News

A.C. Estacio-Heilich Speaks with Oregon State Bar Bulletin On Receiving Oregon New Lawyers Division Member Services Award

Portland, Ore. (January 25, 2022) - Portland Associate A.C. Estacio-Heilich recently spoke with the Oregon State Bar (OSB) Bulletin for a special section titled "The Future is Bright," which appears in the publication's January 2022 issue and profiles recipients of the Oregon New Lawyers Division (ONLD) awards. Ms. Estacio-Heilich, who received the ONLD Member Services Award in November 2021, discussed several topics during her interview, including the experiences that have impacted her professional journey.

As the article describes, annual recipients of the ONLD awards "are bettering the Oregon legal field in their own ways, yet share a common bond of modesty, hard work and overcoming obstacles despite their significant contributions and accomplishments."

Ms. Estacio-Heilich told the OSB Bulletin that she started her path to practicing employment law while working at In-N-Out Burger, explaining, "That taught me how to appreciate the hard work and dedication needed for food service. . . . In-N-Out treated their employees well, and I wanted to help companies treat their employees well."

In addition, Ms. Estacio-Heilich described her desire to promote diversity in the legal industry, explaining that as a Filipino, she was “one of the few Brown people in law school at Lewis & Clark.” Noting that networking has greatly benefitted her career, she told the OSB Bulletin, “It’s why membership services are so important to me now, because I just want to make sure people feel included.” She added, "I’m joining these organizations to make sure there is diversity and inclusion in everything that we do, and connecting people to cultures they aren’t always familiar with."

Ms. Estacio-Heilich is a member of Lewis Brisbois' Labor & Employment Practice. She has significant experience representing clients in civil litigation suits involving discrimination, retaliation, harassment, wage and hour, and termination claims. Ms. Estacio-Heilich also serves as co-chair of the Multnomah County Bar Association Young Lawyer Section Membership Committee and as a board member of the Oregon Filipino American Lawyers Association.  

Read the full OSB Bulletin article on page 28 of the publication here and learn more about ONLD here. 

Related Attorneys