GW Law Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Ana M. González is an Associate at Sullivan & Cromwell, LLP at their headquarters office in New York. González works within the firm’s General Practice (Corporate) and Financial Services groups. Ms. González specializes in transactional matters such as mergers and acquisitions, as well as in industry trade group advocacy initiatives and criminal defense investigations. Ms. González has also engaged in Latin America-focused work, primarily in the sovereign debt financing and strategic investment spaces. In addition to serving as a member of Sullivan & Cromwell’s Diversity Committee, she is also co-chair of the Firm’s Network of Black and Latinx lawyers, continuing her commitment to advocacy which was strengthened during her time at GW Law. 

During her time at GW Law, Ms. González conducted research for a Global Network Initiative board conference as part of the GW Law Global Internet Freedom Project, was an active member within the International Human Rights Clinic, and was involved in FCC net neutrality advocacy. Ana also met her husband, Michael A. Perez, in January 2014 at the reception following the 2014 Van Vleck finals, which was particularly well-attended since Justice Sotomayor presided as a judge in the competition that year. Both Mike and Ana felt a great connection with Justice Sotomayor after reading her memoir, My Beloved World—Mike, as a first-generation Dominican-American from New York City, who had his eyes set on the Manhattan DA’s office, where Justice Sotomayor began her career; and Ana, as a first-generation Cuban-American from Miami who was determined to be the first lawyer in her family, as was the case with Justice Sotomayor. They happened to be standing in line next to each other waiting to greet Justice Sotomayor and got to talking about what an inspiration she was, and that’s how it all started. They left the reception that night with plans to see each other again at the next HLSA meeting and the rest is history, almost 10 years in the books now.

Ms. González received her BA in Political Science, French Studies, and Latin American Studies from the University of Florida. She then received her JD from GW Law, where she focused her academic and professional efforts on International Law and Legal Studies.

Raul R. Herrera, who is originally from Panama and grew up in the Philippines, currently serves as a Partner at Arnold and Porter, LLP in Washington, DC  Mr. Herrera’s expertise lies in international matters, with particular emphasis in international corporate and financing transactions in Latin America and the Caribbean. For more than 30 years, he has been involved in transactions in every country of the region on behalf of a wide variety of clients, including private, public, and multilateral entities. Raul has also been active on pro bono matters assisting undocumented Latin immigrants and displaced restaurant workers during the COVID pandemic.

Beyond his work at Arnold and Porter, in 2017 Mr. Herrera served as the Interim General Counsel and Legal Director of the Green Climate Fund, a $20 billion fund based in South Korea created within the United Nations to finance developing countries' efforts to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change. Previously Raul served for eight years as the General Counsel of IDB Invest, a multilateral development bank based in Washington, DC He is a frequent speaker and a passionate advocate for economic development and investment in Latin America and the Caribbean. Additionally, Raúl serves as a member of the board of several organizations, including the Thomas Lovejoy Amazon Biodiversity Center, the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontífice Foundation, the Society for the Advancement of the Art Museum of the Americas, the Global Women’s Institute (at GW), and the Inter-American Dialogue’s Energy Board of Advisors.

Mr. Herrera is a double alumnus of George Washington University, having received his JD from GW Law School and his BA in International Affairs from GWU’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Paulina Vera is an adjunct Professorial Lecturer in Law at GW Law, where she teaches Immigration Law. Ms. Vera also supervises the Immigration Clinic at GW Law, which aligns with her personal, academic, and professional interests. Prior to joining GW Law as a Lecturer, Ms. Vera served as the only Immigration Staff Attorney at the Maryland-based non-profit, CASA, the foremost immigrant organization in the mid-Atlantic region and a national leader in supporting immigrant families.

Ms. Vera belongs to numerous professional organizations, is the Public Relations Director for the GW Latino Law Alumni Association (LLAA), and also currently serving as the President-Elect of the Hispanic Bar Association of DC (HBA-DC). Ms. Vera is the recipient of several awards including the GW Latinx Excellence Awards, Alma Award (2019), and the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) Top Lawyers Under 40 Award (2021), among others. Through all her efforts, Ms. Vera continues to bring awareness and knowledge to the space of Immigration Law and engages rigorously within the Latinx community.

Ms. Vera is a double alumna of George Washington University, having received her JD from GW Law following her BA in International Affairs, where she concentrated on Latin American Studies and International Politics.