Cuban-American Bar Association
Encyclopedia
Cuban American Bar Association (CABA) was established in Miami in 1974 by a group of 20 or so Cuban
attorneys
adapting in a different culture. CABA is a non-profit voluntary bar association
in the State of Florida
. CABA's members include judges, lawyers and law students of Cuban, Cuban-American descent, as well as those who are not of Cuban descent, but are interested in issues affecting the Cuban community. CABA's mission is to promote equality of our members; serve the public interest by increasing awareness to the study of jurisprudence; foster respect for the law; preserve high standards of integrity, honor, and professional courtesy among our peers; provide equal access to and adequate representation of minorities before the courts; facilitate the administration of justice; build close relationships among our members; support the Cuban-American indigent community; and increase diversity in the judiciary and legal community.
In 1994, a group of CABA attorneys who traveled to Cuba to expedite the legal rights of detained Cuban rafters caught in political limbo. The attorneys contributed more than 5,000 hours representing the refugees, pleading their cause before U.S. government authorities and visiting Guantanamo
to ensure they were receiving fair and adequate treatment. Founders include Mario P. Goderich, now a judge on the Third District Court of Appeals, and Carlos Benito Fernandez, father of Katherine Fernandez Rundle
, Dade County state attorney. CABA one of the larger voluntary bars in Florida with over 1,300 members. Activities of the association include an annual program in cooperation with the Hispanic National Bar Association
; a scholarship program for law students funded by an annual golf tournament; the "CABA Smoker," a networking fundraiser honoring Cuba's cigar-making tradition; and the pro bono project in conjunction with the Dade County Bar.
Cubans
Cubans or Cuban people are the inhabitants or citizens of Cuba. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
attorneys
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
adapting in a different culture. CABA is a non-profit voluntary bar association
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in the State of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. CABA's members include judges, lawyers and law students of Cuban, Cuban-American descent, as well as those who are not of Cuban descent, but are interested in issues affecting the Cuban community. CABA's mission is to promote equality of our members; serve the public interest by increasing awareness to the study of jurisprudence; foster respect for the law; preserve high standards of integrity, honor, and professional courtesy among our peers; provide equal access to and adequate representation of minorities before the courts; facilitate the administration of justice; build close relationships among our members; support the Cuban-American indigent community; and increase diversity in the judiciary and legal community.
In 1994, a group of CABA attorneys who traveled to Cuba to expedite the legal rights of detained Cuban rafters caught in political limbo. The attorneys contributed more than 5,000 hours representing the refugees, pleading their cause before U.S. government authorities and visiting Guantanamo
Guantánamo
Guantánamo is a municipality and city in southeast Cuba and capital of Guantánamo Province.Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera port and the site of a famous U.S. Naval base. The area produces sugarcane and cotton wool...
to ensure they were receiving fair and adequate treatment. Founders include Mario P. Goderich, now a judge on the Third District Court of Appeals, and Carlos Benito Fernandez, father of Katherine Fernandez Rundle
Katherine Fernandez Rundle
Katherine Fernandez Rundle is the current State Attorney for Miami-Dade County in Florida, U.S.A.. She received her degree from the University of Cambridge Law School, England....
, Dade County state attorney. CABA one of the larger voluntary bars in Florida with over 1,300 members. Activities of the association include an annual program in cooperation with the Hispanic National Bar Association
Hispanic National Bar Association
The Hispanic National Bar Association is a non-profit, non-partisan organization representing Hispanics in the legal profession, including attorneys, judges, law professors, legal assistant and paralegals, and law students in the United States and its territories.The current National President and...
; a scholarship program for law students funded by an annual golf tournament; the "CABA Smoker," a networking fundraiser honoring Cuba's cigar-making tradition; and the pro bono project in conjunction with the Dade County Bar.