Hunton & Williams Partner Believes in Early Resolutions, Education, Giving Back

Juan Enjamio believes in the power of education. And in the power of giving back.

He was 10 when his family fled Cuba. And even though neither of his parents had much of an education — neither graduated from high school — they raised him to believe it was the key to a better life.

This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.

To view this content, please continue to their sites.

Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Why am I seeing this?

LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.

For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]

Law Firms Mentioned

<div> <div> Juan Enjamio believes in the power of education. And in the power of giving back. He was 10 when his family fled Cuba. And even though neither of his parents had much of an education �� neither graduated from high school �� they raised him to believe it was the key to a better life. "They may not have understood a lot about the way the American system worked, but they understood that education was a way to get ahead," he said. Enjamio's father owned a Havana cafeteria, which was seized by the Cuban government after Fidel Castro took power. The family was treated as political outcasts after they applied to leave the island. In 1970, Enjamio and his family were allowed to leave. His father found work at an auto body shop within a week. He stayed there the rest of his life. His mother got a job in a clothing factory and worked there until she retired. But they pushed their sons to find careers. "They said, 'You have to go to college,' " he recalled. Enjamio's brother decided on engineering. Enjamio got an undergraduate degree in economics. He was already thinking about law school but had only "a vague notion" of what lawyers did. "I really didn't know the legal profession. ... I didn't even realize that lawyers did anything other than litigate," he said. "I remember meeting students in my law class who came from families with lawyers, and they understood, and they knew the name of all these law firms. I had never heard the name of any of them." After graduation, he spent a year as an associate at a firm that no longer exists. But he started finding his true calling after he joined Holland & Knight and started taking on employment cases. "In a lot of these cases there is someone who is accused of having done something wrong. It's not that you've breached a contract. It's that, 'Hey, you did something wrongfully. You discriminated against somebody. You harassed somebody.' Somebody is being accused personally," he said. "So there is a personal aspect. Not only on the plaintiff side, but so often on the defendant side. And that makes the cases very interesting. "There's also just a diversity of issues," he said. "You have to learn every company so you can really understand why decisions were made. I just always found that fascinating and interesting." <h2>Outside The Courtroom</h2> In 1999, Hunton & Williams invited him to help open an office in Miami. He saw a chance "to try to build something new from scratch. To be on the ground floor. It appealed to my entrepreneurial side." With a career spanning 30 years, he has represented everything from executives and employers to foreign governments and multinational corporations in commercial disputes, employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims, enforcement of noncompete agreements and protection of trade secrets. But some of his greatest impact, he said, comes outside the courtroom. "I've also dealt with situations that have never gone to trial or even litigation where I have felt that we have made a difference because we have found that there are problems in the workplace and in the company, and we try to solve those so that either a discrimination or harassment doesn't happen," he said. "In this field, you also get the opportunity to advise companies, to advise clients who may be doing something wrong to stop it, to change their practice. So you help them along the way, and you prevent disputes, and you prevent litigation, and you also make for a better place to work." </div> <div> He also has found a way to make a difference through programs helping students like he once was �� youths who are finding their way in a challenging and unfamiliar academic environment. Enjamio serves on the board of St. John Bosco Leadership and Learning Center, where he once participated in the free after-school program, "helping kids develop the skills to succeed in school." He contributes personally to a first-generation scholarship fund at the University of Florida, helping students whose parents never went to college. And he made sure his firm was one of the first contributors to the First Generation Scholarship Program at Florida International University's law school. "I think it's important not only to help those people, but I think we help ourselves as a profession because we diversify the profession," he said. "Not just diversify from an ethnic and racial standpoint, but also from a socioeconomic sense. FIU is now able to attract young people who become lawyers in our community who come from diverse backgrounds. And that's only going to enrich our legal community in South Florida." </div> </div> <

Trending Stories

After Latham Mandates 4 Days in NY Office in 2025, Other Firms Sticking to 3 Days, For Now

The American Lawyer

Kirkland Is Increasingly Turning to NJ for Huge Chapter 11 Bankruptcies. Will Other Big Law Follow?

New Jersey Law Journal

Clifford Chance Partner Christopher Morvillo’s Body Among Those Recovered from Yacht Wreckage—Reports

International Edition

Am Law 50 Law Firms 'Outpacing' the Industry More in 2024, as Segmentation Accelerates

The American Lawyer

Wilmer Adds Nonequity Partnership Tier, Becoming Latest to Move to 2 Tiers

National Law Journal

25 Years of the Am Law 200: Is Size as a Strategy a Winning Formula?

People, Places & Profits, Part III: Are Law Firm Financial Metrics Keeping Pace With Inflationary Growth?

The A-List, Innovation, and Professional Development: How Market Trends Are Impacting What it Takes to Be a Well-Rounded Firm

Featured Firms

Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates P.C.
75 Ponce De Leon Ave NE Ste 101
Atlanta, GA 30308
(470) 294-1674
www.garymartinhays.com

Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
2 Oliver St #608
Boston, MA 02109
(857) 444-6468
www.marksalomone.com

Smith & Hassler
1225 N Loop W #525
Houston, TX 77008
(713) 739-1250
www.smithandhassler.com

Presented by BigVoodoo

Hunton & Williams Partner Believes in Early Resolutions, Education, Giving Back

Thank you for sharing!

This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.

You Might Like

Steptoe Duo, Including Ex-Puerto Rico Governor, Jumps to Reed Smith

'Pandora's Box Is Open and Doing Business': Miami Attorney Offers 2024 Outlook

Medley Candidate Never Slept in the City, But Miami Judge Rules He Can Run in Elections

What Businesses Need to Know About New Labor and Employment Laws in Florida

Law Firms Mentioned

Featured Firms

More From ALM

Hunton & Williams Partner Believes in Early Resolutions, Education, Giving Back

Share with Email

Thank you for sharing!

This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.

You Might Like

Steptoe Duo, Including Ex-Puerto Rico Governor, Jumps to Reed Smith

'Pandora's Box Is Open and Doing Business': Miami Attorney Offers 2024 Outlook

Medley Candidate Never Slept in the City, But Miami Judge Rules He Can Run in Elections

What Businesses Need to Know About New Labor and Employment Laws in Florida

Law Firms Mentioned

Trending Stories

Featured Firms

More From ALM

Subscribe to Daily Business Review