A Message from the 2023 DHBA President, Carla Green

DHBA Familia,

We are officially off to a new year and I am truly honored to be serving as President of the DHBA in 2023!

I want to start by saying that I know I have some big shoes to fill following Elsa Manzanares, our 2022 fearless, hard-working President. Elsa’s dedication to the DHBA has been an inspiration and I hope to carry on and grow the already wonderful momentum, initiatives, and support Elsa was able to garner for the DHBA this past year. I am thankful Elsa will continue to serve on our Board as Immediate-Past President and we look forward to working with her. I also want to acknowledge and give many thanks to some of our outgoing Board members that have given their service and (for some) several years of their time—many thanks to Jake Torres, Tyrone Valdivia, Fabiola Segovia, and Javier Perez. I want our members to know that the DHBA would not be the organization that it is without you. Without your support, your time, and yes, even your donations—the DHBA would not be able to accomplish the wonderful work that it does. We are grateful for each of you and encourage you to participate, become involved, and socialize with your familia. The DHBA is only growing, getting stronger—we’re excited that we’ve seen substantial increases in our membership numbers, we’ve raised record-setting donations for our incredible initiatives, including for the DHBA’s pipeline initiative, the Dallas Latina Leadership Program, and our Judicial Externship Program.

Throughout my years of service on the DHBA Board, I’ve had the honor of meeting and having long discussions with our DHBA members. In those discussions, I often hear about how the DHBA has impacted our members, many times in different ways. For some, the DHBA has been an organization that has introduced them to other attorneys with similar backgrounds that have resulted in long-lasting, inspiring friendships/mentorships. For others, the DHBA is an organization that has rallied behind causes and initiatives that inspired our members to participate and become more involved in our Dallas-Hispanic community.

For me, the DHBA has always felt like home, like family. My first introduction to the DHBA was in law school when I attended Texas A&M University of Law. I was a single mother, juggling raising an 8-year-old son, trying to get through my law school courses, and keeping up a comfortable household for the both of us. Scholarships were game-changers. The DHBA awarded me one of my first scholarships in law school—and to this day—I remember how excited I was to receive those funds. It was a relief. I needed and the DHBA responded. That’s familia. After graduating and moving to Dallas, the DHBA became an organization of support and comfort. I’ve met so many life-long friends/colleagues through this organization that I consider familia.

It is truly inspirational to hear (and experience) how the DHBA has impacted our members’ law practice and lives. We want to continue to do so. So, join us! Come celebrate with us! We are excited about this upcoming year and look forward to working with our members to reach our goals and continue our mission.

Carla Green 

2023 DHBA President

A Message From Our 2024 President

Tuesday, January 16, 2024 4:02 PM | Anonymous

A Message From Our 2024 President 


I am honored to serve as DHBA’s President at a time of unprecedented growth for our organization. 

During the last few years, we have more than doubled (and likely more than tripled) our active membership count, growing our numbers steadily and reaching our current active member count of 518 attorney members and 68 law student members. DHBA has strengthened its relationships with important partners—including the Dallas Bar Association, the Dallas Allied Bars, MABA-Dallas, and the Hispanic National Bar Association—allowing us to be more effective at furthering DHBA’s mission of promoting “the social, economic, educational, and civic advancement of the DFW Metroplex Hispanic community” and making the legal system “more responsive to its needs.” We have also successfully collaborated with Hispanic attorney bar associations throughout Texas on important matters relating to judicial diversity. 

While we should all be proud of these significant accomplishments, we must be mindful that each of us has a critical role to play to maintain this success. Our openness to each other, desire to see our fellow DHBA members succeed, and willingness to help one another (which have been present in abundance these last few years) are critical ingredients to ensuring our long-term success as an organization. 

This year, I am hoping that our members will:

  • Meet each other for breakfast, lunch, or coffee to find out ways we can help each other;
  • Introduce one another to important business contacts, including potential employers and clients;
  • Recommend each other for jobs or client engagements;
  • Hire a DHBA member if the opportunity arises;
  • Arrange for your firm or organization — or the organization of a DHBA supporter — to sponsor a DHBA event;
  • Recommend a friend to join DHBA;
  • Attend DHBA events;
  • “Like” a DHBA post or the post of a fellow DHBA member whom you support; and
  • Put in a good word for a DHBA colleague you know. 

Our members work in every segment of the Dallas legal community, including the judiciary; international, national, boutique, and solo practice law firms; corporate in-house counsel offices; federal and state agencies; federal and state prosecutors’ offices; criminal defense law firms; and legal aid offices and public interest law firms. If we each did just one of the things listed above, we would add to the vibrancy of the Dallas legal community—and DHBA’s place in it—and help ensure that our progress as an organization will continue well into the future. 

For its part, the DHBA Board is working diligently to put on excellent programming for 2024. We look forward to having you join us. 

Edward J. Loya, Jr. 

DHBA President 

Follow Us On:

Dallas Hispanic Bar Association

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software