2023 PABA
OFFICERS

After 5 1/2 years of civil litigation, she switched practice areas. She is currently a Deputy Public Defender at the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office. She is on the Board of the Black Public Defenders Association and is a Board Member and Lifetime Member of the Philippine American Bar Association.



PABA BOARD OF
DIRECTORS

Maridex attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Arts and Certificate in Asian American Studies. She earned her JD from the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During law school, Maridex served as 2L Class Representative and Secretary UST School of Law Student Government, as well as Secretary and Social Chair of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association.


Ms. Cleofe was a member of a trial team that won a record $417 million jury verdict for a woman who contracted ovarian cancer due to talcum powder use. She was also a member of a trial team that won a unanimous $11 million federal jury verdict in the first bellwether trial in multidistrict litigation involving Wright “metal-on-metal” hip replacement devices.
Ms. Cleofe is a proud PABA Lifetime Member and continues to sit on the PABA Board of Governors. She was PABA President in 2020. In addition, Ms. Cleofe serves as Secretary for the Executive Committee of the LACBA Litigation Section and is a member of the APABA Public Appointments & Judicial Endorsements Committee. She also previously served as a member of the USF School of Law Board of Governors.


Attorney Dailo graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations in 2006. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of La Verne College of Law in 2011.
Before joining Liberty Mutual in 2021, Attorney Dailo practiced as an associate attorney for an insurance defense firm, where he was a member of the Medical Malpractice and Long-Term Care & Elder Law Practice group. He also previously worked for an auto insurance company practicing in auto accident premises liability. He is currently on the board of governors for the Philippine American Bar Association.

Jason earned his B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics from UCLA. He earned his J.D. from Loyola Law School, where he served as a Developments Editor for the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review and judicial extern at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to the Honorable S. James Otero. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Jason worked at UCLA Neuropathology, where he performed diagnostic studies on neuromuscular tissues and co-authored peer-reviewed journal publications examining the fields of neuro-oncology and Alzheimer’s disease.

John earned his J.D. from UCLA School of Law and his B.A., cum laude, from UC Riverside. An active member of the community, John is a former President of the UCLA Law Alumni Association Board of Directors and continues to serve on the Board. John is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Philippine American Bar Association after having served as its President in 2019. Previously, John has served on the boards of the National Filipino American Lawyers Association and the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles County. John also mentors current and future law students, as well as junior attorneys in Southern California.
Outside of the law, John enjoys spending time with his wife, Nancy, and their dog, Rupert, cooking, exploring restaurants, and cheering on their UCLA Bruins and Los Angeles Rams.

Jessica is a PABA Lifetime Member and a member of the PABA Board of Directors. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Association of Corporate Counsel Southern California Chapter, serving as Chair of the Pro Bono Committee. She is a member of the Filipino American National Historical Society and spearheaded the relocation of the Landing of the First Filipinos monument in the City of Morro Bay. Jessica is also active in the City of Long Beach, where she serves as Equity and Human Relations Commissioner. She was instrumental in organizing the Inaugural City of Long Beach Filipino American History Month Celebration in 2022. She was also selected to be a member of the 2023 City of Long Beach Inauguration Honorary Host Committee.
Jessica was born and raised in the Philippines. She is fluent in Tagalog. She received her B.A. from the University of California, Davis, where she double majored in Sociology (Law & Society) and Rhetoric & Communication. She earned her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law and was a Public Interest Law Scholar.


Prior to joining StepStone, Ria was a senior associate at Goodwin Procter LLP in their San Francisco and Los Angeles offices, where she advised founders, emerging growth companies, and venture capital funds on corporate and transactional matters.
Ria received her J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, and her B.A. from University of California, San Diego. She currently serves as a member of the board of directors of the Philippine American Bar Association. Ria is licensed to practice law in California.

Ms. Legaspi’s specialty is in child welfare, prosecuting child abuse and neglect cases on behalf of the County. She has tried the most complex cases involving child injuries, fatalities and sex abuse cases. Ms. Legaspi has spent almost all of her career as a trial attorney on matters involving child witnesses, experts in medicine, forensics, psychology and social work. Ms. Legaspi has also worked with the federal Indian Child Welfare Act and is considered an expert in this law. She participates in conferences involving all issues related to Native American children and families. She has spent years as a trial attorney in the ICWA dedicated court and as an imbedded Legal Advisor to the American Indian Unit of DCFS. She has worked with tribal courts on collaborative case management, and reviewed legislation involving Indian Child Welfare. Ms. Legaspi was the trial attorney in a published opinion, In re Santos Y., an ICWA case relating to the removal of the Indian Child Welfare Doctrine as a consideration in dependency matters.
Ms. Legaspi has also served as Legal Advisor to the Civil Grand Jury of Los Angeles County assisting the Grand Jury on matters relating to investigations into the County’s affairs, usage of resources and jails. Ms. Legaspi has also served as Legal Advisor to the Assessment Appeals Board on taxation disputes and litigation.
Ms. Legaspi is active in the County of Los Angeles, IDEA initiative, serving on committees dedicated to recruiting and retaining employees of color on the basis of Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Antiracism. Ms. Legaspi serves as a mentor to college and law school students in all aspects from LSAT prep, to study and exam preparation, to Bar preparation, serving as a sounding board and providing feedback and support to students. She has judged mock trial and moot court competitions for UCLA School of Law, and other organizations. Several of her mentees have gone on to be successful attorneys.
In addition to PABA, Ms. Legaspi is a member of APAWLA, WLALA, and LACBA.
Ms. Legaspi is the first member of her family to go to law school.

