
Justice Moreno is a first-generation Mexican American, the third Latino to serve on the Supreme Court of California, and a former president of the Mexican American Bar Association. Justice Moreno brings invaluable expertise in our core objective to elevate diversity in the US legal system. He also currently serves on the boards of the Arroyo Vista Family Health Center and the Western Justice Center Foundation.


Purvi is also dedicated to supporting diversity in her practice and to serving as a leader and mentor within the firm and in the broader legal community. Her commitment to mentoring and helping to advance the careers of diverse and female attorneys is evident in the several influential positions she has assumed at the firm. She serves as co-chair of the firm’s Diversity Strategy Committee, hiring partner for the Los Angeles office, and a member of the firm’s Women’s Strategy Committee.
In addition, Purvi’s commitment to advancing diversity in the legal profession at large can be seen by the many programs and initiatives to which she dedicates her time. For example, in addition to serving on LEAP’s board, Purvi is a member of a steering committee of judges, in-house and outside counsel, and educators working with Just the Beginning – A Pipeline Organization to develop and implement a Los Angeles‒based summer legal institute for diverse high school students. In 2018, she served as co-president of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California, which recently recognized her as its 2019 Mentor of the Year.


A first-generation college student from rural Ohio and member of the LGBTQ+ community, Derek is most proud of his legacy of increasing racial, sexual orientation, and socio-economic diversity at Penn Law and in helping to launch diversity scholarships at Paul Hastings. He also has volunteered as a career mentor and writing coach to first-generation college applicants in the Los Angeles area through the Posse Foundation and College Summit. Derek graduated from Ohio University with a B.S. in Journalism, then earned his J.D. from Capital University as a part-time evening student while working as a Legislative Aide for the Ohio Senate.

As a first generation law student and daughter of a mother who never had the opportunity to attend college, Thaila is committed to mentoring and increasing diversity in the legal profession. In addition to her work on the LEAP board, Thaila serves on the board of the South Asian Bar Association – Northern CA (SABA-NC) chapter and is the co-chair of the SABA-NC Endorsements Committee, whose mission is to help appoint qualified diverse candidates to the judicial bench. She is also the co-chair of the Northern California chapter of the Federal Communications Bar Association, where she has mentored many law students interested in pursuing careers in telecommunications and tech law.
Thaila received her B.A. from Stanford University, with honors, and her J.D. from the University of Maryland's Francis King Carey School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude.

As a member of the bank’s Diversity and Inclusion efforts, Mary has designed, led, moderated, and presented a variety of programs including Courageous Conversations, LGBTQ+ Regional Ally Week, and Connecting one’s personal story to Unconscious Bias training.
Mary’s MBA is from Boston University, Questrom School of Business, and her BS in Biology is from University of California, Irvine.

Judge Armendariz previously served as Chief of Staff to the Senate Majority Leader. Governor Gray Davis appointed Judge Armendariz as the first Ombudsman for women’s prisons in California.
Judge Armendariz serves on the Judicial Council of California, Commissioner on the California Commission on Access to Justice. She has also volunteered her time as a Commissioner to the Supreme Court Blue Ribbon Commission on Foster Care.
She has a deep commitment to her community and has been a recipient of several awards and recognitions for her community service. Judge Armendariz is a volunteer Teen Court Judge at her alma mater Roosevelt High School. She sits on the advisory board of several organizations including Latina Lawyers Bar Association, East Los Angeles Community College Pathway to Law, and Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA.