CABA to celebrate Osvaldo N. Soto at 2025 Annual Convention and Judicial Luncheon

The Cuban American Bar Association (CABA) will host its 2025 Annual Convention and Judicial Luncheon on August 7–8 at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Coconut Grove.

The Judicial Luncheon, scheduled for Friday, August 8 at noon, will celebrate the official renaming of the new Miami-Dade Justice Center in honor of the late Osvaldo N. Soto, who passed away in 2021. The tribute recognizes his distinguished legal career and lasting contributions to the community.

“It is with immense pride that we celebrate the legal legacy of Osvaldo Soto in this way,” said CABA President Amanda Fernandez. “His life was dedicated to ensuring that all people receive justice. Naming the new courthouse in his honor confirms that principle.”

A champion of civil rights and a founding member of CABA, Soto served as the organization’s president from 1977 to 1978. According to CABA, Soto’s personal experiences as a Cuban exile “gave him a profound understanding of the struggles that immigrants faced in a new land . . . . Mr. Soto focused his life’s work on combating discrimination based on race and ethnicity. His advocacy notably included his role in overturning the divisive English-Only ordinance passed in 1980.”

The Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center will be the first courthouse in Florida named after a Hispanic individual, according to CABA.

The Justice Center, which houses civil and probation offices, is located at 20 NW 1st Avenue in Miami.

The CABA Convention will feature two days of programming, including four CLE sessions with legal professionals, judges, elected officials, and community leaders. Session details include:

• Thursday, August 7 at 2:30 p.m. – “Behind the Bills: 2025 Florida Legislative Recap.”
  Speakers: Florida Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, Sen. Ileana Garcia, and Rep. Mike Redondo.
  Moderator: Haydee Sera, Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman.

• Thursday, August 7 at 4:15 p.m. – “Game On: Legal and Economic Impact of the 2026 World Cup in Miami.”
  Speakers: Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniela Levine Cava; Alina Hudak, president and CEO, Miami 2026 World Cup Host Committee; and Lynn Carillo, director of commercial legal, FIFA.
  Moderator: Jorge Fors, Jr., Fors Legal.

• Friday, August 8 at 8:30 a.m. – “Smarter Lawyering: Ethical Use of AI in Legal Practice.”
  Speakers: Patricia Abril, interim dean, University of Miami School of Law; and Peter Wechsler, Wechsler Law Group.

• Friday, August 8 at 10:30 a.m. – “Federal Justice: Stories and Lessons with Former U.S. Attorneys for the Southern District of Florida.”
  Speakers: Wilfredo Ferrer, Holland & Knight; Markenzy Lapointe, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman; Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan; Marcos Jimenez, Leon Cosgrove Jimenez; and Roberto Martinez, Colson Hicks Eidson.
  Moderator: Judge Yara Lorenzo Klukas.

To register, click here.