“Hispanics are now over 20 percent of our population and the largest minority in our country, but make up only three percent of our profession. Hispanics must be fully integrated into our profession and our society,” said Zack, who is the administrative partner in the Miami office of Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP.

“We need to move quickly,” he continued.  “Unless our profession mirrors our population, ultimately society will lose respect for the rule of law. This is our responsibility, and our obligation, and it is the goal of the newly formed ABA Commission on Hispanic Rights and Responsibilities.”

For his presidential year, Zack created a Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities.  Within the next eight weeks the Commission will begin holding public hearings in cities across the country. Through these hearings, America’s lawyers can hear directly from the Latino community about its legal needs, and respond.

Zack will be awarded the “Lawyer of the Year” distinction, given to a Hispanic attorney who has made outstanding contributions to the legal profession and to the Hispanic community.

Zack took office as ABA president four weeks ago and will serve a one-year term. As a teenager, he fled to America as a Cuban refugee. His family was detained prior to being allowed to leave Cuba, and Zack was held separately from his family.

Zack is being honored at the 35th annual meeting of the HNBA in Minneapolis. The award ceremony is set for Thursday during a 6:30-10 p.m. reception at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

The Hispanic National Bar Association is a 25,000 member association representing the interests of the more than 100,000 Hispanic attorneys, judges, law professors, legal assistants, and law students in the United States and its territories.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.