An experienced attorney, administrator, educator, and diversity
consultant, James Castro-Blanco began his legal career as a
litigation associate at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman (then
Winthrop Stimson Putnam & Roberts). He was an Assistant United
States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York where he
prosecuted individuals and organizations engaged in narcotics
trafficking, money-laundering, bank and wire fraud and numerous
other federal crimes. Mr. Castro-Blanco thereafter became an
Assistant Dean at St. John’s University School of Law. He then
became the Manager of Professional Development & Training at
Shearman & Sterling LLP, and subsequently served as the
Director of Associate Relations at Fried Frank Harris Shriver &
Jacobson LLP where he was in charge of firm wide Diversity
initiatives and programs. He is currently Of Counsel
with Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker LLP.
Mr. Castro-Blanco currently serves as a Special Master in the
Eastern District of New York overseeing the accounting and
distributions of a pension fund. He has recently served as a
Court Evaluator in several Article 81 Guardianship
proceedings. Additionally, he serves as a faculty
member for the New York City Corporation Counsel Trial Program.
Mr. Castro-Blanco is a member of the New York City Mayor
Bloomberg’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. He is Past
President of the Puerto Rican Bar Association and of the Puerto
Rican Bar Association Annual Scholarship Fund. He is also a member
of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York Committee on
Recruitment and Retention of Lawyers and served on the New York
State Bar Association Committee on Legal Education and Admission to
the Bar. He was Vice-President of the Network of Bar Leaders and is
the Vice-President of the Alice T. Haviland Foundation. Mr.
Castro-Blanco is a member of the Board of Directors of PALS and of
the Yonkers Puerto Rican/Hispanic Day Parade Foundation.
Mr. Castro-Blanco has authored articles published in the New
York Law Journal concerning the importance of ethnic bar
associations, pro bono work and continuing legal education. Born
and raised in the Bronx, Mr. Castro-Blanco received his Bachelor's
Degree from State University of New York at Albany in 1988 and his
Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School in 1991 where he was Articles
Editor of the Law Review.