Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) is a national nonprofit organization whose principal objective is to protect and promote the civil rights of the more than 27 million Latinos living in the United States.
MALDEF is particularly dedicated to securing rights in employment, education, immigration, political access, and language. MALDEF seeks to achieve its objectives through litigation, advocacy, leadership development, educational outreach, and higher education scholarships.
Antonia Hernandez
President and General Counsel MALDEF, Antonia Hernandez directs all litigation and advocacy programs, manages a $5 million budget and a 75 person staff.
Ms. Hernandez earned her B.A. at UCLA and her J.D. at the UCLA School of Law. She began her professional career as a Staff Attorney with the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice.
An expert in civil rights and immigration issues, Ms. Hernandez worked on the U. S. Senate committee on the Judiciary. As Staff Counsel to the Committee, then chaired by Senator Edward Kennedy she drafted bills and briefed committee members on national issues.
She is admitted to the State Bar of California; Washington, D. C. Bar and the United States Courts for the Ninth Circuit. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Mexican American Bar Association of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Bar Association.
