Reflecting on his career as a lawyer, prosecutor, and jurist, Judge Hector Gonzalez believes that his lifelong dedication to public service is rooted in his experience as an immigrant.
“From a very young age, I had an appreciation for the value of public service,” said Gonzalez to an audience of first-generation law students. “As an immigrant, I think you often appreciate what is, for many others, just a given and so you appreciate the opportunities you’re getting and the advantages that you have here versus somewhere else. And, I think, for many that comes with a sense of duty and responsibility.”
Gonzalez spoke at the First to the Bench Program, an initiative of the Center for Judicial Events & Clerkships (CJEC) that brings first-generation jurists to the Law School to speak with law students, faculty, staff, and alumni about their experience on the bench. This year’s event was co-sponsored by Fordham First Generation Students (F1Gs) and the Latin Law Students Association (LALSA). Students in the Increasing Diversity in Education and the Law program were also invited to attend.
CJEC Assistant Dean Suzanne M. Endrizzi ’96 moderated the fireside chat, which included Gonzalez discussing his upbringing in Queens as an immigrant from Cuba, his unique path to the bench, and words of encouragement for the attending law students.
Prior to his appointment to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Gonzalez was a partner at Dechert LLP and was the chair of the firm’s global litigation group. His practice focused on complex commercial, securities and white-collar litigation, and investigations before regulatory bodies. Previously, he was an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where he served as chief of the Narcotics Unit.
Contemplating the course of his career, Judge Gonzalez said, “Certainly everything wasn’t mapped [out for me], but I think [pursuing a career in]the law has afforded a tremendous amount of opportunities to do the things that I wanted to try to achieve and the ways I wanted to give back.”
Gonzalez also discussed the transitional challenges he faced when becoming a judge and dispensed advice on how to overcome fears and hesitancy when networking as a first-generation law student. “You have to find the balance that you feel comfortable with, but just remember that it’s important to … personalize who you are in any work setting … even though there are times when you’re grinding away,” said Gonzalez. “Whenever there’s an opportunity to … humanize yourself in front of both colleagues and supervisors, you should take it.”
Prior to the fireside chat, the CJEC hosted a small, informal session in which Gonzalez was joined by student leaders including the chairs of F1Gs and LALSA.
Camelia Meftoul ’24, president of the First-Generation Students organization, attended the talk, “A lot of Fordham Law students—first-gen or not—are anxious at the idea of finding their niche. Hearing from someone who has worked in the private sector and who eventually became a federal judge was appealing in understanding that there is no simple answer in asking yourself, ‘What type of lawyer do I want to become?’”
The evening concluded with a reception designed to foster community among the attending first-generation J.D. students and first-generation alumni clerks.
“We were so fortunate Judge Gonzalez accepted our invitation, our community is still a buzz from his visit!” said Endrizzi ’96. “The First to the Bench event encapsulates everything that makes Fordham Law special—community— bringing together our faculty, staff, students and alumni.”
“Judge Gonzalez’s enlightening observations and insights were delivered with both candor and humility,” added James J. Brudney, Joseph Crowley Chair in Labor and Employment Law and CJEC faculty director. “The CJEC was privileged to have him address our community.”
Since the start of the program in 2019, the CJEC First to the Bench event has hosted Judge Christine Arguello (U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado), Judge Denny Chin ’78 (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit), Judge Diane J. Humetewa (U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona), Justice Maria Araujo Kahn ’89 (then Conn. Supreme Court; now 2d Cir.), and Judge Zahid N. Quraishi (U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey) to speak to law students about their experiences as first-generation judges.
