are seeing someone succeeding, then you can ask questions about that path and what that looked like. On the flip side, seeing someone that has a similar background that has made some mistakes, you can ask questions as well on how to avoid this. I would highly suggest people to keep those connections in their community and reach out to those who are going through the same process–i.e. law students. I think our community will be strengthened if we take the steps to learn and help out people coming after us.