Krista Contino Saumby first joined Elon University School of Law as a career counselor in June, and now, she is taking on a new leadership role with the Hispanic National Bar Association, the country’s largest professional organization representing and advocating on behalf of Hispanic attorneys.
In September, the associate director of career development at Elon Law in Greensboro was formally elected to the role of regional president for the Hispanic National Bar Association’s Region VI, encompassing both North and South Carolina, according to a news release from Elon Law.
The professional association is celebrating its 50th anniversary and is divided into 19 regions. Regional presidents — like Contino Saumby — serve together as members of the association’s Board of Governors.
The two-year term representing the Carolinas allows Contino Saumby “an opportunity to develop a team of deputies to ensure the region has programming, networking and mentoring events, and conducts fundraising for law school scholarships on behalf of an underrepresented community in the practice of law,” the release said.
According to 2022 data from the American Bar Association, only 5.8% of all lawyers are Hispanic, while the U.S. population is 18.5% Hispanic.
“My goals are to mentor and forge a greater network of Hispanic attorneys and connect them to each other,” Contino Saumby said in the release.