During law school, Karen served as President of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association and as an Advisory Board Member of the school’s Peer Mentor Program. Karen started as one of PABA’s student reps in her second year of law school and has been a PABA member ever since. In her spare time, Karen loves hanging out with friends, family, and her plants and going to the gym.


He earned his J.D. at Loyola Law School and his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, with a minor in Political Science (concentrating in Law and Public Policy) from the University of Southern California. Mr. Nulud also previously clerked for the Supreme Court of the Republic of the Philippines and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office: Consumer Protection Division.


Kimberly graduated from Southwestern Law School, where she was the Co-Chair for the Asian Pacific American Law School Association and the Public Relations Chair for the Public Interest Law Committee. While in law school, Kimberly was also the student representative for the Philippine American Bar Association and interned at the Office of the Attorney General of California.

Pamela provides a holistic defense, tapping into insight gained from the perspective of a client. She served multiple general counsels and in house. From pre-litigation through trial and post-litigation compliance, at all stages of client engagement, she strategically advises to prevent risk and preserve client resources and energy.
Pamela enjoys piano, tennis, weightlifting, and recently trained with a champion MMA fighter. She is grateful for three generations of her family who served in the U.S. Army.

Ms. Perez has extensive trial experience. She has served as lead trial associate on multiple trial teams, including in lengthy jury and bench trials. She also has served as a critical member of many other trial teams. She has argued complex motions, conducted cross and direct examinations of many witnesses, prepared and presented testimony from experts, and taken and defended depositions. She has substantial experience litigating in federal, state and territorial courts throughout the United States.
Ms. Perez also has extensive arbitration experience. She has represented clients, including plaintiffs and defendants, in connection with seven arbitrations and arbitration-related litigation. She has litigated all stages of arbitration proceedings, from demands for arbitration through arbitral hearings to arbitral awards and judicial review of arbitral awards. She has appeared as counsel before JAMS and AAA. In addition, she has conducted investigations as outside counsel for corporations.
Ms. Perez has represented one of the world’s most valuable apparel brands, a major travel retailer of luxury products, a technology start-up engaged in data services, a global financial institution, American sports icons and athletes, and major corporate sponsors of sporting events. She has developed significant skills as a litigation generalist with specific experience in investigations, government and governing body disputes, consumer and enterprise sales and marketing, data licensing and privacy, sports entertainment, and employment disputes.
Ms. Perez received her Juris Doctor degree magna cum laude in 2009 from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. While at Georgetown, she interned for the Honorable Judge Paul L. Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Ms. Perez graduated magna cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a major in International Economics and a minor in Political Science.
Ms. Perez is admitted to practice law in the State of California.


Abigail currently sits as a Commissioner on the inaugural Los Angeles Civil and Human Rights Commission. The Commission is tasked with investigating complaints of discrimination in Los Angeles, and works in close partnership with the Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department to hold businesses and individuals accountable for discriminatory practices that deny equal treatment to individuals. Abigail also serves on the Board of the non-profit community service group, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans, in Historic Filipinotown. Abigail served on the Board of the Filipino American Library for seven years, including two as Vice President. Abigail earned her J.D. at the UCLA School of Law and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Southern California, magna cum laude.
PABA STUDENT
REPRESENTATIVES

Born and raised in the Philippines, Sandra aims to provide a unique perspective in the legal field.

Before law school, Andrea attended the University of California, Berkeley where she majored in Legal Studies. At Berkeley, Andrea was President of the Berkeley Legal Studies Association and an editor of the California Legal Studies Journal. She served as a JusticeCorps member at the self-help centers of several Alameda County Superior Courts. There, Andrea assisted self-representing litigants with cases ranging from family law to small claims cases. In addition, Andrea translated for Filipino clients who did not read, write, or speak English.








Danielle is passionate about building the pipeline of Fil-Am talent, especially within the legal profession. Through her continued service to the Fil-Am community, Danielle works to increase visibility of Fil-Ams in professional and community spaces.

