MARCH 1, 2023 – The Hispanic National Bar Association has selected two Davis Wright Tremaine partners for its "Top Lawyers Under 40" award, recognizing the excellence of the firm's up-and-coming, diverse attorneys.
Diana Palacios and Giancarlo Urey will be honored at an award ceremony March 10 at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. The award recognizes HNBA members – including lawyers, government attorneys, judges, and academics – who have distinguished themselves in the legal profession, highlighting leadership, career excellence, and commitment to the Hispanic community.
Palacios is a member of Davis Wright's media and entertainment practice in the firm's Los Angeles office, focusing on First Amendment and intellectual property litigation and counseling. She represents some of the largest studios, news outlets, and entertainment companies in the country, handling matters that include defamation, records and courtroom access, privacy, right-of-publicity, false advertising, copyright, and trademark. She also provides pre-publication and pre-broadcast counseling in both English and Spanish. Since 2018, she has taught at her alma mater, the University of California-Irvine School of Law.
She has built a network to support Spanish-speaking attorneys within Davis Wright and outside the firm. Her previous honors include being named to the Best Lawyers "Ones to Watch" list the past two years running, being selected as a Southern California "Rising Star" by Thomson Reuters, and being featured in the Variety 2019 Legal Impact Report "Up Next" section.
Urey, also in the Los Angeles office, is an employment trial lawyer. He has extensive experience guiding companies as they face potentially high-exposure claims, and he has developed particular expertise with employment law issues unique to several industries including medical/healthcare, financial services, hospitality, and entertainment.
Urey has held a number of leadership roles at the firm. He was recently elected chair of the Los Angeles office hiring committee, which evaluates candidates for the firm's summer associate positions and 1L Diversity Scholarship, and through January 2023 he served as the firm's Los Angeles pro bono coordinator. He serves as a mentor to many early-career diverse attorneys and first-generation professionals. His previous honors include being named one of the "Top 100 Lawyers" for 2022 by the Los Angeles Business Journal and a Minority Leader of Influence by the same publication in 2021.
Founded in 1972, the HNBA represents more than 67,000 legal professionals in the United States and its territories.
About Davis Wright Tremaine
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is an AmLaw 100 law firm with more than 600 lawyers across the country. The firm is consistently recognized for the strength of its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. For more information, visit www.dwt.com/dei.