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President's Advisory Council
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Charles J. Hynes, Chair
District Attorney
Kings County, NY |
On November 7, 2005, Charles J. Hynes was re-elected to his fifth term as the District Attorney of Kings County (Brooklyn), New York; he was sworn into office on January 10, 2006. The District Attorney began his career in public service in 1963 as an associate attorney for the Legal Aid Society. In 1969, he joined the Kings County District Attorney's Office as an Assistant District Attorney. In 1971, he was named Chief of the Rackets Bureau and in 1973, he was promoted to First Assistant District Attorney. In 1980, Mayor Edward I. Koch appointed Mr. Hynes as Fire Commissioner of New York City. In 1982 he left public service for private practice, but returned to public service in 1985, appointed by Governor Mario Cuomo as a Special State Prosecutor for the New York City Criminal Justice System. As District Attorney, Mr. Hynes has pioneered many innovative criminal justice strategies. Since 2000, he has served as a member of the American Bar Association where he sat as co-chair of the Prosecutors Function Committee and the ABA Criminal Justice Section. In 1990, he became a member of the National District Attorneys Association and in 2007, he was elected a Vice President of the Association. Mr. Hynes continues to demonstrate his commitment to public service and education by serving as an Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy at three New York City Law Schools. District Attorney Hynes is a proud and life-long resident of Brooklyn, where he was born and raised in the Flatbush section. |
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Anita Alvarez, Vice-Chair
State's Attorney
Cook County, IL |
On Dec. 1, 2008, Anita Alvarez made history when she was sworn in as Cook County's first female and first Hispanic State's Attorney. A Chicago native, Anita attended Maria High School, received her undergraduate degree from Loyola University of Chicago and received a Law Degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law. At the time of her historic election, Anita held the rank of Chief Deputy State's Attorney, the third ranking post in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. Anita began her career in the State's Attorney's Office in 1986 and steadily worked her way up through the ranks, handling hundreds of felony cases ranging from homicide, narcotics, armed robbery, and criminal sexual assaults to domestic violence cases. Anita is active in various bar associations and organizations. Presently, she serves as the President of the Chicago Bar Association and is also a founding member and past President of the National Hispanic Prosecutors Association. Anita is a frequent speaker and lecturer to many organizations and from 2002 to 2005 was an adjunct professor at John Marshall Law School. Anita and her husband, Dr. James Gomez, are the proud parents of four children. |
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John J. Choi
County Attorney
Ramsey County, MN |
John Choi immigrated to St. Paul at the age of three with his parents from South Korea. John graduated from St. Thomas Academy High School, Marquette University and Hamline University School of Law, and was a Humphrey Fellow at the University of Minnesota. Following law school, John was in private practice first at Hessian, McKasy, & Soderberg, and then at Kennedy & Graven, where he focused on government relations, administrative law, municipal law and civil litigation, rising to the level of partner within six years. John went on to become the Saint Paul City Attorney, leading a public law and prosecution office of 70 employees with an $8 million budget. Throughout his tenure, John was innovative in making reforms and finding efficiencies in the criminal justice system. John was pleased to have the opportunity to join the firm of McGrann, Shea, Carnival, Straughn & Lamb before becoming elected Ramsey County Attorney in the fall of 2010. As Ramsey County Attorney, John is working hard to continue to reform the criminal justice system and keep our community safe. In his spare time, John serves the community as a volunteer board member of several Saint Paul nonprofits, including Sounds of Hope and St. Paul Youth Services. He also serves on the board of the Ramsey County Bar Association and is member of the Saint Paul Rotary Club. |
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Mitchell R. Morrissey
District Attorney
Denver |
Mitchell R. Morrissey was elected District Attorney of Denver in 2004. He is responsible for the prosecution of more than 6,000 felony and 18,000 misdemeanor criminal cases every year. He is nationally known for his expertise in DNA technology, applying that technology in criminal prosecutions and working to ensure that DNA science is admissible in our courtrooms. As the chief prosecutor for the Second Judicial District, Mitch is an aggressive prosecutor and an advocate of prevention and intervention initiatives. He makes victims a priority and is dedicated to providing victims a strong voice in the justice system through a number of efforts. Mitch has worked on behalf of the citizens of Denver for more than 20 years as an attorney in the Denver DA's Office; more than half of those years he has served as a Chief Deputy. He has assisted the U.S. Attorney's Office as a Special Assistant in prosecuting federal cases involving DNA evidence, was selected Prosecutor of the Year in 2001 by the Colorado District Attorneys' Council, and has taught on a variety of subjects for the Council and the Denver Police Department including demonstrative evidence, rules of evidence, gang prosecutions, violent crime and DNA. Mitch serves on the board of the National Forensic Science Technology Center, as well as the board for Denver Crime Stoppers. He is a member of the Advisory Council for National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Council for the Rocky Mountain Region and has served on the board of the Denver Sexual Assault Interagency Council. He is a Denver native, a graduate of the University of Denver College of Law, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Mullen High School. |
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P. David Soares
District Attorney
Albany County, NY |
On October 26, 1969, P. David Soares was born in Brava, Cape Verde, an island off the coast of West Africa. When David was six years old his family moved to the United States and settled in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. David worked his way through Cornell University and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications. After Cornell, David attended Albany Law School and received his law degree in 1999. During Law School David interned and worked for the Albany County Airport Authority and also served as an intern at the District Attorney's Office, where he eventually became an Assistant District Attorney. As an Assistant District Attorney in Albany County, David was Albany's first community prosecutor. He established a Community Accountability Board, which successfully involved community members in turning youth away from crime and drugs. David was elected Albany County District Attorney on November 2, 2004 and re-elected to a second term on November 4, 2008. As a frequent Public Speaker, DA Soares continues to speak at events both locally and nationally. David has also received a number of awards and recognitions. David remains active in his community as a mentor in Bethlehem Youth Court, by teaching "Legal Lives" in the Albany Public Schools and as a board member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany. David is the proud father of two young children. |
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Thomas Zugibe
District Attorney
Rockland County, NY |
Thomas P. Zugibe, was elected Rockland County District Attorney in 2007. Since taking office in January, 2008, Tom has been instrumental in implementing many innovative initiatives in the Rockland District Attorney's Office. Prior to his election, Zugibe worked for two decades in private practice and served as the West Haverstraw Village Justice for a period of eighteen years. Between 1981 and 1987, Tom served as a prosecutor in the Rockland County District Attorney's Office, where he was promoted to Executive Assistant District Attorney. His tenure in the District Attorney's Office included directing the Narcotics Division and Major Offenses Division. District Attorney Zugibe began his legal career as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the New York State Deputy Attorney General for Medicaid Fraud Control under now-Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes. Tom is a 1975 graduate of Manhattan College and received his Juris Doctor degree from St. John's University School of Law in 1979. He is admitted to the New York Bar and the Federal District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. |
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