Four USD Law Alumni Running for San Diego County Bar Association Board of Directors, Voting Open Until Nov 8

San Diego (October 16, 2013) – Four of the 10 candidates for open positions on the San Diego County Bar Association’s (SDCBA) Board of Directors are alumni of the University of San Diego (USD) School of Law alumni. Lizzette Herrera Castellanos, ’03 (JD); Loren Freestone, ’97 (JD); Lindsey Mercer, ’05 (JD); and Kristin Rizzo, ’06 (JD), are running for four at-large board positions.

Lizzette Herrera Castellanos, ’03 (JD), is the assistant director for public service and diversity at the University of San Diego School of Law. She has worked with the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program as well as with the UCSD Binational Program, where she provided legal and regulatory assistance to children infected with HIV in Mexico and refugee clients from Africa. Herrera is also a professor of paralegal and legal studies at Southwestern College. She serves as a La Raza Lawyers of San Diego board member and is a part of the Lawyers’ Club of San Diego Diverse Women’s Task Force.

Loren Freestone, ’97 (JD), is an attorney with Higgs Fletcher & Mack, LLP, where he represents large and small corporations, health care practitioners and companies, farmers and employers. Freestone currently sits on the County Bar's Ethnic Relations and Diversity Committee, is a board member on one of the County Bar’s specialty committees, and as an avid surfer, has committed his time to maintaining the integrity of our beaches.

Lindsey Mercer, ’05 (JD), owns and operates the Law Offices of Lindsey B. Mercer, which exclusively practices criminal defense and higher education consulting. Mercer is recognized as one of San Diego's premiere criminal defense attorneys, handling all types of misdemeanor and felony cases in state and federal court.

Kristin Rizzo, ’06 (JD), is an attorney and the principal of the Rizzo Law Firm. Before launching her own practice in 2011, Kristin was an associate at the esteemed law firm of Higgs, Fletcher & Mack. Now, in solo practice, Kristin handles a variety of complex matters in the area of civil litigation, dedicating the majority of her time to the representation of consumers and employees in employment and business matters.

All SDCBA attorney members who are active with the California State Bar are eligible to vote. Login to the bar association’s website to vote online now through November 8, 2013.

Read about all board candidates online.

About the University of San Diego School of Law

Recognized for the excellence of its faculty, curriculum and clinical programs, the University of San Diego (USD) School of Law enrolls approximately 900 Juris Doctor and graduate law students from throughout the United States and around the world. The law school is best known for its offerings in the areas of business and corporate law, constitutional law, intellectual property, international and comparative law, public interest law, and taxation.

USD School of Law is one of the 81 law schools elected to the Order of the Coif, a national honor society for law school graduates. The law school’s faculty is a strong group of outstanding scholars and teachers with national and international reputations and currently ranks 23rd worldwide in all-time faculty downloads on the Social Sciences Research Network (SSRN). The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1954, the law school is part of the University of San Diego, a private, nonprofit, independent, Roman Catholic university chartered in 1949.